Bylaws, Fund Charter on Annual Meeting Agenda

Filling four director slots and approving changes to the bylaws are on the Aug. 8 Twin Lakes Association annual meeting agenda. Members will also be asked to approve the 2027 TLA budget and a charter for the newly created Lake Preservation Fund.

The meeting will start at 10 a.m. at Isola Bella. A picnic that is free and open to all will follow at 11:30 a.m. Twin Lakes Day will start at 1 p.m. The annual meeting will be held rain or shine. The picnic and Twin Lakes Day have a rain date of Aug. 9 at the same time and place.

Five board members are stepping down: Blake Morrison, Jack Mahoney, Eric Stoer, Jeff Cox, and Bill Barton. A slate of four nominees and newly added ex-officio director Will Webb, Head of School at Salisbury School, would replace the outgoing directors.

We thank the outgoing directors for their service and offer a special callout to Bill Barton, who has been on the board for 20 years. We expect Bill will remain active as part of the committee overseeing the Lake Preservation Fund. Board nominee bios are below.
 
Bylaws changes have been proposed to bring TLA governance up to date with legal requirements and to facilitate board activity under the closer scrutiny that comes with regular fundraising and an annual budget that has reached $500,000. These proposed changes are based on advice from outside legal counsel. The revised bylaws and other governance documents have gone through extensive review to ensure they are workable for an organization our size.
 
Among the required changes is staggering the terms of directors and formally adding ex-officio director slots for The American School for the Deaf at Hartford; the Salisbury School; the Twin Lakes Beach Club; and O’Hara’s Landing marina.
 
The new bylaws would require the board to submit a budget for the next calendar year to members at each August annual meeting and permit the board to enter into contracts that are consistent with the mission of the TLA and the approved budget without further membership approval. You can find the amended bylaws here.

The board will seek approval of the Lake Preservation Fund charter, which sets forth how the fund will be administered. The stated purpose of the fund is “to provide financial support for projects and initiatives that enhance the mission of the TLA to preserve and protect the Twin Lakes watershed and lake system.” Changes to the purpose of the fund or the spending policy can only be made with membership approval. 
 
The board anticipates minimal yearly withdrawals initially from the fund, which is designed to grow over time and ultimately serve as a backstop against major threats to the health of the lakes. The fund currently has assets of around $350,000, the result of private donations this summer. The hope is that members of the lake community will remember this fund in their estates and that in time it will generate enough income to significantly defray costs of managing the lakes.

The preservation fund promises to help the TLA in its mission to protect the watershed over the long run. But for the foreseeable future the TLA operating budget will depend on continued support from the lake community. About 70% of the current TLA budget is funded through donations—not dues, which account for less than 5% of spending. If you have not made a contribution to the TLA general operating funds this year, please consider doing so in the next few months. 

The board recently approved a slew of boiler plate documents needed to bring its governance up to standards, as advised by outside counsel. These include a donation acceptance policy, investment policy statement for the fund, record retention and destruction policy, whistle blower policy, and language for gift acceptance acknowledgements. These documents can be reviewed from the front page of the TLA website.

Board nominees:
 
Cathy Durning was introduced to the area in 1987 by her husband, David, who spent summers here as a child. She and David raised their children in Winnetka, Illinois and have spent every summer on the lake since 2001. Cathy enjoys connecting with people around the lakes and hearing their stories, especially the stories that remind us of how special these lakes are and why we devote so much energy to protecting them. If you have a story to tell, reach out to her.
 
Kim Gilman and her husband Jeff Gelfand have been members of the Twin Lakes community since 2008 and have lived here full-time since 2020. Kim is a retired attorney who enjoys traveling, hiking, biking, reading and spending as much time as possible on the water. Kim is active on the Mission Advisory Council of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. She and Jeff have three grown sons who cherish their time on Twin Lakes when they are in town.
 
Cam McClearn has more than 30 years of leadership experience as a management consultant to executives and boards of global public and private life sciences companies. He is a senior partner with Deloitte Consulting, based in Boston. Cam, his wife, Robin, and their two adult children (daughter Scott and son Peter) discovered Twin Lakes 20 years ago and knew it was a “forever place.”  They enjoy boating, cycling, hiking, and discovering all the treasures the Berkshires have to offer.
 
 Dag Skattum brings 40 years of experience as an investor and adviser to corporations and families. He serves as Chair of Europe for financial services firm BDT&MSD. He has held senior roles at JPMorgan, TPG Capital and BlackRock. Dag has served on for-profit and not-for-profit boards. He and his wife, Julie, discovered Twin Lakes in 1989 and recently made this their full-time home. Their three adult sons grew up kayaking, swimming, waterskiing, playing and coaching tennis at the Twin Lakes Beach Club, and frequenting Mary’s counter at the marina. 
 
Will Webb grew up on Lake Champlain in Shelburne, VT. An avid outdoorsman, he has spent much of his life in the Green, Adirondack, and Rocky Mountains. His wife, Sarah, is also an avid naturalist and recently headed efforts to convert six acres at Salisbury School into a native wildflower meadow. Will and Sarah have lived and worked at boarding and day schools throughout the country. He joined Salisbury School five years ago and the family, including daughter Maggie, recently moved to a home on West Twin.