JUNE, 2008 Sluice Pond Association Newsletter

We are still collecting membership dues of $20/household for 2008 so if you haven't paid your $20 membership please sign up online, contact an officer or send a check to Sluice Pond Association to Ruth Sarrette, 39 Bacheller Street, Lynn, 01904. There are 165 homes on Sluice Pond and we hope to increase our membership to improve our chances of getting more support for recreational activities and public property improvements.

Speaking of improvements, Sluice Pond Association needs volunteers for a WYOMA SQUARE bucket collection event on June 28, 2008 for a few hours on Saturday morning and afternoon during the Merchant Sidewalk Event. Please contact Paul Stonkus if you can volunteer. Proceeds will go toward the new bouys to assist with boat speed control on the pond this year to avoid creating public health hazards in recreation.

JUNE 28TH- From 10-2pm the Wyoma Square Annual sidewalk sale and festival will take place with live clowns and other activities. Most merchants will discount 10 percent and there will be merchandise raffles. Come and enjoy the local fun.

JULY 4TH- flares will be available at TruValue Hardware in Wyoma Square. Waterfront members should plan to light their flares along the pond edge at 9pm on July 4th. please dispose of the used flares in your trash, not in the pond. Contact Ippi or Paul Stonkus for more information or to order your flares in advance.

Also on INDEPENDENCE DAY we will celebrate with the annual boat parade that anyone can enter. Dress up your craft to celebrate. The parade will meet at the boat ramp at BRIARCLIFF LODGE at 11.45 for a trip around the pond at noon. The 4 Winds Grille is sponsoring a youth paddle boat race at 1pm with hotdogs and hamburgers provided. The race will take place from the 4 Winds/Lynn Sluicegate area on Broadway and racers will circle the bouys and return to their families at the 4 Winds registration area. All youth and their parents are welcome.

Information about the scheduled fishing tournaments for Sluice Pond can be obtained at Ippi's Bait and Tackle. Tournaments are scheduled every two weeks and prizes of up to $300 can be caught for those preregistered. Lynn Fish and Game stocks sluice Pond with bass, trout, salmon and runs tournaments for adults, juniors and children.

SPRING, 2008

The SPA would like to thank volunteers for their time and effort during Spring Clean-Up. A big thank you to Clean-Up chair, Dan McCarthy for leading the team, bringing tools and making pick-up arrangements with the city for debris.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Briarcliff Lodge Adult Day Health Programs is looking for daily volunteers to spend time in the 'Day Away' Dementia/Alzheimer's program playing cards, sewing, singing, storytelling,walking or just sharing lunch and conversation from 8am-4pm.
Please call (781)598-4570, X121
and ask for Margaret Tierney, Director of Community Enrichment

Since the city began removing the nuisance Canadian geese from Flax Pond and Gannon Golf Course, many have settled at Sluice Pond and they have already driven away our native duck and ducklings. We are asking all residents to refrain from feeding the geese. IF YOU SPOT A NEST, EGGS CAN BE ADDLED BY SHAKING THEM OR RUBBING ANY TYPE OF OIL ON THEM. This will discourage the geese that have recently arrived at Sluice Pond to nest elsewhere.

AGENDA FOR SEPTEMBER, 2008

All members are welcome to attend the next meeting- All meetings are on the first Wednesday of each month at Hughes Century 21 in Wyoma Square. The Board of Directors is planning a new The Calendar Raffle to meet our financial goals. See you at the meeting!

At the April, 2008 meeting several members were added to the Board Of Directors and the election of Officers took place. See the complete list of the Board and Officers.

WEED TREATMENT, STORM DRAINS and GEESE POLICE RAISED WITH WARD 1 CITY COUNCILOR

Mark Falzone's office has announced that Lynn's state legislators Representative Mark Falzone, Representative Art Fennell and Senator Tom McGee successfully sought state support for our ponds. The Aquatic Nuisance bill filed last year for $40,000 will be available for FY 2008 at level funding of $40,000. Based upon how the legislation was written $20,000 is slated for Flax Pond and $20,000 for Sluice Pond. The Board Officers have already raised weed control related issues with the city for Sluice Pond including boat ramp gates (flood control), boat faucets and drainage at the Briar Cliff parking lot for a boat washing program. We want to assist boat owners to remove all nuisance weeds from boats and trailers prior to entering the pond to control invasive weeds. We are also seeking new message bouys for boaters and assistance with shoreline vegetation and related public access issues.

Wayne Lozzi, Ward 1 City Councilor attended our last Association meeting to announce the funds for 2008 along with Tran Lee (representing Councilor at Large Paul Crowley).  Wayne had talked to John Kasian and said there would be funding again next year and that John had submitted the paperwork to the DRC on how to earmark the funds.  Wayne said there would be at least 40 K and that there could be potentially more. 

Other items were briefly discussed:

-the enterprise zone that enables Community Development to go after funds for Flax Pond that excludes Sluice Pond
-the obstructions in Strawberry Brook and the impact of water (flooding) and the possibility of additional outlets for Flax Pond as this impacts Sluice.  This project would require federal funds.  Peabody received 2 million for flooding, no reason to think that Lynn couldn’t also receive such funding.
-the “blow off” area for sewerage etc.(field across from Sluice) during a storm event to protect manhole covers from moving since the pipes cannot handle that surge.    Mike (not present tonight) sent an email to Anthony Marino, the Chief Engineer to see what Sluice could do to help.
-if the storm waters were re-directed into the sewer system, there would be less water entering Sluice.
-the egg addling project led by Wayne was successful on Flax Pond, a couple of geese families were missed on Sluice and he asked that the person not be paid because of that.  Wayne would support a controlled geese hunt done by police or firefighters.
-the continued Title V septic system vs. city sewage issue with a house on Sutcliffe. Wayne continues to try to divert a 120-lot subdivision in Peabody because the drainage goes directly to Cedar Pond in Lynn.  Now that the spotted turtle was declassified, this could impact the project.   The rules say that if the project was amended significantly, the construction group would need to report back to the Council for approval and that was not done.

Wayne suggested getting a list of items to him from the Sluice Pond Association to get our questions answered.   Wayne feels that he has been working hard as our Councilor to represent the interests of people on all the waterways in Ward 1.