January 8, 2008

Dear Norwood Lake Association Members,

Wishing each of you a Happy New Year and many enjoyable hours on Norwood Lake regardless of the season. Boating, swimming, cross country skiing, snowmobiling or just sitting and enjoying the view are but a few of the many things available to us.

WELCOME TO GRATEFUL OARS MEMBERS who recently joined the NLA. The 21 members who operate the long boats are a talented group and will prove to be an important addition to our organization. I explained to our new members we only meet as needed but are available at all times to work on any matter important to any member.

The recycling center continues to require many volunteer hours from our members, It is a very busy place each Saturday from 8am to 11am as 250 or more residents bring their recyclables. We continue to accept #1, #2 and #3 plastic bottles, glass (except brown) with labels removed, cardboard and paper, cans and metal, as well as appliances with gas units removed. Clean, dry and flattened are the way to bring your recyclables to us. We have been in operation over seventeen years without closing for holidays or even the ice storm. We made a total profit of $2,000, with $400 to Kiwanis for the glass sales, $1300 to our Boy Scouts from the returnable bottles and cans, and the balance to NLA.

A Recycling instruction sheet can be found here:  http://norwoodny.org/recyclesheet.html

We have established a  web page for the NLA. To access the NLA page, go to www.norwoodny.org and click on The Norwood Lake Association page or image.

We plan a dinner in early April at the Norwood American Legion, if all goes according to plan. We will notify all members as we get closer. This will serve as our annual meeting.

Pat Brady, as most know, has moved from Norwood into the Potsdam school district since he has been named superintendent of schools. Pat was one of our most dependable members not only serving as vice-president, but being in charge of volunteers for the Norwood Lake Regatta, for many years. The success of the regattas were dependent upon Pat organizing and scheduling over 100 volunteers and placing them in the right location at the correct time. (We take credit for providing the training so Pat could become superintendent)! I know Pat will remain a valued member of our organization. Great job Pat--we are proud of you!

The nominating committee met and named for President, Jim McFaddin, Vice President Jack Morgan, Secretary Chuck Morgan, and treasurer Elaine Perry. Elections will be held at the April meeting and nominations from the floor are accepted. We hope to have a good turn out to discuss any issues or projects.

I would like to appeal to all to submit their email addresses if they have not done so. We have the new “Grateful Oars” members and several others, but lack the majority of you. We mail two or three times a year and it is much more efficient than using snail mail and a lot cheaper. With this list, we can reach everyone very quickly and save the cost of stamps. Also, if we are notified the water level is going to change, we can make you aware immediately. Please send an email to either myself (jmcfadde@twcny.rr.com) or Chuck Morgan (cmorgan3@twcny.rr.com). If you don’t use email, we will be happy to send the newsletter via the post office. Thanks.

We encourage your input anytime and your suggestions are always welcome. Call Jim at 353-2834 or email at jmcfadde@twcny.rr.com.

Regards to everyone!

Jim