Baldwin Lake Association Newsletter
June 1999

A FAREWELL NOTE FROM THE BENSONS:
       "The time has come for us to make a major move and take life a little easier, so we have sold our home here on Baldwin lake where we have resided since 1958. Jack and I both moved to the lake area in 1941 and have seen many, many changes over that period of time, and made many friends and have had super nice neighbors in the various places we lived. So for this reason, we asked Coe Strain to put this little note in the Lake Association newsletter, to say "Thanks" to each and everyone whose lives have touched ours. We are going to miss you all very much. However, we are just moving west a few miles to Gordon Road where we'll be near our children, and with any luck at all, we'll be seeing some of you from time to time in and around Union or Elkhart. Meantime, our best to each of every one of you and again, many thanks."
       Jack and Betty Benson.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For those of you who have not known the Bensons, our committee to write a history of the lake area, interviewed and taped their memories of what life has been like here in the 58 years they have been in the area, and these will be included when the work is finished. I made Jack promise that a condition of the sale was that the new owner had to continue mowing the edge of the Hilltop from their house down to Wayne Street and back. I hope he remembered. And I got a tentative promise from Betty that they would be here for the Association picnic in July. Betty served a two year term as Association secretary also, and they have been active members of the Conservation Club for years. We wish them well, and we will miss them both.


ANNUAL PICNIC TO BE COMBINED WITH ANNUAL MEETING
       Both the annual meeting of the Association and the picnic will be held on July 17 this year. The meeting will be at the Cass County Conservation Club on US 12, just west of Sunset Boulevard in the morning. Coffee and doughnuts will be available 8:30 (IN time, with the meeting beginning at 9 a.m. Committee reports and the election of one vice-president and the secretary will be followed by questions and open discussion by members. You may pay your dues at this time to keep your membership current, but we encourage you to pay ahead of time if at all possible (This year we are asking you to again fill out a form so that we can be sure our information is up to date. That is a major problem as people move in and out and change places around the lake. Please help us help you.) We are still open to anyone who wishes to stand for either vice president or secretary. Please call Carol Erbe if you wish to be placed on the ballot. Also, nominations from the floor may be made provided the person being nominated has agreed to stand for election. For your information, the secretary keeps the minutes of executive and advisory boards, gets mail from the PO Box in Union, and handles much of the routine correspondence. The two vice presidents share committee direction for our standing committees. (Most committees are fairly regular in their functions at this point and need minimal and irregular assistance.) Want to be involved? This is a sure way to stay 'in the loop".


FROM THE SOCIAL COMMITTEE
       The picnic will be held at the Yoder and Troy residences on Sunset Blvd again this year. The festivities will begin at 1:30 IN time. Appetizers, games and camaraderie begin as soon as you arrive. There will be games for both adults and children. We will eat at about 3 p.m. The association will provide the main course, deep fried turkey. Remember how wonderful it was last year? Soft drinks will also be provided, but please bring your own alcoholic beverages if you so choose. This is a pot luck, so don't forget to BRING A DISH TO PASS. This is open to all BLA members and if you have company that weekend, bring them along. Looking forward to seeing Y'all there !!!! Carol Morris and Meredith Conte
P.S. The Christmas Party this year will be at the Round Oak in Dowagiac on December 4th so mark your calendars.


FROM OUR PREZ
       Boating season has arrived and as you look around the lake, each day produces more piers and boats. The season has also produced those bothersome mosquitos. Because of the serious outbreak, our advisory board has voted to spray for them. We hope by the time you read this they will not longer be a problem, but the cost of spraying will be. Please help by either mailing your donations in or giving them to your advisor. We are asking for a $20 donation from each family to defray the cost. Details of the spraying have been put into the flyer companying this newsletter.

Our first flotilla is planned for July 4. Please call Carol Erbe to let her know you want to participate.

This year we are combining our annual meeting and picnic on the same day, July 17, so mark your calendars and plan to attend. We elect the officers who will direct our association for the next year and report on all our year's activities and plans for next year. Our picnic takes place at 1:30 p.m. (IN time) at the homes of Phil and Pat Yoder and Alice Ann Troy, at the south east end of the lake. The social committee's article has all the pertinent information.

The other thing that happens in July is paying your annual dues. We need members' dues to exist. The board has decided to curtail fund raising efforts and rely on membership dues to operate our many programs. A strong membership base not only provides us with operating funds, but it gives us a united community voice in dealing with issues that may directly affect our lake. If you are a member, we need to have you renew your membership, and if you are not, we ask you to please join so we can increase our united community voice.

