The Stocker Pond Association An historical perspective

The only written record from the 2015 annual meeting was a proxy form and a copy of the tentative agenda; nothing new to report.

This year’s meeting was hosted by Rose and Paul Mitchell [property 236-35]. A special thanks was given to the Mitchell’s for not only hosting the meeting but expanding the afternoon to include an informal cookout that was enjoyed by all. Thanks were also offered to others who brought many goodies to share.

Jack Kirk [property 236-20] was elected President and Thain Allan [property 236-25] was elected Secretary-Treasurer. It was also voted to appoint Kirk and Allan as the signatories for the bank accounts held at Sugar River Bank. Pat Woolson, David Szczesiul, and Glenda Szczesiul were elected Directors of the Association.

Dave Szczesiul reported on water testing that pH had risen slightly bringing the Pond from slightly acidic to neutral. Water clarity was similar to year’s past with a Secchi disk reading of 2.8 meters in the middle of the Pond; the State median is 3.7 meters. E. coli was 0 at the inlet and 2 at the outlet. No cyanobacteria blooms had been reported this year.

The beaver situation was reviewed. Norm Beaulieu continued to trap during the season (Early November to early-mid April), but he had let the Association know that he was licensed to trap out of season with permission of the land owners. The Association authorized Dave and Thain to spend up to $250 if it was considered necessary for out of season trapping. [Of course property ownership seems an issue with the western inlet area owned by the Town and presumably the outlet areas owned by the State.]

There was a general discussion about the future of the Association, but continuation of Pond monitoring seemed an essential aspect to preserve. And of course it gave an excellent reason for an annual social event for all the neighbors. Thain announced he would be stepping down as Secretary-Treasurer.

Once again, not much survived of the meeting record aside from the announcement that it would again take place at Rose and Paul Mitchell’s with another cookout to follow. Dues were still listed as $25 and pond water testing handled by Dave Szczesiul. Volunteers were requested to assist with the water testing.

A summary of the meeting was among the records. By this point, State filings to maintain the nonprofit status of the Association had stopped, and the Association was no longer in good standing with the State. This will present no particular issue until 2022 when the funds we had on deposit were no longer accessible.

No dues were collected that year, and water testing was reduced to once per year.

Jack Kirk called the meeting to order at the home of Dotsy and Russ Miles; many new residents were in attendance. It can be inferred that at some point in the recent past, Paul and Rose Mitchell assumed the responsibilities of the Secretary-Treasurer position.

Water testing had been completed by Dave Szczesiul; water quality remains good and the Pond is healthy. Beaver activity continues to create water flow issues, and there was discussion on the Town’s responsibility for this issue. There was also a question of whether the Town maintains the runoff culverts from the Interstate. Jack Kirk requested assistance with seeking information from Town Hall regarding these two issues. Dave Szczesiul also received a database from the State containing all the previous testing data which was to be shared with members. Tanny Gurin [property 236-22] offered to assist with water testing in the future.

Jack Kirk indicated that he would be stepping down as President after serving three years and asked for volunteers to serve as President or as a director. Chris Johnston volunteered to be a director.

A discussion ensued about whether the Pond access path is open to the public and if a sign should be posted that the path is not a public access. No motion was made to take action.

Karen Nicoll [property 243-06] is our contact on the Loon Preservation Society; there was some discussion of posting a sign regarding loon protection and safety.

Finally, questions were raised about controlling weeds. Paul Mitchell stated that inquiries about acceptable methods to control weeds are tightly controlled by the State DES; questions can be directed to Dave Szszesiul.