All Paid!

Well folks, we did it! The dam is all paid for and grass is coming up on our new dam and the knoll where material was taken from. The grass is thin and tender, so please stay off as it hopefully gets established (Doug's access as well).

Here's the final totals from our account:

The last $100 will go towards the NT Max pond treatment. That should help clear the algae bloom before the reunion. The drains are working properly and all is well.

Wait until you see our new dam! A job well done!

Dam Pledges

Boy are we blessed! A couple of us were willing to say we'll fill the gap if need be. And lo and behold, a whole bunch more of you step up so it's not so bad. When we spread it out, even a massive project like this one becomes do-able. Y'all are wonderful!!

So, as I mentioned previously, we need to raise an additional $3,142 to cover Kenny's bill for the dam. If possible, a little more to cover the path on the other side as well. As you can see below, we're already pretty close on pledges to covering the basic bill. That's great!



Dam Bill

I meant to update this fall with some pictures of the new dam, but just didn’t manage to find the time. As any of you who have visited since September no doubt observed, it is big and wide and solid and everything we asked for! Here’s a couple pictures:

 

 

We also had pebble put in for a beach area (holds up better than sand) and Eric & Cheryl gave up part of their stone wall to replace the old jetty (this one is perpendicular to the bank which we’re sure the fishermen will appreciate).

 

I guess I should mention, Doug & Deepa also had some work done on their side that they paid for separately. They had the path on the other side of the pond widened so it’s easier to access and walk around.

 

 

The pond has filled back up considerably since the work was done (and it’s low point in these pictures). The new dam is functioning wonderfully well! Ken determined that although the knoll at Eric & Cheryl’s was suitable fill (no excessive shale), it turned out it didn’t have as much clay in it as he hoped for. So a good deal of clay was brought in and mixed into the material from the mound as the dam was built. After his prep work (lowering the pond a little further, clearing old dead wood from behind the dam, pulling tree stumps from dam, etc.), Ken and his men added layers of the mixed materials and compacted it after each layer. It is so solid, it feels like it’s always been there!

The amount of time needed and the additional materials were a bit more than originally anticipated. As a result, our final bill is slightly higher than we had figured. We finally received our bill from Ken this Friday, January 12^th. He approached Joe last month once he had initially figured it out. He felt bad about it coming in a bit higher. Joe assured him that we would take care of it and we knew the original numbers were best guesses. Ken decided to knock the bill down a bit anyway (as you can see on the invoice). He’s a great guy and wants to make sure we’re happy with his work. Personally, I think he did a fantastic job and went over and above by discounting us more than half of the overage from our original guesses!

At any rate, as you can see on the bill above, the grand total was $16,965. We have already paid Ken $10,000, so our outstanding balance is $6,965. Since we have $3,823.23 in our account right now, that leaves us with a shortage of $3,141.77. So we need to raise a little over $3,000. Joe & Shelley and Andy & Beth have each pledged $500, so there’s $1,000. We still need over $2,000 more.  If any of you could chip in, it would be greatly appreciated!

PS  I would like to suggest that any extra monies received be given to Doug & Deepa to reimburse them for the pond path. (They paid about $2,000.)

 

 

 

 

The Dam & The House!

Things are really happening now!

In case you haven't heard, David & Grace made an offer on the Gumport house that was accepted! They are in process of the myriad of steps that will hopefully get them to their scheduled closing around the end of October. We're all wishing them well and helping when we can. We're pulling for you two!!

That piece of equipment in the foreground is Kenny Bell's. The picture was from September 16th and he was starting to stage some of his equipment in preparation to begin on the dam. And begin he did!! Kenny and his crew started moving stuff on Monday, the 25th. And Eric ran right up there to be part of it all ;)  Here's a picture from today, Tuesday, the 26th. Boy, I can't wait to see it this weekend!!

So, in a week's time we should have a much better idea of how things stand cost wise. Kenny thinks we'll be ok (we told him we had made our fundraising goal $15,000). We did come pretty close to our goal and some folks have indicated a willingness to add additional if need be. Our current bank balance is $13,750 and here's how we got there:

Date	Donation #	Name	Amount	Bank Balance
6/1/17	1	Eric & Cheryl	$1,000	$1,000
6/1	2	Andy & Beth	$1,000	$2,000
6/2	3	Joanna	$250	$2,250
6/3	4	Allison	$50	$2,300
6/7	5	Bruce	$50	$2,350
6/7	6	Mary	$100	$2,450
6/12	7	Sara	$100	$2,550
6/12	8	Dave & Dottie	$1,000	$3,550
6/12	9	Matt & Laura	$1,000	$4,550
6/12	10	Paul	$1,000	$5,550
6/12	11	Ellen & Earl	$200	$5,750
6/12	12	Vicky, Cathy & John	$500	$6,250
6/13	13	Eric & Cheryl	$1,000	$7,250
6/15	14	Jim & Ann	$1,000	$8,250
6/27	15	Jim & Lynn	$200	$8,450
6/27	16	Joe & Shelley	$1,000	$9,450
6/30	17	Carolyn	$100	$9,550
7/17	18	Bill & Paula	$200	$9,750
7/21	19	Eric & Cheryl	$1,000	$10,750
9/25	20	Doug & Deepa	$3,000	$13,750

And once again, thank you all for being so amazing and contributing so much to make this possible!!

