The Brown County Water Improvement District’s Board of Directors met Tuesday evening in regular session to discuss & approve changes to its rules and regulations along with a few other issues.
The first change that the board considered was in Article II Section F of its rules and regulations regarding boats that produce large wakes. This section reads:
The District’s General Manager is authorized to designate areas or zones in which the operation and speed of watercraft and or watercraft activities are either prohibited or restricted. These zones shall be marked with buoys or signs stating the prohibition or restriction. The District may designate certain areas or zones of lake in which watercraft or specific watercraft activities may operate. This section shall not apply to District patrol or rescue craft.
General Manager Dennis Spinks explained that the District needs a rule to authorize them to designate certain no wake zones where they are deemed needed. A few citizens expressed the need for this rule and perhaps a tougher rule due to the amount of wake that certain boats produce. The board unanimously passed this revision as presented to its rules and regs.
The next proposed change was to Article VIII of the rules and regs governing the construction of docks on Lake Brownwood. Mark Kratzer who is an engineer, who owns a home and dock on the lake, addressed the board and explained his research into looking at a new dock to replace his old one damaged in the storm back in May. He explained his research regarding dock construction between docks made with angle iron vs square tubing. He explained that the weight of these two types of dock construction is about the same, but “the cost difference is significant. About a 30% difference with my type of dock,” Kratzer said referring to the angle iron constructed dock.
The board then heard from Randy Long from the Liberty Dock Company (the company Bob Garrett represents in the Brownwood area) who had some concerns and questions about many of the minimum dock requirements listed in the rules and regs. After Mr. Long went over his concerns regarding many of the minimum requirements, General Manager Dennis Spinks said,”Minimum standard is not what has to be used. We are trying to get a minimum standard of this or better.” Spinks also pointed out that is section C9a of the rules and regs state:
New manufactured docks with sub structural material of standards less than District’s minimum standard may be approved by District if they are designed by certified structural engineer and installed with proper anchoring system.
Also briefly discussed was the new provision requiring existing dock owners with styrofoam or plastic floatation to be required to remove these materials within 10 years from the effective date of the rules and be replaced with District approved encapsulated floatation.
With that, the board unanimously passed and approved these rule changes.
Other board business included:
-Approved an amendment to the District’s ’08-’09 fiscal year budget by adding $165,000 to it due to being under budgeted on utilities for the treatment plant. This was unanimously approved.
-Lake home owner Craig Bryant requested permission to excavate below the 1425 msl at Lake Brownwood in a cove near his house at Feather Bay. The District is currently waiting for a volumetric survey to be competed to see if the lake will get their amendment to permits. The board told Mr. Bryant to come back after the survey’s results arrive in about two months from now.
-A lake resident requested that their dock fee be reduced due to being on a fixed income. The board voted to deny this decrease, but would be willing to work with them in some kind of payment plan.
-Developer Gary Davis had requested in a letter an irrigation line be abandoned on some land he plans to develop. The irrigation line goes to a 13 acre tract of land that used to be a catfish farm near Marketplace Blvd. The line has not been in use for about 20 years and is in need of repair. The board unanimously approved the abandonment of this line provided that Mr. Davis’ project moves forward and that the District would not incur any cost.
-The board ended the meeting in executive session to discuss the possible appointment of a new District treatment plant supervisor. The board selected Don Allen as the new treatment plant supervisor.
