President's Comments From Bill Bomar

This Newsletter contains several items related to the August 17, 2002 Annual Members Business Meeting. Please review them and make your reservations for the meeting.

First, there is the report of the Nominating Committee. Our process is to elect a President and a Vice President for two-year terms in even numbered years and a Treasurer and Secretary for two-year terms in odd numbered years. Each year we elect three Directors and any additional Directors needed to fill vacancies. The election process includes a review of the qualifications of possible nominees by a Nominating Committee elected by the Board of Directors, approval of the Nominating Committee recommendations by the Board of Directors, and election of the Officers and Directors by the Membership at the Annual Business Meeting. This year, with the election of Ben Meluskey as President of the Association, I am pleased to assume the role of Immediate Past President.

Second, a report is included from the Bylaws Committee recommending several minor changes to the Association Bylaws to be approved at the Annual Business Meeting, and reporting several minor changes to the Foundation Bylaws that have already been approved by the Association Board of Directors. The proposed changes to the Association Bylaws 1) allows residents of subdivisions fronting on the "boundary roads" to join as Regular Members (Previously, they could join as Associate Members.); 2) allows the Board to set the due date for dues; and 3) corrects the definition of a quorum at meetings to that intended when the Bylaws were last revised. Copies of the Bylaws of both the Association and the Foundation can be obtained at the meeting, or by emailing a request to me.

Third, a financial summary for the 9 months ended June 30, 2002 is included. This report shows that both the Association and the Foundation are in good financial shape and are keeping within the approved budgets. Our membership remains strong at approximately 950 families.

Fourth, of course, the Meeting Notice and Reservation Form for the Annual Members Meeting on August 17th at 11:30 AM is included. Please return this form with your check so we can know how many meals to plan for.

This mailing also includes the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Boating Laws Information for 2002. This information has not materially changed from last year, but as I have stated previously, it is very important for you and your guests to review this information. I am pleased to report that GA DNR Rangers are active on the Lake and are ticketing safety violations.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow Officers and Directors who have served so well with me over the last two years. Each one of them has made my work easier and my job a true pleasure. Your Association Officers and Directors who have spent many hours working for you this year are Vice President Lawrence Stockton; Treasurer Steve Barrett; Secretary Becky Callahan; Immediate Past President Sid Kollme; Directors Art Benton, Roger Hansen, Bill Markert, Gaston Brawley, Ron Majors, Ben Meluskey, Becky Hunter, Jim Jackson, and Les Rue; and Past Presidents Mason Whitney, Cynthia Whitney, Ken Lynch, Don Heald, Jim Holmes, Joe Estes, and Elizabeth Koets.

A highlight of just a few of our accomplishments and involvements during the last two years are:

• We took delivery of Burton One, the Lake's Rescue/Fire Boat, and presented it to Rabun County as a very important part of the County's Volunteer Fire Department System. This boat came about largely through the vision and fund raising efforts of Sid Kollme.

• We facilitated the location of and start of the work on a boathouse with year round water to house Burton One. The boathouse has 2 slips and will be used to house another boat; possibly one for GA DNR.

• Through the efforts of Lawrence Stockton, Jim Holmes and several others, we maintained continuing and meaningful communication with Rabun County Commissioners and officials, and with Georgia Power Company Land Office management. Special thanks go to the County Commissioners and Jim Bleckley of Rabun County, and to Glenn Ivie and Roger Harrison of Georgia Power Company for their willingness to listen to our concerns and work for changes for your benefit. Some of the matters covered include the location and funding of the boathouse under construction in Murray Cove for Burton One, the contribution of land by Georgia Power Company to Rabun County for the recycle center under construction on Laurel Lodge Road, and the paving of roads around the Lake. Also, Jim Holmes is serving on a County Committee to work with the County Volunteer Fire Departments on their fiscal needs and increased funding of those needs. We are also making a financial contribution to a study being conducted by a professional to identify needs of the VFDs and to set priorities.

• We monitored development and other activities around the Lake and attempted to communicate important issues to you on a timely basis.

• Our thanks go to Becky Hunter, Jim Jackson, and Rhonda and Scot Roberge for their excellent work on the Membership Directory and the membership data base.

• Through the efforts of Gaston Brawley, we sponsored with GA DNR two successful boating safety courses for LBCA family members. The courses were taught by Rangers Mike England and Derek Dillard from GA DNR and allowed many of our teenagers to obtain the needed boating certification. We also distributed boating safety information to all members and others around the lake through our newsletter mailings.

• We have conducted annual Home Tours through the extensive efforts of Linda Thompson, Steve Burnett, Linda Dixon and Lee Vance, and over a hundred boat drivers, dock workers and home hosts each year, and annual Golf Tournaments through the efforts of Ben Meluskey, Tom Fischer and many others to raise substantial contributions for the benefit of the three Volunteer Fire Departments around the Lake. A special thanks go to the volunteer fire and rescue personnel, many of whom are LBCA Members, for their willingness to be on call around the clock for our safety.

• We conducted successful member meetings, the Three Lakes Golf Challenge and the Blue Grass Party each year through the efforts of dedicated members such as Bill Markert, Roger Hansen, Becky Callahan, Ron Majors and many others.

• We supported cleanup efforts around the Lake, thanks to Marian Hansen.

