Wonder Lake Dredging Plan Faces Challenge (USA)

In a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, MPOA Director Arline Barhke rebuts a response by MPOA President Dick Hilton to public comments about the Wonder Lake dredging project.

The Master Property Owners Association plans to dredge 500,000 to 600,000 cubic yards of sediment from Wonder Lake to improve navigability. The $5.9 million dredging project is in the permitting stage.

Barhke, who represents Hickory Falls No. 3, and fellow director Marsha Nelson of Highland Shores said delegates elected by the individual subdivisions should have been given the opportunity to vote on the planned dredging project. There is one delegate for every 100 lots within a subdivision.

In the MPOA, there are 68 delegates and 18 directors. Directors are elected to the MPOA board.

At monthly meetings, however, only directors are allowed to vote, and they have weighted votes based on the number of lots in their subdivision. Last year, the MPOA voted to sell the bonds for the project.

“When it comes to money, people are concerned. If they have to spend extra money, whether it’s on the tax bill, whether it’s MPOA dues, they want to know why they have to spend this money and what is it for,” Barhke said. “When people have to pay extra, in this case for dredging, … we want to poll our subdivision.”

“No one is against dredging; they just want it done in an affordable way,” Barhke added.

The directors objecting to the project say many community members can’t afford additional taxes because of foreclosures. The area also has several out-of-work construction workers.

“Certainly in this economy, an additional tax burden should not be placed upon the people of Wonder Lake, which would affect the needs and general welfare of people,” Barhke wrote in her rebuttal.

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Dredging Today Staff, December 29, 2011;