Dear Beechwood Resident,
Thank you all for paying your Beechwood dues and allowing us to update the directory. Attached you will find the 2008 directory and the Beechwood map. The vast majority of households in the neighborhood paid and a few more checks will likely arrive when the reminder notice is mailed. I did not include emails on the directory, just in case some people do not want their email available publicly.
The dues pay for the property tax on the lake (nearly $400), liability for all common areas in Beechwood (nearly $300), about $20 per month for the two security lights, and to stock the lake occasionally with carp that consume the algae.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Best,
Brad Jokisch
Beechwood Association Treasurer
Ps- the map is here: http://beechwoodofathens.com/pdf/map.jpg
Anyone wanting a copy of the Directory that goes along with the map can simply email Brad and request one.
The Association dues help keep Beechwood Estates a wonderful place to live. The fee covers property taxes and insurance for community areas of the neighborhood such as the lake and the land surrounding the lake. It also pays for electricity for our two security streetlights and to occasionally stock the lake with carp, which helps to keep the lake clear.
Read more here and print out this PDF to send in with your check:
Dear Beechwood Residents,
You may have heard about the threat of garlic mustard. It is an invasive plant that threatens to dominate the understory of our woods and crowd out native plant species. We have plenty of it in the woods of Beechwood, and I urge of you to consider eradicating it from your land. It is an attractive plant with white flowers, but it spreads very quickly and will eventually choke out other plants. Below is a link to
http://www.ipm.msu.edu/garlicmustard.htm
If you would like to eliminate the plant from your land, the time to act is now (this week!) before the plant goes to seed. The best way to eradicate the plant is to pull it out by the root and then remove the plant from the area—just send it out with the garbage. Cutting it is helpful, but not enough; it needs to be removed by the root. It is easy to uproot. (Apparently, this is one of only a few plants that deer won’t eat!)
Please see the
If you would like help in identifying garlic mustard and/or eliminating it, I will be glad to come to your house and check to see if you have it. I am also willing to eliminate the plant.
Please send me an email at Jokisch@ohio.edu or give me a call at 593-3221.
Thank you,
Brad Jokisch
http://www.ipm.msu.edu/garlicmustard.htm
Helping the habitat, one yank at a time
One in a series of stories for Earth Week, April 12-22, 2008
Apr 15, 2008
By Laura Yates
Garlic mustard, a biennial herb with heart-shaped, ridged leaves and imprinted veins, has been creeping about
Luckily, students and area residents have the opportunity to fight back. For the next three weekends, garlic-mustard pulls will be held at various publicly owned natural areas, and all you need to do to participate is show up.
Each pull begins with a quick lesson on identifying the garlic-mustard plant so that no native plants are inadvertently harmed. The herb is visually distinctive, but participants can double check their selections by crumpling up a leaf to see if it produces a strong garlic smell. Garlic mustard tends to grow in clumps.
“The problem with garlic mustard is that is has no natural predators. If the deer would just eat it, we probably wouldn’t have such a problem, said David Tees, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy who leads several of the pulls. “We’re essentially acting as the herbivores during the pulls.”
Though there are other invasive species in the region, garlic mustard is especially threatening because of the number of seeds produced by each plant and their ability to remain dormant for up to 11 years.
Professor of Environmental and Plant Biology Phil Cantino has been organizing garlic-mustard pulls for more than 10 years.
His crusade started in 1981 when he first discovered the plants growing in what is now the Ridges Land Lab. By 1998, he was fighting the flora along the Hockhocking-Adena Bikeway and, in 2005, he got reinforcements. Now, the annual pulls are organized by the Athens Forest Stewardship Club in collaboration with Rural Action, the Appalachian Ohio Group of the Sierra Club, Athens Conservancy, Athens Trails and Friends of Strouds Run State Park.
I saw the two parent geese swimming by the dam yesterday. They have been raising a new family every year at Beechwood Lake for the last 4-5 years. They always seem to return, so they too must recognize how nice a spot it is.
A few of their goslings are lost to snapping turtles, other predators, etc, but seeing the goslings is always a treat. Keep your eyes out!!
And of course, the blue heron, the green heron, and king fishers seem to continue to make it here through the winter.
Dick Schelat
Le-ax Water informed us today that there is a boil order for Beechwood due to a water main break on Stage Coach.
If you need to contact Le-ax you can do so here: (special thanks to Mark and Phil for the phone calls)
Who to call
For your convenience Customer Service Representatives are available to respond to your questions and concerns from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday at 740-594-0123.
Calling after business hours
An answering service is available for emergencies after business hours and weekends at 740-593-7502. This service is for emergencies only. On-call personnel are unable to answer billing questions. Account or billing questions should be conducted during the business hours listed above.
The following is from a water test Brad Jokisch did of Beechwood Lake. This is preliminary info, and very important to read.
I recently tested the pond water for phosphates, dissolved oxygen, and fecal
coliform. The phosphate and DO tests are home kits that I purchased. The fecal
coliform test required lab work. These tests are not expensive (it’s on me).
The tests show that the water is very high on phosphates–between .5 and .75
ppm. Anything above .03 will increase plant growth and eutrophication.
