Todd Feenstra, from Tritium, Inc., and Cass County Drain Commissioner Jeff Van Belle gave a presentation on the history of the augmentation well project on Mary Street and the present status, adding that it is working really well. They answered members’ questions and are going to be investigating concerns a few members have presented. Todd and Jeff, along with Fred Fornell, Tom Hable and the rest of the board will be looking into finding solutions that will help minimize or eliminate the present concerns.
The minutes from our last membership meeting in August 2023 were read by Debbie Floor. There were no changes necessary, and the minutes were approved by members. Those minutes are posted on the Barron Lake website.
Tom Hable gave an update on the stocking of fish from the fall. The DNR will not allow for stocking this year, so the next stocking will be in 2025.
Tom also informed the membership that the lake weed treatment on May 30 comprised of treatment to just 7 ½ acres. We will continue to monitor the weed situation all summer, just as we have done in the past.
There was a brief discussion regarding a lake-wide fireworks show. We didn’t have any members show any interest in chairing a committee needed to undertake the challenge of putting together a lake show, so at this point in time, we are putting this idea to rest.
Lake resident Marcia Hummel presented plans for a Barron Lake Sausage and Corn Roast to be held on Saturday, Aug. 3, on the large vacant property on the west side of the lake. Marcia has a group of residents serving on the committee and will be hosting a meeting on June 20 to further discuss plans. If there is anyone else interested in helping with this lake-wide event, please submit your name and number via our Contact Us button and it will be forwarded to Marcia.
Also, as a reminder to everyone on the lake, the first Barron Lake Social Night will be this Saturday, June 15, from 5-7 p.m. at Lakeside. Thanks to Jennifer Scherr-Jacobson for coordinating these events. The restaurant also has drink and food specials for our group. Get all the details here: Social Nights
Thank you all for a great meeting. After, I took a drive over to Mike and Diana’s house next to the new pump, to see the situation. It is a problem over there. The smell is a bother and the new invasive weeds are a serious problem. I feel for them. It has to be very frustrating. I also heard other residents that live by the pump stating they had weeds also. So I went back to my beach to look. My beach also has started growing this new invasive weed. I walked along the beaches around me and can say they also have some of the weeds growing. I would love to see the results of the weed testing, because I feel this is going to become a lake wide problem, and should be dealt with sooner than later.
Right now Diana’s beach is un-swimmable. If it only took a few months for that to happen it will spread quickly.
Thank You,
Kelly Pasek