We had 28 survey responses, 23 on paper, 5 from the web-form. Here are the "areas of interest" responses, showing high interest in everything but social activities. Items are ranked roughly by interest. See also respondants' comments following the table.

	high interest	medium interest	low interest	weighted index
Water Quality. conservation activities	22	4	2	76
Safe boating and canal traffic	18	8	2	72
List of property owners, newsletters, website	15	13	0	71
Representation to the municipality, waterway authorities, etc.	16	10	2	70
Maintenance and improvements of trails and roads	11	16	1	66
Social Activities: barbeque, pot luck, other	1	15	12	45
Other (specify)	water levels, septic tank inspections, Sand Lake Association, beaver problems, zebra mussels, control of dogs

 

Your comments

Thanks for the helpful comments and suggestions, which we list below. MPAC and taxes are recurring issues.

Major issue: speeding; also privacy & respect for property
Re MPAC: It would be helpful if someone assembled a list of cottage property sales so that people could assess the reasonableness of MPAC assessment against sales values
Keep an eye out for fires without permits, of for burning improper materials other than wood and paper (people should not burn leaves or building materials)
Maintenance of South Shore Trail !!
Do we have control re safe boating?
I can't usually make the meetings . . .I like the idea of dock carts for groceries and supplies (one for each dock?). We have a rickety old dolly we could contribute. I also appreciate the maps of the paths and lots and especially who owns the lots. And the signs for people with a poor sense of direction! Excellent work!
Great newsletter, list of names. Social activities need to be for the younger crowd: the kids of the kids who grew up on the island.
Cottage Life Newsletters: dockside@cottagelife.com; Gypsy Moth control/inspection/spraying: guidelines, procedures, monitoring?; Association insurance liability
Voting privileges for municipal elections; elimination of education tax; lowering of real-estate taxes; lower taxes for fixed-income retired; monetary grants from government to assist with updating septic systems; municipal supported public marina or tax rebates for marina fees.
I'd love to see information regarding MPAC increases. Ours went up 100%, later reduced to 50% and it would be interesting to know if other cottages faced the same.
I am concerned about 4-wheel and 2-wheel all terrain vehicles being used on the island. We have young children who walk and play on those trails and I'm concerned for their safety. They should not have to fear getting hit by a vehicle on the island.
"Water quality" including algae blooms and zebra mussels
Maybe you could give a list of doctors/hospitals/walk-in clinics/pharmacies. We paid a big ER bill when we just did not know how to find a doctor for a minor problem. Also maybe a veterinarian - we were lucky the marina was open to give us a recommendation when we needed one.
Property tax increases by MPAC
Our number one priority is the maintenance and further development of trails within the island - we would like to see development of more loop-trails using the hydro right of ways in the centre of the island, even if there is some climbing involved as in the section behind lot 33. It would be good to have the main island trail mowed once a year rather than rely on cottage owners who may or may not be interested/able/willing to keep these areas cleared. We need to have something concrete to show for our dues! Obviously, we are also interested in the areas addressed; however, our number one priority is the ability to navigate smoothly around the interior of the island through well-maintained trails. Several years ago the association did pay to have the main trails cleared, but this has not happened in a number of years - perhaps it should become an annual program. Clear pathways are far more important to us than signage. At one time as well the association owned a bush hog that members could borrow and use to clear trails, and, I suppose, around their properties. Could you please update us as well on the status of the firepump that used to be at Glovers - is it still there?
Garbage disposal.  Would like to see a garbage containers accessible at all times for cottages.  We all pay taxes and do not use any of the township services except for roads.
Beer Tasting Identification Workshop