MRPOA members cherish the Moon River and its watershed between its source at Lake Muskoka’s Bala Falls down to Ragged Rapids GS and the Moon River holding dam in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, Ontario, Canada. MRPOA represents and informs its members about issues of local interest, organizes numerous social activities (including a Regatta) and works to improve and promote the environmental health of the Moon River.
October 5, 2009
A Message from the President Sandy Currie to All Members of the Moon River Property Owners Association…
Greetings to All Members
This is my first opportunity to communicate with the members of MRPOA. There will be frequent communiqués in the coming months.
Board of Directors & Officers
Following the elections on September 5, 2009 at our AGM, the Board met for the first time on September 6. At that meeting, decisions were made with regards to what role each Director would fulfill. I am pleased to introduce the Officers and Directors of MRPOA for 2009-2010.
Officers:
- President – Sandy Currie
- Vice-President – Bob Bryers
- Secretary – Alice Murphy
- Treasurer – Deb Ylanko
Directors /Areas of Responsibility:
- Bill Purkis – Webmaster
- Muriel Hutchinson – Social Events
- Bruno Polewski – Water Quality Testing
- Barb MacIntosh – Membership
Other Volunteers:
- Jazz Cruise – Kerry Knoll & Brian McDonald (Brian will be retiring after the 2010 cruise)
- Regatta – Bob Bryers & Drew Cowern (Drew will be shadowing Bob this year and take on the Regatta Chairmanship in 2011)
It is our intention to welcome many new members and returning old members in 2010. There will be more social events, kicking off on Oct 24 during Cranberry Festival with a complimentary wine and cheese cocktail party. Please see details below.
Directors Meetings
We expect to meet often in the coming months. This will ensure that issues are discussed and appropriate decisions are made on behalf of our membership.
Though each of us is engaged in the Bala community we may not necessarily be involved in all the issues that concern our members. So, if any member has a matter that they feel is important and should be discussed by MRPOA, please bring it to our attention. Two-way dialogue is extremely important to the health and relevance of MRPOA and I urge all members not to hesitate to bring your issues to your Board of Directors.
Communicating with your Board of Directors
In the coming days, once our new web site is running, you will be able to communicate directly with the officers. All will have MRPOA email addresses that follow them wherever they go. Please check the web site, at www.mrpoa.org, in the days ahead for these unique addresses.
Volunteers Needed
With the events and activities facing MRPOA in 2010 we expect to need many other volunteers to help us initiate plans and bring them to completion. So, if anyone has experience in: web site design, operation and maintenance; implementation of stewardship plans/lake plans; regattas; water testing and organizing social events such as golf tournaments and meet and greet events we’d like to hear from you.
Lake Plan
At the AGM we received an excellent and informative presentation from David Sculati on the draft Lake Plan. The Directors look forward to receiving the full report from the Stewardship Taskforce in the near future and will then seek input on implementation from members of MRPOA.
Town Meeting–Bala Community Centre
This Saturday October 10, at 10:00 am (doors open at 9:30 am), there will be a town hall meeting organized by SaveTheBalaFalls.com to provide a status update on the proposal to build a hydro-electric generating station at the Bala Falls. The Directors of MRPOA encourage members concerned about this matter to attend.
Fall Meet & Greet
All MRPOA members – past, present & future, are invited to the first Fall Meet & Greet hosted by MRPOA. The event will take place from 4:00pm to 6:00pm at 1018 Ridge Road. That’s just down the road from Jaspen Park, at the top of the hill. Have a glass of wine and catch up with your neighbours on the River during this Cranberry Weekend. All your Directors will be present and look forward to discussing matters of interest to our members.
Boating Safety
All operators of power-driven vessels are now required to have their PCOC card in their possession when operating the vessels. The phase-in period is now over and enforcement officers will issue tickets to boat drivers who cannot present a PCOC card when asked to do so. If you do not have a card, you can find a list of accredited PCOC organizations at: http://www.tc.gc.ca/marinesafety/debs/obs/courses/pcoc/menu.htm or contact Service Canada at 1-800-O-Canada.
Well that’s all from me for now. Please support the local businesses who assist MRPOA.
See you “on The Moon”!
Sandy Currie