I'll update again this weekend when I get to see it for myself.   TTFN  ;)

Gumport House Update

I just want to update you on the Gumport house. Karen's brother, Lee, mentioned to Matt that they're hoping for $150,000. I guess they've come to realize that the place does need a bit of work (before they were talking about a higher number).

Although some family members have expressed an interest, no one seems to be in a position or has the desire to do an outright purchase. The possibility of a joint purchase has come up. So, we thought we should broadcast one more time, would anyone be interested in joining together to purchase the house?

I believe they will be looking for a real estate agent soon, if no one from our clan steps up. If any one or any group is interested, please let me know. I do have Lee's phone number.

Beth
CompetitiveHVAC@gmail.com

Dam Update

We're proceeding!!!!

Kenny Bell tested the mound in a few places and we are going to be able to use the knoll at the front of Eric & Cheryl's lot for the new dam material! It doesn't have excessive amounts of shale, etc. so it is usable. However, it doesn't have enough clay material in it. Kenny plans to add loads of clay to the material on site to get the desired composition. He believes mixing the clay throughout the dam is better for the longevity of the dam (as opposed to facing with clay).

Kenny said our cost guesstimate is still pretty good. So, we'll see how it goes.

 

Our current goal is: $15,000.

Our balance to reach our goal is: $4,250

Date	Donation #	Name	Amount	Bank Balance
6/1/17	1	Eric & Cheryl	$1,000	$1,000
6/1	2	Andy & Beth	$1,000	$2,000
6/2	3	Joanna	$250	$2,250
6/3	4	Allison	$50	$2,300
6/7	5	Bruce	$50	$2,350
6/7	6	Mary	$100	$2,450
6/12	7	Sara	$100	$2,550
6/12	8	Dave & Dottie	$1,000	$3,550
6/12	9	Matt & Laura	$1,000	$4,550
6/12	10	Paul	$1,000	$5,550
6/12	11	Ellen & Earl	$200	$5,750
6/12	12	Vicky, Cathy & John	$500	$6,250
6/13	13	Eric & Cheryl	$1,000	$7,250
6/15	14	Jim & Ann	$1,000	$8,250
6/27	15	Jim & Lynn	$200	$8,450
6/27	16	Joe & Shelley	$1,000	$9,450
6/30	17	Carolyn	$100	$9,550
7/17	18	Bill & Paula	$200	$9,750
7/24	19	Eric & Cheryl	$1,000	$10,750

Outstanding Pledges $3,100

Date	Name	Amount Pledged	Paid To Date	O/S Pledge Amount
6/1/17	Eric & Cheryl	$3,000	$3,000	$0
6/1	Doug & Deepa	$3,000		$3,000
6/2	Matt & Laura	$1,000	$1,000	$0
6/2	Joe & Shelley	$1,000	$1,000	$0
6/2	Paul	$1,000	$1,000	$0
6/3	Carolyn	$100	$100	$0
6/3	Vicky, Cathy & John	$500	$500	$0
6/4	Jim & Ann	$1,000	$1,000	$0
6/4	Mark & Chris	$100		$100
6/5	Dave & Dottie	$1,000	$1,000	$0
6/6	Ellen & Earl	$200	$200	$0
6/8	Jim & Lynn	$200	$200	$0

 

 

Anyone willing to chip in and help out can send a check or give cash to Cheryl or Beth. We have set up a joint bank account for this specific purpose.
Beth Wedell, 617 Eayrestown Road, Lumberton, NJ 08048
Cheryl Lemyre, 35 East Lake Boulevard, Medford, NJ 08055

Gumport's House for Sale

As you may have guessed, Roxy & Lee are looking to sell Karen's house.
I don't have too much info on it, but if someone is interested we'd be happy to get more info.

This is what I've heard through the grapevine: Tax assessed value is $149,000 and mortgage balance is $162,000. We were guessing it's value is closer to the $150 mark. Property is about 5 acres. It needs paint but doesn't show sagging. Rooms are smaller sizes and kitchen is outdated.

If anyone is interested, it would be good to let them know. They plan to list with a realtor in a week or two if no one has started a dialog (if no one shows interest). Lee's phone number is 607-281-8981.

Dam Time

Spring time at the pond can really stress the old dam. Looks like some beavers passed through and made things worse. Here’s a pic from April 22nd.

