Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Today is St. Patrick’s day and here’s a bit of Irish blessings for you. If any of our members of Irish ancestry wishes to submit a few more words of wisdom – please do! And yes I know… I have already been asked what this has to do with Manchaug Pond as first it was the Native Peoples and then it was the Swedish who settled most of the shores of Manchaug Pond not the Irish! Well, today’s Manchaug Pond is a blend of many nationalities, backgrounds and experience. And St. Patrick wasn’t Irish either! May love and laughter light your days,and warm your heart and home.May good and faithful friends be yours,wherever you may roam.May peace and plenty bless your worldwith joy that long endures.May all life’s passing seasonsbring the best to you and yours! View of Manchaug Pond from Area 8, Summer 2006 Wishing you always…Walls for the wind,A roof for the rainAnd tea beside the fire.Laughter to cheer you,Those you love near you,And all that your heart may desire.Stairs leading to a home in Area 7 May neighbours respect you,Trouble neglect you,The angels protect you,And heaven accept you. Fall asters on the earth embankment, Manchaug Pond Dam …

Sutton Selectman’s Meeting Last Night

Click the title of this blog entry to read what the Telegram reporter got out of last night’s meeting. After hearing Sutton Selectmen last night, one, or I should say two, things stay uppermost in my mind:1. we need a district to give ALL PROPERTY OWNERS a voice! whether you love or hate the MPA, whether you’re a Douglas or a Sutton resident, whether you’re a registered voter or not, whether you’re a business or individual, whether you have been on the lake 106 years or 1 year, whether you formed the association or never heard of it, whether you swim or otherwise use the lake you live on or not. A District would give you the vote by ballot or proxy and the facts- you’d decide. Whether you want a Dam or not. Whether you want chemical weed control or not. What action or non action you want on any other subject. (see MPA’s Proposed Objective #1 for the District: “Provide a strong, single voice for the over 120 current property owners abutting Manchaug Pond who reside in 32 communities in 7 states.”) 2. we need to remember our common goal is the welfare of Manchaug Pond! There was …

Yesterday’s Questions: My Taxes and the District

Yesterday’s questions came from a caller and neighbor in Area 3 I haven’t talked to since the summer. (Winter hibernation!) She asked: Q: If I chooses to support the Manchaug Pond Watershed District, where will my tax money go? The town general fund? Will I get a separate bill? How much will I have to pay? A: All tax money assessed for the District will go to the District. You will be billed by the town on your property tax bill (quarterly in Douglas and semi-annually in Sutton) with the amount for the District appearing as a separate line item. The amount you are taxed will depend on two things: first, the budget you and other members vote on at the District’s Annual Meeting the year before and secondly, the assessed value of your property which is determined by the Town. This makes for a proportionally fair assessment. The MPA has proposed a first year budget of $8,000 based on the expenses of other Massachusetts watershed districts and state requirements for municipalities. This would include a bond for the treasurer, audit, mailing costs for the annual meeting warrant, and a stabilization fund, and perhaps but may not be needed, attorney …

Sutton Calls Meeting on the District

A MPA member called the MPA President today from Florida for an update an lake events as he hasn’t gotten his Massachusetts mail in awhile. So if you haven’t gotten your mail from the Town, or the MPA newsletter, here’s the latest meeting announcement! The Sutton Board of Selectman has called a public meeting “with the abutters of the Pond to hear your support and concerns.” The Meeting will be held thisThursday, March 15, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at the Sutton Senior Center on Hough Road in South Sutton. (Off of Whitins Road ) The Board of Selectman explained in their letter, “We have heard many discussions by the association about the benefits of forming such a district, but as a Board we feel that we have yet to actually hear from the Sutton residents…” The MPA encourages all to attend, both Douglas and Sutton property owners on Manchaug Pond, with waterrights and, if you like, those who rent or have other interests. You do not have to be a registered voter or a Sutton resident to attend and voice your opinion. If you cannot attend the meeting Thursday, the Board ask that you contact them in writing: Selectman Chairman, …

Manchaug Pond Foundation Waterlevel & Dam

Flashboards Going In

The Interface employee and caretaker of the Manchaug Pond dam, gave the MPA a call this morning to update all of you on today’s activities with the dam. He reports that he has to open the gate a bit to take the water down so he can get the flashboards back in. Once the boards are in, he will begin filling the lake for its summer level. This photo was taken June 10, 2006.

Question of the Day!