For all those out there with access to the internet, Our Association now has a web page. We were able, thanks to Joe Komins, to get one of the free sites that Michigan Lakes and Streams made available. A big THANK YOU goes to Joe who worked hard to get it up and running. Our address is http://WWW.MLSWA.ORG/BALDWIN-LAKE-366/. From it you can uplink to the MLSWA web site. Joe is getting some help adding new features to our site from one of our newest members, Scot Billings, so look us up. We plan to have an updated calendar of events and other important information for our members on the page. See you all at the annual meeting.
       Don Henke


SUMMER WATER TESTING HAS BEGUN.
       Mike Miller, our water quality and environmental chair, reported at the last advisory meeting that we again participated in the state phosphorus testing program, and the Secchi disc clarity tests have begun. Early on at every site, clarity has improved--however, we need to keep in mind that the boating had not yet begun in earnest, and it has been an extremely dry spring. Both conditions contribute to the current clarity. Secchi disc readings will be taken every other week all summer and shortly other water quality tests will be done to check for pollutants in the water.
Mike also reported that the drain commission is apparently ready to proceed with drain construction at the two sites on the south end of Hilltop Road. But some problems have developed in the planning for the two proposals for the north end of the road.


NON-HOMESTEAD TAX VOTE MATTERS TO ALL OF US
       On June the 14th, at Baldwin Prairie school there will be an election to renew the non-homestead millage paid by commercial and rental properties only. Homeowners vote on this tax, but do NOT pay any of it. The money from this tax is 1/16th of the total which funds Baldwin Prairie Elementary and the other White Pigeon schools. Without it steps will have to be taken to raise funds from homestead taxes or from local governmental units, which means higher taxes for all of us. THIS IS NOT A NEW TAX, ONLY A RENEWAL OF WHAT IS NOW BEING COLLECTED FROM COMMERCIAL AND RENTAL PROPERTIES. ALL HOMEOWNERS VOTE, BUT HOMESTEADERS DO NOT PLAY THE EXTRA MILLAGE. Please find just a few minutes on June 14, to get up to our school and register your vote. Our kids are our future. It is never crowded there, and the polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. MI time.


CRIME WATCH AND COMMUNITY POLICING
       You have to have noticed that along with the increase in boating traffic, the auto traffic along all our roads has also increased by leaps and bounds. At both Sunset and Baldwin Prairie, getting out onto US-12, can be lengthy and hazardous to your health. And just a week ago, we had the third serious accident at Wayne and Baldwin Prairie. within the past year. I remember driving from here into Memorial HS on the west side of Elkhart, in 25 minutes without seeing more than one or two cars until I got to Bristol and Cassopolis. Them days are gone forever! More and more caution becomes essential, both on the lake and on the roads. Courtesy and knowledge of the laws of the road (and that includes the lake) are essential if we are to avoid the kinds of accidents and incidents which can really spoil the summer for all of us. Be careful out there.
       Don's email alerts seem to be reaching a lot of the folks around the lake and the hope is that being aware will help us all avoid becoming victims. About 40% of the homes around the lake are owned by part timers. As we would like our neighbors to watch out for us when we are away from home, please watch out for your neighbors when they are gone. Many eyes make crime and/or mischief much less appealing. If a strange car appears in your neighborhood, make sure that the driver knows you have seen it and noticed. Just a friendly wave will do it. Being seen is not what criminals are all about.
       The Neighbors Helping Neighbors program is progressing, if slowly, but it is a complex and complicated process if we are to do it "right". We have created 8 areas within the township, according to population density, and have a volunteer area captain in each. We have also decided to purchase numbers that can be used on each and every piece of equipment being listed from each individual or family. The sequential numbers will be entered in a data base with our fire chief so that we can be sure that anything being used can be returned to its owner. Our next step is to finalize the questionnaire and to locate volunteer section leaders who will take a small area to canvass, and be willing to be the contact person for his section in case of an emergency. Then the Sheriff's Office will issue photo IDs to all these people so that anyone being approached will know who they are and why they are seeking the information we will need to have. If you are willing to help with this program, please contact Coe Strain (641-5931), or better yet, attend the next Community Policing Committee meeting to be held at the Fire Station, Monday, June 29 at 7 pm MI time.
       Small red cars and white pickup trucks seem to be the vehicles of choice recently of the groups that are breaking into homes in the area. Again, these are day time incidents. If you see ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS, call the Sheriff's Office (663-5225) and let an officer check it out. And if you have anything from mailbox damage to boat theft happen to you, PLEASE REPORT IT. Even if it seems too minor to bother with, it may fit a pattern of activity. And don't give up. A boat motor stolen last summer from a fishing boat on Pleasant Street, is in the process of being recovered, and reparations for mail boxes is still in the works. If we work together with our officers, we will all benefit.
       Again, internet users, the Sheriff's Office now has a web page which has sections on Community Policing, Corrections, Marine Dept., etc. You can reach it at www.casscountymi.org/ccso, or casscountymi.org, and press the button for the Sheriff's office.


