Hickory Lake Campground Cooperative Association

Pool & Lakefront Weeding

The pool is now open.

Chemical treatments were done on the lakeshore this past week to help control the weeds. Signs with restrictions are posted along the waterfront- please check them out before allowing people or pets into the water.

HLC Updates

Greetings everyone,

It appears the season is now in full swing with summer like weather.  As it appears i am learning more almost daily to update you on.
BOARD MEMBERS
On May 25 the Board met and appointed Jim Boldenow to fill the term of Sec/Treasurer currently held by Carolyn Tonneson, and Ed Gangl to fill the term of President. Both appointments become effective May 26. Both terms Dec 31, 2019. Upon receiving  another resignation, the Board is currently seeking out another appointment to fill the fifth position.
FLOATING DOCKS
The old floating docks have been replaced. They went in Sunday,(6/2) morning. Thanks Kurt for getting these ordered and thank you to everyone who assisted on Sunday in getting them in the water.  They sure are nice. and went in very easy. Should almost be just as easy to get them out in the fall. The board had previously voted to purchase one dock from capital funds and purchase a second if owners were in favor of an assessment, (under $100/lot) for a 2nd dock.  The consensus on the 26th was that the owners were in favor of it. Details on assessment is forth coming yet.  Plans are being made for disposing of and possibly  reappropriate/salvage some old dock materials.
INTERNET
MLEC has started constuction.  the wet and late spring has really slowed the process.They hope to have the back bone work of the fiber system complete by July, with splicing and testing happening after that. They hope to have service ready in the July/August time frame.  There is no guarantee on the time frame, as with outside work weather is your worst enemy.
POOL
Midnight Sun Pools is scheduled to come out on June 11th to work on and open up the pool.
SNOW PLOWING
Sean Brown stated that he spent well over $300 to have the road inside the campground plowed several times this past winter. He was asking the if anyone wanted to help with the costs, especially those who may have benefited from it , to please contact him. Reach out to seen personally as he paid for this all on his own.  Thanks
MOSQUITO CONTROL
On the 26th, Scott Bjork presented an all natural mosquito control. It has a make up of Thyme, Rosemary and Wintergreen oils. He offered purchasing equipment and supplies on his own. He was looking for owners approval to spray campground areas.  Majority approved.  A couple asked that he not spray their area. If you a have  a questions about it contact Scott. If you feel so inclined I am sure Scot would accept free will offerings to help with the cost. If nothing else as he put it he likes cold beer as you see him around.  After first week of application I have heard of many happy, successful mosquito free comments.
OWNERS MEETING
The next owners meeting will be scheduled over 4th of July weekend. Details will be forth coming.
LAKE WEED CONTROL
 A letter from PLM Lake and Land Management Corp just got passed on to me today.  They have scheduled our treatment dates. They will be out to treat our beach/shoreline on 6/10/19 for the first treatment. the second treatment is scheduled for 7/15/19.
I believe that is all have for now.
See you at the Lake!
Ed

New Docks Are In

Aitkin County Campground Ordinance Highlights

Aitkin County put together this brochure to use as a quick reference.  As always, please contact Aitkin County for questions and clarifications.

Campground Brochure Template2

Aitkin County Campground Ordinance Highlights

Water update

Water to the shower house is on and usable, no water to the laundry room yet.
Water to the sites will be turned on this Saturday May 4th.
Getting the docks together will be done that day as well.
Looking for people to help with either one or both if you can.

Ice Out

Ice out for Hickory Lake was declared on the afternoon of April 23rd, 2019.  Average ice out date from all records is April 18 so this year was only about five days behind the median.

Employee and Water Update

Good Evening,
It is looking and feeling more like Spring every day!
The water to the shower house will be turned on this Saturday, April 27th. Water to individual sites will depend on frost conditions and will be assessed at the time the shower house is opened. If you are interested in helping out with this, please seek out Scott Berge, site 3.
Also, we have hired David Ondris as our full time caretaker for the summer. David grew up in Pilager, MN and has been a full time RVer for the past 15 years. David, his girlfriend Lynn and their two dogs will be joining us early to mid May.
David’s days off will be Sunday and Monday. Scott Bjork, site 47, will be overseeing the campground and taking care of the necessities, including the pool, on those two days. Also, Wyatt will be returning this summer to assist with lawn mowing and other tasks as needed.
Reminder to please drive with care around the campground. We do not yet have a date, but there are plans for road repair this spring.
There is also no date set for returning the docks to the water. The floating docks are in need of repair and we are looking at our options. Getting the docks out and their repair will require volunteers; we will keep you posted.
All for now, Bobbie

RCV Spacing & Aitkin County Ordinances and Permits

As the season grows closer, I am sure many of you are itching to get to the lake.  Some of you may be buying new campers, planning some landscaping, possibly building a deck, or putting in a new shed.

