Call to Order
Michelle Sullivan called the meeting to order at 2:00 pm.
Board Members Present were: Michelle Sullivan (lot# 1826)-President, Terry Nibarger (lot #657)- 1st Vice President, Dan Weidmaier (lot #309)- 2nd Vice President, Christina Lindsay (lot #429)- Secretary, Tom Rice (lot #343)- Assistant Secretary, Robert Walton (lot #217)- Treasurer, Dave Daniel (lot #231)- Assistant Treasurer
Mission Statement: Read by Michelle Sullivan
Pledge: Led by Brian Holcomb
Prayer: Led by Terry Nibarger

Approval of Minutes
Approval of September 8th, 2024 Minutes- Tom Rice made a motion to approve these minutes. Terry Nibarger seconded the motion. All Board Members- yes, motion carried.
Approval of October 6, 2024 Annual Meeting Minutes- Tom Rice made a motion to approve these minutes. Terry Nibarger seconded the motion. All Board Members yes, motion carried.

Committee Reports:
Handbook Committee
Christina Lindsay- nothing to report

Finance Committee
Terry Nibarger- see full report. A review of October financials showed the 2024 year to be in line with last year and on budget after allowing for two special items: The Campground Special Assessment and the Dredge America expense. The Morgan Stanley account was flat for the month, down $663, however the recent Presidential election has sparked a rapid growth.
The Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri was discussed at length and our relationship has been terminated. Our fees will be refunded. Both Terry personally, and the Finance Committee are sorry for the misinformation presented to our members.

The 2023 audit is complete and will be published on Condo for members to see. It was a good report. Venmo is going to be set up for lake activities only, to help reduce or eliminate the handling of cash at events. This is not to be used for membership dues or other purposes.

The Jetty project’s final invoice was received from the builder and after some clarification from the contractor, it has been paid in the amount of $68,500.

He said it has come to light previous lake lot sales were not always consistent and not always approved through the proper channels so he suggested that a subcommittee be formed to ensure, going forward, all lake lot sales are consistent.

No lot sales were closed in the month of October. Proceeds from lot sales this year are at $350,471.80 which includes the sale of lot 717. The Lake Lot Pricing Sub Committee reviewed 3 lots for sale this past month, and it became apparent the Sub- Committee needs to review pricing on some of the lots the Lake currently has for sale. A new price sheet has been approved and will be available at the office.

A down payment was sent to Stick Man Pools last week. Work is now underway on the pool. It was recommended we should purchase a pool cover. Several anchors are already in place and it could add several years to the life of the pool.

A change in design to the Clubhouse septic design has been suggested. Brian is getting more information on this. Also briefly discussed was the Mastercard/ Visa Settlement is still in progress. Lake Viking is not expecting much from this settlement but there could be a small payout for us.

Steve Danner is working on a bid process for farmers to do haying on our properties around the lake. This is a potential way to turn a huge mowing bill into a source of income.

Strategic Planning Committee
Dan Weidmaier stated he has been trying to get the committee going again. The committee has become stagnant. He stated it would probably be Spring before it was up and going again. There was discussion back and forth between Board Members and Tony Gronniger lot#2281 and Paula Hepinstall lot#543 about a previously written 5-year plan. Christina suggested she and Dan review the 5-year plan together and move forward from there.

Activities Committee
Tina Daniel lot #231 stated Trunk or Treat was a success with several decorated trunks and several trick or treaters. She is looking into a possible cornhole tournament as a fundraiser and activity. The 2025 calendar of events has been confirmed and is available at the office. Tina mentioned she would like to get with the office and possibly have a handout or more active role when we get new members. Ultimate goal is to truly “welcome” new members and let them know we are glad they are a part of the lake, and let them know how they can be involved.

Building Committee
Robert Walton gave a report for both September and October of 2024. He said the committee meets 2 times a month, in September there were 15 permits issued with no new builds, in October there were 24 permits issued, including 3 new builds.
Robert Walton made a motion to add Marvin McNabb lot #28, Janet Berry lot #1598, Mike Eversole lot #2422 and Brian Karman MH022 to the committee. David seconded the motion. All members- yes, motion carried.

Fire Department
Tony Gronniger said the Annual Chili Cook Off was a success. It raised $2,390. The fire department is reorganizing and partnering with Safety and first responders. He added that a 5-person admin committee is covering training, communication, records and equipment. A new meeting time has been added to help the volunteers attend monthly meetings. There will also be a meeting on the second Saturday of the month at 9:00 am.

Campground Committee
Christina Lindsay reported the final stages of the electrical upgrade in Campground 1 has is in process.

