We hope all of you had a very enjoyable 2013 summer season. We're into the final days of "leaf season" now and all is quite peaceful on the Lake. Mornings are beautiful, often with clouds, mist, and sun playing on the water and on the surrounding hills. The Kingdom Dam reconstruction project is moving forward with borings completed and construction slated for next year. As noted in earlier postings, the Lake Level will NOT be severely impacted by the construction project so we will still be able to fully enjoy the Lake -- although the area immediately near the Dam will no doubt be out of bounds for a while. We'll keep you posted on new information as it comes to us from the DEC.
1) OUR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP took place on Saturday, August 3rd at Jeff Sienkiewicz' camp. Minutes and recording should be up within a few days.
2) Two Association-sponsored road clean-ups took place -- thanks to all who participated!
3) There may still be some more Lincoln Pond T-shirts available. Contact Judy Schwarz about them at: lexlp16@aol.com.
4) The Association participated in the E-Town Day garage sale, with proceeds split between item sellers and the Elizabethtown Hospital Auxiliary (a 50/50 garage sale). A check was sent to the Auxiliary from the Association in July.
5) If you haven't already sent in your annual membership dues ($15 per camp) please do so now. You can send the dues directly to our treasurer, Jeff Sienkiewicz at 18 Aspetuck Ridge Road, New Milford, CT 06776 or to Gerry Zahavi, 4172 Lincoln Pond Rd. Elizabethtown, NY 12932.
6) We are actively engaged in discussions that may result in bringing broadband Internet to Lincoln Pond. You will hear more about this very soon.
6) The plans for the Kingdom Dam reconstruction haven't changed -- so I am re-posting below the correspondence from DEC engineer Tom Lincoln:
"Our consultant is finalizing the hazard class and associated downstream inundation map. They evaluate the dam breach scenarios on both a sunny day and in a storm event. The dam will either remain a medium hazard or be increased to high hazard pending the final results of the downstream study. The hazard class is not at all related to the condition of the dam. It is based solely on the possibility of loss of life in the event of a dam failure. Proposed work on the dam is now slated for fall 2014. The intent is to minimize the impacts to everyone around the pond who enjoys the recreational use. We initially hoped to have the permits in place in time for a project bid this summer and fall 2013 construction schedule, but our consultant recommended additional investigation to determine the condition of the concrete inside the dam. The drilling work is highly specialized, and based on driller's availability, the consultant is considering two different approaches to perform the work. One is to set up equipment on land, whereas the other approach involves floating to the dam on a barge and then setting it directly on the existing concrete. That work should be completed in the coming months after permits are obtained. The proposed 2014 updates to the dam are:
- The installation of steel anchors that tie the dam down to the existing bedrock. This provides an extra measure of stability to better resist sliding and overturning. If the dam does get reclassified to be high hazard, it must pass a bigger storm event. Therefore the rock anchors allow the dam to meet the stability criteria set forth by NYSDEC's Division of Dam Safety.
- The upstream face will receive a new layer of concrete on top of the existing concrete. This will greatly reduce water seeping through the dam and extend the service life of the structure.
- The downstream face will have the shotcrete removed and may receive an overlay based on the amount of deterioration observed. Isolated areas of deteriorated concrete will be repaired as required.
- The concrete buttresses on the downstream face will be repaired or replaced as necessary.
- A cofferdam will be used upstream of the dam to minimize the necessary drawdown of the water while the upstream face of the dam is under construction.
For this summer's meeting, this is the extent of the updates.
Once we have a final report of any further proposed modifications to the dam, we will provide you with a copy to keep you informed. None of the possible modifications would involve altering the normal water level at all. So please let the members know that they will not be faced with the prospect of having boat docks high and dry. [MY EMPHASIS] We will certainly have approved drawings for the proposed work well in advance of your 2014 board and association meetings. We can get up to speed beforehand, and proceed accordingly at that point to outline the planned work.
I also wanted to mention again that the project is fully funded under the NY Works umbrella, so there is money available to perform whatever work is required at the dam."