In the case of some of our new seasonal renters you may be moving in for the first time.  Welcome to Hickory Lake!

With all this in mind, here is information regarding obtaining permits from Aitkin County for potential projects as well as a guide to spacing of your recreational camping vehicle (RCV).  A couple of things I will point out:

  • Your shed and deck are considered part of your RCV by Aitkin County.
  • Even though HLCCA has a setback of two feet from the property line, the ordinance states you must be ten feet away from another RCV (so you may have to plan for 8′ of space at the edge of your property line).
  • There is a ten foot setback from the road.
  • If you own or rent property on the outside boundary of HLC, there is a 30′ setback.

When in doubt, before moving or constructing anything, contact Aitkin County (information below as well as on the Aitkin County Information page of this site).  A quick five minute phone call could save yourself a huge headache down the road.

 

Jim A


Aitkin County Information

Permits

Prior to submitting a permit application to the county please submit the Request for Lot Alterations to the board for approval.

Aitkin County has now put their permit applications online.  Please follow the link below to begin your application for a deck, shed, or other alterations that may require county approval.  If in doubt on whether you need a permit, please contact the Aitkin County Planning and Zoning Department.

https://pzpermit.co.aitkin.mn.us/index.php

Aitkin County Planning & Zoning / Environmental Services
209 2nd Street NW, Room 100
Aitkin, MN  56431
Phone:  218-927-7342

Local & County Ordinances and Other Information

Aitkin County Ordinances for RCA’s (Recreational Camping Areas) 

RCA (Recreational Camping Area) Spacing Aitkin County Fact Sheet

Aitkin County 2017 Update to Permit Process

Aitkin County Recreational Camping Areas Update 2019

Aitkin County 2019 Permit Fee Schedule

Aitkin County Online Permitting FAQ

Aitkin County Shoreland Homeowners Guide to Lake Stewardship

Spring Updates

Good Evening,
Just wanted to send out a couple updates:
1. The board meeting was moved to this Saturday, April 13th  due to conflicts with the previously scheduled date.
2. As of now the shower house is not open and there is no water access on the campground. The soonest the shower house will be open is April 20th; however, there is no guarantee. We are monitoring the weather and are reassessing this weekly.
More to come,
Bobbie

Happy Spring ?

It is officially Spring; however, in many places it does not look much like it, including in my own yard. The latest word is the campground still has a lot of snow that needs to go. Some nicer temps during the day are certainly helping; however, it continues to drop below freezing at night and looks like it will stay that way into the foreseeable forecast.

According to our Rules and Regulations, water will be turned on April 30th if weather conditions allow. We will continue to monitor the weather and conditions at the campground. If weather/frost permits we will look at turning the water on sooner…hopefully no later!

I want to remind everyone to please use extra care throughout our property this Spring. As it starts to thaw, the roads and grounds will be extra wet and soft; hopefully with a little extra attention we can avoid significant damage.

New this season, we have contracted with PLM Lake and Land Management to assist us in weed control at the beach and around the slip docks. They will be out twice during the season to apply DNR approved chemical applications. There are no restrictions to the use of the water, swimming, fishing, etc during these times. Please see the sample notice that will be posted by PLM at the time of the application (attached).

I was hoping to provide you with information on our new caretaker(s); however, the people who we had onboard recently backed out. We have reposted and have received a lot of interest. More to come…

I can tell you though that Scott Bjork is retiring this spring (Congrats Scott!) and will be at the campground full time this summer. He has agreed to fill in for the full time caretaker(s) during their two days off.

Reminder, we will have our first owners gathering over Memorial Day weekend. More details will be provided closer to that time.

Finally, the board will be meeting on Saturday, April 20th at 10:00 AM at Carolyn Tonneson’s to discuss/finalize employee schedules, training/orientation, etc. and make sure we have what we need covered to start the season.

Can’t wait to get back to the lake!

Bobbie

 

PLM Notice