Below you will find some of the most frequently asked questions. If you do not see your questions, please use the contact us page to ask your question.
Q. Is Boone Lake or Boone Lake Dam Management District (BLDMD) a Home Owners Association (HOA)? A. No.
Q. What does BLDMD stand for? A. BLDMD stands for Boone Lake Dam Management District. The BLDMD was created after the original Boone Lake suffered a catastrophic dam failure from poor maintenance. Prior to BLDMD there was no revenue source specifically for the maintenance of the dam. When residents could not gather enough donations to fix the dam, they asked the Town of Exeter to recognize Boone Lake as a management district within the town so that a reserve of funds could be saved for any future incidents.
Q. What does the BLDMD do? A. The volunteer board members are voted in for 2-year terms and focus on the collection of taxes and the management, maintenance, and repair of the BLDMD properties; the dam, spillway, lake access points, beach, gatehouse, and clubhouse. The Board of Directos is comprised of an Assessor, Clerk, Treasurer, Gatekeeper, and three members at large elected on a two-year cycle. The chairperson of the board is voted on by the board of directors.
Q. When and where are the BLDMD Meetings held? A. There are 4 quarterly meetings. See the home page for a list of meeting dates and locations.
Q. Why do I have to pay extra to live on Boone Lake? A. The BLDMD was created to ensure that there are funds to maintain and repair the dam in case of dam failure. In the past repairs depended entirely on donations which were not sufficient and resulted in sustained water loss for residents.
Q. How are the fees calculated? A. As stated in the Town of Exeter Ordinance, "The amount due with respect to any parcel shall be determined by multiplying that parcel's relative weighted value by the amount of the budget, as approved." The term "weighted" is explained as such, "The relative weighted value shall, for any parcel, be equal to the quotient resulting from dividing the assessed value of that parcel, as established by the town assessors' office for general tax purposes, by the assessed values of all parcels, as so established, situated within the limits of the management district" (BLDMD Ordinance, Sec. 42-195).
Q. What happens if I don't pay my BLDMD fee? A. If you do not pay your fee, you will be notified by mail. If after being notified, you continue to not pay your fee, the account will be sent to collections and a lien may be placed on your property and filed with the Town of Exeter. You will then be responsible for any legal fees incurred. "Collection and enforcement of the liens securing amounts due for management fees shall be in the same manner as provided for the collection of taxes by municipalities in this state, or as may otherwise or hereafter be permitted or established by law". (BLDMD Constitution, Sec. 42-195).
Q. Why aren't BLDMD meetings hybrid (in-person AND online)? Wouldn't that increase the ability for residents to participate? A. At this time, the BLDMD does not have by-laws/approved procedures on how to run hybrid meetings, nor do they have the equipment. However, this has been a topic of discussion and may become a possibility in the future.
Q. Who gets to vote at meetings? A. Each separate parcel of land gets one vote. So if you have more than one parcel, you have more than one vote.
Q. What are the big rectangle things in many of the yards on the lake side of the road? A. Those large rectangles filled with gravel are Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS) and they help reduce the likelihood of lake water contamination. The RI Department of Environmental Management requires these for homes on the lake side, if;
It is a new build.
An old property purchased by a new owner.
An old style septic system fails.
Q. How can I get involved with the BLDMD? A. If you are interested in getting involved with the BLDMD, either by becoming part of the board or donating time to work on the public spaces, please contact us.
Q. What is the best way to get in touch with the BLDMD? A. Use the Contact Us page.
Q. Is the 'Boone Lake RI' Facebook Group a good way to get in touch with the BLDMD? A. No. The Boone Lake RI Facebook Group was created by residents and is run by residents specifically for Boone Lake residents to communicate with one another. If you wish to follow the BLDMD Facebook page please visit BLDMDExeterRI
Q. Is there a social media site that the BLDMD does use? A. Yes. the Boone Lake Dam Management District Exeter RI Facebook Page that we use to disseminate useful information.
Q. Why does the BLDMD mainly communicate through email or snail mail? A. The BLDMD Board must keep records of communications which is easiest to do via email and snail mail. For any important matters, emails and snail mail will be the only forms of communication used while simple questions may be answered over social media.
Are there any questions that you have but not listed above? If so, please use the contact us page.