Sources?: Detergents, overly fertilized lawns and agricultural fields,
feedlots, and dairies. Hmm. Not many lawns and few agricultural fields in our
little watershed.
The water was good for dissoloved oxygen; it recorded about 6.5 or 6.75 ppm.
Seven is recommended, but 5-6 is required for growth and activity of most
aquatic organisms. I estimate that the water is between 50 and 60% saturated
b/c it varies with temperature and elevation. The level is pretty good, but
with the high phosphates plant life will grow (and then die and decay) in the
summer and when that occurs, the DO will drop.
The Fecal Coliform concentration is VERY HIGH. The test recorded greater than
7,000/100ml! It may well be much higher because the laboratory reported that
they cannot measure higher than 7,000; it was “out of range.” Below are the
USEPA guidelines! Tap water should have less than 1/100ml…
Sources: it’s almost always from fecal matter, humans or animals, like cattle!
(it’s possible from other sources like a paper mill, but unlikely here). So,
we either have about 15 non-functioning septic systems or the two sources of
cattle (and deer?) are delivering this level to the pond.
Conclusions: The pond is polluted with fecal coliform and excessive
phosphates. Coy fish and snapping turtles are tough creatures! And, anyone who
swam in that pond in the past…well, you figure it out.
USEPA testing requirements
The current USEPA recommendations for body-contact recreation is fewer than
100 colonies/100 mL; for fishing and boating, fewer than 1000 colonies/100 mL;
and for domestic water supply, for treatment, fewer than 2000 colonies/100 mL.
The drinking water standard is less than 1 colony/ 100 ml
Beechwood Association
Meeting Notes 11/5/07
Present: Roman, Brad, Phil, Dick, and Caryn
New Officers: Roman- President, Brad- Treasurer, Caryn – Secretary, Phil- Trustee, Dick – Trustee
We discussed our job duties and reviewed the last budget report. The budget covers our anticipated expenses but has no room for unexpected events. We identified the following areas as priorities:
*Bus stop – The bus stop should to be taken down and replaced. Roman volunteered to spearhead this.
*Welcome Wagon – We would like to create a more formal way to welcome newcomers to Beechwood and introduce them to the association. Caryn volunteered to spearhead this.
*Dock – We would like to replace the dock. We agreed to wait on this until Spring.
*Picnic table – We would assess the condition of the current table and possibly add another picnic table. Dick volunteered to spearhead this.
We discussed the overflow valve and decided that it was working properly for now.
Roman created a website for sharing association information and this can be used to discuss pertinent issues.
Brad was concerned about possible run-off from the dairy and will look into having the water tested.
Roman raised a concern about the garbage left at the house next to his and will draft a letter to the owner.
Another concern was raised about the dumping going on at the farm that hosts the large spring party.
There is also a noise problem from a truck without a muffler.
Phil will check into creating an electric copy of the bylaws.
We plan to meet quarterly and would be happy to work on any issues or concerns from other Beechwood Association members.
Caryn Asleson
Hi Folks-
The old guard will be handing over reigns to the new guard on Monday, 11/5 at 7 p.m. This means the old Pres, VP, Sec and Treasurer are training the new. Once we know who is doing what position, we will post the names and titles. Anyone interested in attending can call Roman at 740.707.8435 for the meeting location.
Rome
Mr. Fred Weber, Township Trustee, called me after they had received this letter. He says he will meet with me sometime in the future so as to look at the intersection. However, he indicated that he favors the solution in the last paragraph of the letter.
Roy Lawrence
10/4/2007
September 24, 2007
Athens Township Trustees
c/o Brenda Wilkes, Clerk
P.O. Box 193
The Plains, OH 45780
Dear Trustees,
I recommend that you consider putting a stop sign on TWP 31, facing traffic heading toward Rt. 50W, at the junction of TWP 31 and Stagecoach Road. There are several reasons for this recommendation: (1) Traffic going down Stagecoach, headed toward 50W, intersects TWP 31 at about a 45-degree angle. Therefore, the driver has to crane his neck about 135 degrees to see traffic coming down TWP 31. Generally, this means that the driver is attempting to peer out the rear seat window, over the passenger seat and headrest. This becomes difficult for less flexible, or older, or shorter drivers. (2) Vehicles on TWP 31 come over a rise in the road not far from this intersection, which prevents their being seen at any distance. If a vehicle is coming at a relatively high rate of speed, it can be upon a car emerging from Stagecoach in a blink of an eye, even if the Stagecoach driver thinks the path is clear. (3) I have had the experience of going down Stagecoach during the winter and skidding on the ice and snow onto TWP 31, despite good efforts to stop on that down slope – thank God for the absence of traffic on those occasions. (4) I believe the number of cars traveling down Stagecoach is considerably greater than those approaching the intersection on TWP 31. However, I am not advocating that the stop sign facing Stagecoach traffic be removed. I think there should be one on both roads.
I have been traveling down Stagecoach for almost 40 years. I can’t recall an accident, and I know the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That being said, I have been a nervous driver at that intersection for the same length of time.
Thanks for your consideration.
Roy Lawrence
7265 Beechwood Dr.
Athens
cc. Athens County Engineer