Rush Lake Property Owners Association, Pinckney, MI, Official website.
September 2nd board meeting Rush Lake POA important updates.
Rush Lake POA members.
The board met on Wednesday, September 2nd for the regular monthly board meeting.
Here are the highlights:
Reports:
Roads: Grading and chloride treatments are in process. This will be the final chloride treatment of the year.
Lake: 2026 Lake report. In taking a review of our 2026 efforts to maintain the usability and enjoyment of the lake and the canals, I would share that we were successful with the Spring treatments that took place in the canals and several shoreline areas. We had very good results in late May, June, and July.
However, the EGLE department (formerly called the DNR) has put severe restrictions on our treatment options, which negatively affected the aggressive plant and weed growth in August.
The first restriction is the deadline of June 15th for treatments beyond 100 feet from the shoreline. In the past, we were able to treat the main body of the lake in the Spring and in early August, which enabled us to have substantially less growth at the end of Summer and into the Fall. That second treatment is no longer allowed.
The second restriction is based on a formula for how many acres we can treat in the main body of the lake. In simple terms, our water body is 140 acres. The canals and shoreline areas account for 42 acres of treatment coverage. Per the EGLE formula, we are only allowed to treat 27 acres out of 98 in the main body of the lake. So even in a best-case scenario, our June 15th treatment leaves 71 acres with no herbicide treatment. Consequently, there is no control of plant or weed growth for those acres.
The last item of EGLE interest I would like to share is that we can only treat the plant growth to “knock it down,” which means we are unable to kill the root. This is why the shoreline areas treated in May and again in August have the density of the pondweed plant. In total, we spent approximately $70,000 in treatments this year, and we did the best we could with the restrictions that are in place.
Parks: We will be removing garbage bins and the port a potty units after the Labor Day Holiday.
All Rush Lake beaches have been tested for E coli and they are safe to swim in.
Collections of delinquent accounts. The board is pleased to share that the attorney firm responsible for collections of delinquent member accounts is off to an excellent start. In just a few weeks we have collected $10,300 in past due accounts.
RLPOA Members are reminded that we have our Fall semi-annual meeting on Wednesday night, October 7, at the Hamburg Community Center. Registration opens at 6:30 pm, and the meeting will start promptly at 7:00. We expect the meeting to last approximately one hour. RLPOA members are encouraged to attend to hear firsthand about board activities and our financial reports. This is a great way to meet your community neighbors.
Sentry Management of Howell
All billing and administrative functions for Rush Lake POA are now done through Sentry Management of Howell.
Members may contact Sentry Management with questions or concerns by telephone 517-545-3900 or through email southeastmichigan@sentrymgt.com
Sentry staff members will forward your concerns to the the appropriate board member for resolution.
We are asking all members to add the following email address to their email contacts to avoid having future email blasts go to your spam folder.
Please add
southeastmichigan@sentrymgt.com
Electronic Gate at Hillside Park
The electronic gate at Hillside Park enables all current, fully paid members of Rush Lake the ability to open the gate and to drive to the boat launch area.
If the gate does not open, please do not attempt to manually take the gate apart. Repairing the gate is expensive and you will be responsible for these expenses.
Call our management company (Sentry) and advise them of the issue. Sentry will contact a board member who can open the gate at the bottom of the hill. This will take place ASAP so please have some patience if there is an issue.
All dues must be 100% paid for your key fob to work. If you have a boat being delivered, you may want to test the key fob prior to the delivery.
New signage has been added to our electronic gate entrance area. We also want to share that our storage shed has been freshly painted and we have had a new door installed. Our walkway and steps at Hillside Park have been powerwashed, stained and sealed. Thank you to Adam Habercorn for allowing the contractor to use his water hook ups.
The board continues to receive concerns and complaints regarding blight. This is a Hamburg Township issue and residents are encouraged to fill a blight form and deliver it to the township offices. Click here to get the form.
THREE PARKS & BOAT LAUNCH
The RLPOA actively manages maintenance of our three parks and boat launch. Services include benches and tables, lawn maintenance, summer port a johns and dog clean up stations.
Lake Improvement:
Rush Lake is a private spring-fed lake that covers approximately 130 acres. It is a shallow lake by many standards with an average depth of five to six feet with some areas measuring a depth of approximately 15 feet.
There is a court order that has set the height of the dam to keep water levels as consistent as mother nature allows.
Our contractors are obligated to post notification signs on the property shorelines in areas that they treat with herbicides. If your property is not affected by the herbicide treatments, you will not have signage posted on your property.
The board member responsible for Lake management and improvement is Joe Grech.
Road Grading and Maintenance.
All dirt roads in the association are maintained throughout the entire year. During spring until late fall, roads are graded, dust-controlled chloride treatments are applied, and gravel is added to maintain good conditions.
Rush Lake Road, Chambers, and Pettysville are county roads and thus are maintained by the county road commission. M-36 is a state road maintained by the State Highway Commission. The roads of Moon Shadows are maintained by the Moon Shadows Association. Our association contracts for road grading, snow plowing, and dust control.
During the winter months, the roads are cleared of snow once we have an accumulation of three inches or more.
Sand is provided at several locations within the association if the property owner needs sand for their driveway or approach areas.
Homeowners are asked to keep mailbox areas clear to allow the US Postal Service access for mail delivery.
All property owners must keep trees and brush growth clear and provide clear sight lines for traffic and pedestrian safety.
Members seeking special road maintenance issues should call Sentry Management (517-545-3900) with their concerns. Please include your name, address, and phone number.
The board member responsible for the roads is Pam Sevonty.