A lot of us have been discussing what should be done to ensure it continues to survive for decades to come. Last year’s guys’ weekend they cleared the trees off of the back side of the dam because trees draw water through the dam and cause damage. The next step will be a biggie, rebuild the dam.

April 29th Beth, Andy & Joe met with Ken Bell to discuss how he would suggest we proceed and what kind of costs are involved. Ideally, he told us, we use material close at hand. He suggested the small hill in Eric & Cheryl’s field because it’s the closest open ground. When the pond is low, he would start with pulling the tree stumps out of the dam. Next would be to scrape the top soil off of the field and move the material down onto the dam. Once done, the top soil could be placed back over field for seeding.

The ground which makes up the hill would have to be tested to see if its composition is suitable material. Eric & Cheryl have generously agreed to permit the testing and the framework of Ken’s suggestion.

Ken estimated that rebuilding the dam would take a few pieces of equipment (which I don’t remember the names of) that cost $2,000 a day (with the labor included). The work would take at least 5 days or more. The materials needed for a culvert/bridge (where the walkway currently is) would cost about $1,000. So all together, we’re probably looking at about $12,000 to $15,000.

Eric, Cheryl, Doug & Deepa, as pond owners, have been assessing the best way to proceed from here. At the urging of a number of us, they recognize that accepting donations from the rest of the family will allow this project to move forward a lot sooner. And given its condition, if we could manage to raise enough to do it this fall when the pond is low would be ideal. If we don’t make it close enough to our fundraising goal by then, we can wait until next year.

Anyone willing to chip in and make this happen can send a check or give cash to Cheryl or Beth. We have set up a joint bank account for this specific purpose.

Beth Wedell, 617 Eayrestown Road, Lumberton, NJ 08048

Cheryl Lemyre, 35 East Lake Boulevard, Medford, NJ 08055

The progress towards our goal will be tracked on this blog. If you’d like your name withheld, just let us know. We’d also be happy to note any pledges you’d like to make. Then you can work towards your own personal contribution goal.

Our current goal is: $15,000.

Our contribution tracking was moved to the Dam Update post above.

Culverts Going In

Westerlo Township has being working hard on Sunset Road. We turned in permits for culverts last month and they've put most of them in already. They're also repairing the drain at Dave Gumport's driveway and the under road pipe for the creek to feed the pond.

 

 Amy, Doug & Dan got their culverts
the first day. Dan dressed the end of
his, so then Derek started doing Doug's.
That was all 4/30 & 5/1/15.
 

 

 

So the following week, Kenny Bell got Doug's driveway done.

 The township is still at it. Here's Dave's culvert.

Culverts & Paving

Some of our lots already have culverts (road access), and some do not. Since Joe is working with a local excavator, Kenny Bell, on getting stone on his drive for The Pines, we have asked for pricing on putting in new culverts. We will be getting back to you when we have more info on that.

Eric & Cheryl spoke with the Westerlo Highway department and learned that they are planning to pave Sunset Road. So it may behoove us to act on our culverts previous to that, but it is not necessarily a requirement, of course. We'll try to collect more info on that as well.

Phase 2 Closed

Well Phase 2 closing took awhile. I guess the sale of 7 lots takes a bit longer than the sale of 1 lot. ;) Boy, thank our Good Lord for Cheryl & Dottie checking all those papers! I gotta say, Cheryl has just amazed me with all her work on this stuff. And being able to sort through all those details. We are so lucky to have her!

And thank you to all you Sunset Ranchers for that lovely Thank You that y'all gave the two of us. That was very touching! I hope everyone enjoyed the day as much as I did!

Phase 2 Closing

Well, it's upon us already!! Saturday we will sell each other our individual lots. Prepare to sign many papers folks! And don't forget your checkbooks (or social security numbers). Plans indicate we will all be in attendance except Doug & Deepa. Once the closing is complete we're hoping to "toast the lots". We thought it would be fun to go to each lot as a group & have a toast/blessing/dedication/whatever. So we're starting at Amy's lot at high noon, then proceed clockwise. We'll wrap up at Joe & Shelley's and start the BBQ. Let's hope we don't have rain!! In case of rain we may have to skip the toasting & move to Cedar Hill. Also, we're having brunch at Reds in Coxsackie Sunday at 11:30 am. Joe & Shelley say their brunch is awesome!!

Phase 1 Closed

It's a wonderful thing to see Sunset Ranch expanding!!
We closed on our purchase of 63 acres on Friday, March 7th.
How cool is that!

And now on to Phase 2, our subdivision.
We're working with Joe Hammond, our surveyor, to complete the application package. It is due in to Ed Lawson at Westerlo Township next Monday, the 17th. That will enable us to present to the planning board at their next meeting, March 25th.

Beth will be there to present and will be supported by Joe Hammond. Joe & Shelley are coming too. Anyone who cares to join us is more than welcome!!