The activities and involvement of the Officers and Directors of your Association continue, including the development of specifications for and installation of Standpipes for use with the fire boat in the fire safety system around the lake. As mentioned in the June Newsletter, your contributions will be solicited for this need in the near future.

So, please don't ask me what benefits you receive for your $75 annual dues. If the above sampling does not give a good indication, I might just bore you with another long list. Seriously, I have enjoyed the privilege of serving as your President these last two years and hope we have done some good. My email will remain bbomar@windhambrannon.com and I will continue to be available to you.

Don't forget the Association sponsored activities coming up over the next several weeks. They include the Home Tour on July 20, the Bluegrass Party at Fred's Shed on the night of July 27, and the 11th Annual LBCA Golf Tournament on August 2. I promise that you and your family members will enjoy each of these events.

Report Of Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee (Bill Bomar, Art Benton, Gaston Brawley, Sid Kollme and Bill Markert), and Board of Directors of LBCA are submitting the following persons for approval at the at the August 17, 2002 Annual Members Business Meeting to serve on the Board of Directors and in the positions of President and Vice President of Lake Burton Civic Association, Inc.

• Three year term on the Board ending in August 2005:

Tom Fischer

Dick Diedrich

Crawford Grice

• Two year term on the Board ending in August 2004:

Bill Markert

• One year term on the Board ending in August 2003:

Ray Kunzer

• President for a two year term ending in August 2004:

Ben Meluskey

• Vice President for a two year term ending in August 2004:

Roger Hansen

In making its nominations, the Nominating Committee considered the location of the Board Members around the Lake as well as the qualifications and commitment of the potential nominees. We believe that we will have good dispersion among the Board Members and Officers.

Report Of Bylaws Committee

The Bylaws Committee of LBCA (Steve Barrett, Gaston Brawley, and Jim Holmes) and the Board of Directors of LBCA recommend that the following changes to the Bylaws of LBCA be approved at the Annual Members Meeting of LBCA on August 17, 2002.

1) Article II, Section 1, A, c) (Regular Membership) be amended by adding "or in subdivisions fronting on," so that the sentence reads as follows:

c) Residential property fronting on, or in subdivisions fronting on, the above boundary roads.

This change will allow residents who live in subdivisions fronting the boundary roads (Bridge Creek Road from Burton Dam Road to Charlie Mountain Road, Charlie Mountain Road to Highway 76 West, Highway 76 West to Highway 197, Highway 197 South to Burton Dam Road and Burton Dam Road to Bridge Creek Road) to join as Regular Members. This would give these persons the same status as residents in subdivisions within the boundary roads and residents who own property directly fronting on those roads.

2) Article II, Section 2 (Fees and Dues) be amended to change the Section to read:

Section 2. Fees and Dues. All classes of membership shall pay annual membership dues to be determined by the Board of Directors. Annual dues are payable on dates set by the Board of Directors, and are delinquent January 31. Members failing to pay dues by April 1 shall be dropped.

This change is necessary to bring the bylaws up to date with the need to mail dues statements and collect directory information in the fall each year to allow for the timely collection of dues and publication of the directory.

3) Article III, Section 5 (Quorum) be amended by adding "a majority of" at the front of the sentence so that it reads:

Section 5. Quorum. A majority of the Regular Members registered as in attendance at a duly called meeting shall constitute a quorum.

This is a technical correction of the previous bylaw amendment to properly state the number of regular members needed for a quorum at a meeting of Members of the Association.

The Bylaws of LBCA can be amended by the affirmative vote of the majority of the Board of Directors, and the majority of the Regular Members present at any meeting where advance notice is properly given. The Board of Directors voted to approve these amendments at its meeting on April 28, 2002.

The Bylaws Committee of LBCA would like to report that the following amendments to the Bylaws of Lake Burton Civic Association Foundation were approved by the Board of Directors of LBCA on April 28, 2002:

1) Article V, Section 2 (Officers) was changed to read:

Section 2. Election and Term. Officers of the corporation shall be elected from among the members of the Board of Directors of the Association by the Board of Directors of the Association at the annual meeting and serve until a successor is elected and qualifies. Officers may serve successive terms.

2) Article VII, Section 3 (Checks) was changed to read:

Section 3. Checks. All checks, drafts or orders for the payment of money shall be signed and countersigned by two officers or other individuals that the Board of Directors may from time to time designate.

3) Article VII, Section 8 (Amendments) was changed to read:

Section 8. Amendments. These bylaws may be amended or repealed and new bylaws may be adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the entire Association Board of Directors at any meeting of the Association Board; provided, that notice of the meeting shall have been given which states that the purpose or one of the purposes of the meeting is to consider a proposed amendment to the bylaws and includes a copy or summary of the proposed amendment. Such notice may be waived as provided in these bylaws.

Copies of this report and the Bylaws of the Association and the Foundation will be available for review at the August 17, 2002 meeting.

New Members

Please add the names and addresses of these new members to your Directory.

John and Jane Puskas
GP Lot 0240
Main Lake East
(706) 782-0228
   854 Carlton Ridge
   Atlanta, GA 30342
   (404) 848-9427
   Alex, Jillian, Caroline

Charlie and Sharon Burgin
GP Lot 1283
Dick's Creek Cove
(706) 947-3628
   120 Hy Vu Drive
   Waynesville, NC 28786
   (704) 452-4628
   Scott, Bob, Keri

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