Playing Trivial Pursuit (Young Players Edition!) today with my daughter we came across a question in the “Science and Technology” category for you!“Who invented the first successful outboard motor – Ole Evinrude, Lionel Johnson or Clyde Mercury?” This photo was taken in January. The 12ft green Mirro craft on the right of the photo had a 1969 six horsepower Johnson until last year when it was sadly retired. Oh, and the answer is: “Ole Evinrude”

MPA Newsletter in the Mail!

The blog has been quiet not because there isn’t much happening but just the opposite! I have been busy working on the winter newsletter I had expected to get out in Dec. Well, today it came back from being printed so I am pleased to say it will be in your mailbox starting tomorrow (and well before spring!) This issue is 12 pages of information from the grant award to facts about the district effort, two articles on the history of Manchaug and an advertisement from a MPA member offering his home for sale to us first on the lot I have always considered the best spot on the lake. I hope you enjoy this issue. If you would like to submitt a few words for the next issue, I would love it. Also if you see a few errors – words not centered or an extra tab – it is the process of transfering the newsletter from the publishing program to the copy machine. We did a whole lot better this time with the transfer than we did with the summer issue. The lake is doing a whole lot of moaning and groaning and the temps have been very …

Is Our Dam Safe? YES!

I had an email today asking whether or not our Manchaug Dam is safe. There is talk around that it is not and with this rain, warmer temperatures, and flooding in the forecast lets look at the facts based on the reports held by the state Office of Dam Safety. Without doubt, the dam is in GOOD CONDITION and continues to be inspected daily and maintained regularly and as needed by the owner, Interface Fabrics Group, and under state requirements. It has been inspected within the last six months by a professional engineer registered with the Commonwealth and by the Office of Dam Safety. Official engineers and inspectors, as well as the MPA president, were on site when repairs were made to the low-level outlet gate in Sept. 2006. MPA holds all dam safety reports on record with the state which reports “the dam has performed satisfactorily for nearly 170 years, and no significant deficiencies were observed.” All maintainence and recommendations are listed from bolts replaced to brush cut to masonary work performed. The reports also give photos, engineer’s plans/drawings and details from reservoir size to the surficial geology of the area, faulting and seismicity of the area and bedrock. …

Beautiful Day Yesterday

It was beautiful on the lake yesterday: sunny, blue skys, and the 7 -8 inches of snow we received in the past few days gave a fresh layer to the lake. The day was quiet as it most often is on a weekday, with an ice fisherman or two seen at lunch time, a couple snowmobilers mid afternoon and as supper time approached, a man and his dog. My daughter and grandson walked across the lake for a visit and coaxed us into a walk back to her house for a visit. On our way home, the big old Golden Retriever ran the distance to give my youngesst daughter a big friendly greeting and then was off running home as well. On the walk over, these tracks were seen where a seagull had touched down for a little rest. One thing I wanted to mention… our MPA President was quoted in the January 18th Worcester Telegram at a Douglas Selectman’s meeting as stating about the 40 year old MPA’s ability to preserve the welfare of the pond, “We need to move up to the 21st century”. Specifically in the past few years under his leadership, the MPA has been doing …

So What is Going On?

To start, here’s a photo shot from Area 2 by our VP. Thank you for the contribution!So what is going on?! Well, to put it mildly, PLENTY!Besides the usual calls that the lake is too high or too low, and “I’m calling from Florida – is the lake up yet since the dam repairs?”, and the calls from Fuddy, the caretaker with Interface, on how much the dam is open and closed, the rainfall and snowmelt, and news on the mill, etc…. …. the Stormdrain Grant is a definite! The Federal/State Government will fund $129,000 for the MPA to reimburse the Towns of Douglas and Sutton as well as the engineering firm CEI as we oversee a number of projects around the lake which will address aquatic weed growth by reducing pollutants/runoff into the lake. We have been busy reviewing project scope of work drafts, sending in vendor and affirmative action requirements, and the MPA President has become handy with the pen signing contracts with DEP and CEI on behalf of the MPA. Personally, I am thankful for the expertise we have on the MPA Board of Directors, ie. a real certified public accountant for a treasurer to ensure proper …

Sunset from Area 2

Thanks to our VP photographer! Lots is happening with the grant, newsletter, and district. I’ll get you the details soon!

Tired of the Cold…

For those of you who are tired of the cold, not into snowmobiles, hockey and the like, don’t have a warm firesplace to sit by on a wintery day like today… don’t despair! spring is on the way! Here are some photos from last summer on Manchaug Pond!