Lake Committee
Robert Walton gave a report for both September and October of 2024. He stated water samples were taken from Beach #2 and #3 on September 24th and sent in for E Coli testing. Results were Beach #2 was 54.5 and Beach #3 was 1, both of which are far under the US Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended limit of 235. (Please see attached test reports)

The last water side inspection took place October 11th to look at Zebra Mussel test sites. All were negative at this time. The committee also added another 8 test stations as many of the olds ones no longer are there.
Before Terry started with the report of the infraction committee, he stated he forgot to get a motion and approval to develop the Lake Lot Subcomittee.
Tom made a motion to form a Lake Lot Pricing Sub-Committee, and add Paula Hepinstall, Troy Lesan and Kevin Euston. Dan seconded the motion. All members yes, motion carried.

Infraction Committee
Terry Nibarger- There were 12 infractions reviewed, 11 tickets were issues and there was 1 dismissal, totaling $1600. This committee is now into their winter season. The next time it meets will be April 26, 2025. Safety is assisting Affordable Disposal with past due bills; some infractions have been issued along the way. Safety helped a member who was not able to get to her mailbox to retrieve her meds.

A review of Surf Boats has been completed. There are currently 46 surf boats at the lake.

Terry reported we still have members using the community dump area rather than their own trash cans. This means they are paying for their own trash service plus adding to the trash we pay to have hauled off, costing the Association more money. Terry encouraged members to please use your own trash cans and reduce the use of the Association dumpsters when possible.

The boat and jet ski and jet ski lift are now out of the water and getting winterized. Safety is currently helping Maintenance by driving loads of concrete from the pool to the dump pile located in Maintenance.

Dredge Committee
Shawn Hepinstall- The Dredge Committee has finalized plans to clean up the existing 3 silt piles. Shawn reported the focus has been on Garney and Pirate/Pilot. There were 4 bids received. A conference call took place on Friday and the committee recommends using RK Excavating for the project. There is money in the budget for this under 6502. It will take about 6-8 days and cost $17,800. The next project will be to expand the south end, the committee needs to develop a scope of how big of an undertaking this will be. The committee will evaluate the scope of this undertaking next spring.

Jerry Goehring lot #51 spoke up and suggested the Association have a “dirt day” where members who need dirt and have a truck or trailer can come and Maintenance could load it up for them. Michelle asked Brian to talk to Maintenance since there are only 2 staff members at this time to see when we could coordinate this, then put it on the calendar and advertise it to the Lake Members.

Jason Habhegger- lot #1759 said this brings up something that needs to be clarified, does bringing in dirt require a permit? Or is it only the excavating of dirt already on the lot that requires a permit? Both can cause dirt washing off into the lake. This is something the Association will make sure to clear up in the redo of the handbook that is currently a priority and being worked on.

Fishing Committee
Tom Rice stated the committee stocked 1800 yellow perch last week. Currently these are catch and release but possibly in 2027 we will be able to set size limits on them.

Managing Directors Report
Brian Holcomb- Brian started off by saying he thinks the Association has some of the best employees he has seen, and they all truly want to serve the members.

Brian stated we are focusing on reducing payroll through the winter while trying to maintain productivity. He also stated that Rusty Hendricks is serving as the interim Maintenance Supervisor, and Rusty’s goal is to focus on the infrastructure and get back to basics. The department plans to work on beautifying the lake and has started by working on community areas. Brian also added that Kegan Jones, who worked in Safety over the summer was eager to return as a part time employee.

Brian reported that the Yacht Club Warning Light has been mounted more securely. And it was able to be fixed before any substantial damage was done to the roof.

Brian talked about the landing strip and that it is an amenity that has been overlooked in recent years. It does get frequent use. There are trees that need trimming on areas that belong to the Association, there will be a need for more mowing each year and the airstrip is cracking and breaking, so it will eventually need repairs.

Jason Habhegger- brought up trees that need trimmed near the air strip that are on lake members lots, he asked if the Association would be responsible for this or if the lot owner would be. Brian, replied that he would assume that falls on the lot owners to correct.

Brian is working with the department supervisors to restructure capital expenditures for the 2025 budget. There is room to adjust the capital expenditures in next year’s budget to acquire office equipment (upgrades) and vehicles for safety that are aging and requiring a lot of upkeep.

Brian met with Ricky Roberts, Tom Archibald and Jerad Clyde to discuss the build on lot 717 and the diverted water. Rusty and Brian believe there are some additional responsibilities the Association has at this location, and they are currently developing a plan with the Dredge Committee to address the issue.

Brian has been in contact with Tom Fritts regarding Clubhouse septic. Tom Fritts believes he has identified a solution to obtain approval from the State of Missouri to move forward. The plan is to replace the aerobic drip system with a filter system that is currently used at 2 state parks in Missouri, which can accommodate our high fluctuation of usage of the system throughout the year.