SUMMER CALENDAR

JUNE

5--Township Cleanup 8-2 MI, 7-1 IN. American Waste Facility Mason Street, just west of Union Road

9---School is out

12--Lake Assoc. Garage Sales

14--Non Homestead Tax election Baldwin Prairie School

16--Advisors Meeting Fire Station, 7 pm IN

28--Community Policing Comm. Fire Station, 7pm, MI

JULY

4---BLA's First Flotilla 3 pm IN time

5---rain date for flotilla

18-24--Cass County Fair

17--ANNUAL MEETING, ELECTION 8:30 IN, Cass Conservation Club US-12

17--Members Picnic 1:30 pm, IN Southeast corner of lake Troy/.Yoder properties

21--Advisors meeting Fire Station, 7 pm. IN

26--Community Policing Comm. Fire Station, 7pm MI

29--Community Policing Scholarship Golf Outing, for information Call Lt. Parrish at 663-5225




ROSES THIS MONTH GO TO---
       All the good folks around the lake who have been hauling pier sections and docks onto their property to keep them out of the lake. There are still several on the west side, along Hilltop that have not been claimed. Many are too heavy for residents to move without help. Carol Erbe has been coordinating those that have been lost and those that have been found. The recent storm took out more and there are still sections in the lake itself that may not be visible just under the surface until you are right on them and it is too late to avoid them. Considerable damage can be done to boats and to people. IF YOU ARE MISSING A SWIM PLATFORM, A DOCK SECTION OR A PIER, PLEASE LET CAROL KNOW.
       And a second bouquet of roses goes to Jake Balch, a graduate of Constantine High School this spring who is the winner of the Porter Township scholarship. Jake is the oldest son of John and Karen Balch, recent new residents on Hilltop Road. In addition to his fine acedemic record, over the week-end, Jake participated in the county track meet. We wish him the best of luck in the June 5th state meet where he is qualified on two relay teams. We are sure he will do well at college. Way to go, Jake.


       ON SATURDAY, JULY 4TH, AT 3 PM, INDIANA TIME, we will be having our very 1st flotilla. Everyone is welcome to participate. All it takes is a little imagination and the ability to have fun. Invite your family and friends to help you celebrate the holiday. Your boat can be decorated with any theme. If you need some suggestions, call Carol. I do have an idea of what others are doing. It can be very elaborate or very simple. Anything goes just so it's fun. (Please remember the children who will be watching. We will be gathering at the north end by Willow Shores Campground. The judging will take place right away before any damage is done. There are three places: Best of show, Runner-Up, and A Good Effort (Booby Prize). We will circle the lake as close to the shore as possible so everyone there can enjoy the parade, and try to keep the main boat traffic toward the middle of the lake for safety reasons. If you have any questions, please call me at 641-7309, or visit our web site to see the list of participants. Here's to a bright, sunny, fun, and safe 4th of July Holiday. Come join the fun.


BZZZZ,SWING, SWISH , SWAT, SQUISH??
       Well, maybe. If these words mean anything to you in this sequence, it's because you have been invaded as have the rest of us, by an explosion of mosquito dive bombers. It's time to declare war, and at the last advisory meeting, we voted to spray. We thought it would happen last week, but the weather has not cooperated with us. To be effective, Mr. Eby needs a temperature of 70 degrees ormore at 7 pm. and little or no wind so that the spray stays where it is sprayed and does not blow over to White Pigeon.
       The hope now is to spray the week of June 8. That will kill those in the air and on the ground. A second spraying two weeks later will get the next hatching--again if the weather cooperates, and should end our misery for this season. If you were here when we last felt we needed to spray for comfort and health reasons, you will remember how quickly the spray was effective. It is completely safe for everyone and for the lake and animals If you fear alergies, please call Coe at 541-5931, so that you can be called when we know exactly when it will happen and can avoid being outside for the short time it takes to spray the area.
       Costs have gone up. We are asking every family on the lake, members or not, to pitch in $20 per household. You may mail it to Baldwin Lake Association at PO Box 311, Union, 49130, give it to an advisor or officer, or drop it off to Sharon Pittenger at Mills Grocery. Thanks for your help.