Zebra Mussel Rection Plan, Brian stated historically the plan has been to spread chemicals on the surface of the lake if Zebra Mussels should become a problem. There is a large list of reasons this is not the best plan, including, how it can damage vegetation, along with the age of our chemicals we currently have and how they have been stored. He said a copper iron generator, which Smithville Lake currently uses, seems to be the best approach moving forward. If Zebra Mussels appear at the lake a realistic plan of action would be to work with the Water District to protect the spillway and the Water District’s equipment.

Tube Replacements on Otter Ave- There is a plan in place to replace two tubes on Otter Avenue between Lake Viking Church and the Y Intersection near the Viking Ship. Cornett Excavating won the bid and will be doing the work. They anticipate Otter Ave will be closed for 2 days. We have requested a 2 week notice before they begin work so we can notify members.

Brian talked about the shortcut from Oval Ave to Bluegill. An entry was created earlier this year for when Maintenance was moving rock. This was never intended to be a permanent road and it is now in need of attention. The choices appear to be to spend $250 on concrete blockers to stop traffic and use of the shortcut road or to spend $6,000 to put in base rock, replace the tube and add gravel to Bluegill to accommodate increased traffic. Brian stated he did not think the decision should be left up the Managing Lake Director to create a new entrance for the lake.
Jason McTheeney from Safety stated as long as he has worked here the idea was to keep access to the lake and entrances to the lake limited to lake members and not outsiders. He thinks shutting down the shortcut would make the most sense.

Tom Rice made a motion to close the shortcut and not spend more money to keep it open. Terry Nibarger seconded the motion. All members- yes, motion carried.

Safety/Building Committee
Brian stated that that Safety Department employees will be attending Building Committee meetings and working closely with the Committee to ensure the enforcement of building rules is consistent. Safety will be the primary point of contact for permits moving forward, not the office. This is all in an effort to minimize confusion between members and departments on things from the handbook. The office will still be taking payments for the permits and printing them and laminating them, but any and all questions or concerns and calls regarding permits need to be directed to Safety. We are hoping this will reduce the permit infractions for members that might occur from simple misunderstandings.

Approval of Financial Statements
September 2024- Tom Rice made a motion to approve the financial statements from September 2024, Robert Walton seconded the motion. All members- yes, motion carried.
October 2024- Tom Rice made a motion to approve the financial statements from October of 2024, Robert Walton seconded the motion. All members- yes, motion carried.

Board Discussion
2025 Dues & Assessments Billing- Michelle Sullivan stated as a reminder the fiscal year was changed in 1997. At the May 22, 2023 Special Meeting the decision was made to match the billing year to the fiscal year. So, starting on the 2025 dues and assessments, ½ of the dues will be emailed/billed January 2nd to be due February 1, 2025, and the second ½ of the dues will be emailed/billed April 1 to be due May 1, 2025. No boats or watercraft will be stickered until all 2025 dues are paid. A member is welcome to pay all dues by Feb 1 2025, instead of paying them in halves.

Jason Habhegger- lot #1759 asked if this was going to be how dues are billed in the future or if all dues would be billed in January and due in February of 2026 and moving forward. Paula Hepinstall from the Finance Committee along with Michelle Sullivan said no, this method of ½ being billed in January and due February, and the other ½ billed in April and due in May is how it will remain that way.

Define “membership year” in the handbook- Michelle mentioned the need to define what a membership year is in the handbook and suggested that Christina Lindsay and the Handbook Committee take this into consideration it works to clean up and clarify the handbook.

RsMo. 442.404 (5)- HOA regulations pertaining to owning and pasturing chickens, effective August 28, 2024- Michelle Sullivan reported that we can no longer keep members from owning chickens on their lots. However, we can ban roosters. There are things we can control as far as the size and location of the chicken pen and coops. This is being looked into further along with the lake’s Attorney.

5 Year Strategic Plan- Michelle Sullivan stated some of the lake’s bylaws may not be in line with current Missouri Laws, so we need to make sure we evaluate them and update them as those things are brought to our attention.

Michelle stated the Board Members would like to show their appreciation and continued support to the lake employees. She stated they plan to do an employee luncheon and introduce the staff to the members at the next, December 2024 meeting.

Michelle also addressed her concern about Think Tank meetings being held during the week where members can not easily attend or join. The goal is to hear from the lake members and get their ideas and opinions and it is important to think about scheduling these meetings at a more appropriate time going forward.

Adjournment
Michelle Sullivan adjourned the meeting at 3:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Christina Lindsay
Secretary, Board of Directors
Viking Valley Association