As we start a new year, it may be a good time to reflect on what occurred last year and what we hope to accomplish in the year to come. The past year was a challenging one. Silt Basin #6 needed considerable repairs in order to continue dredging along the east shore. That was accomplished and after a late start, we managed to get some dredging done for the folks in W Block. In 2018, we hope to continue dredging all the way south into Sunrise Bay. The weed problem that we had in 2016 never re-materialized last year thanks to a combination of the weather, a reduced population of zebra mussels and the Fisheries Committee’s stocking of grass carp. This gave us an opportunity to make some significant modifications to the weed boat in case it’s needed again in 2018. We collected the remaining funds we needed for the Barge and Mini Excavator in 2017 and in November we took delivery of the haul barge and push boat that Dave Wagner designed. Work has begun on the assembly of the excavator barge and we hope to take delivery sometime this spring. Finishing up this project will be the purchase and installation of the mini excavator and the equipment needed to remove the materials from the barge off of the Lake. We hope that by summer we will be totally involved in utilizing this system to clean out the areas in the back of the coves that the dredge can’t get to. Funds were approved and engineering is almost completed for some major upgrading and repairs to the bridge road north of the dam, the spillway and the boat ramp. We hope to achieve all of these repairs in the coming year. The board has approved a plan to begin repairing and replacing many of the guardrails around the Lake roads. We took a big step forward in dock safety last year and I am happy to report that as of this writing, 75% of the docks have been brought into electrical compliance. Sadly, there are still as many as 150 docks that have not passed for one reason or another. The board has directed the staff to begin issuing 6 points to those members who have not completed repairs to their docks. Please keep in mind that no member who hasn’t passed their dock inspection will be able to register boats in 2018. Last but not least, in April of last year the Association purchased the Marina Property, which included the Grog and Galley Restaurant, the 2nd tier property north of the spillway, the boat ramp and the gas concession. We entered into a 3-year lease agreement with long-time owner Jack Schwindler for the restaurant. We upgraded the gas pumps, lowered the price of boat gas and extended the hours that it was available for purchase. The 2nd tier property can now be used for additional parking for boat trailers for members who use the ramp on an “in and out” basis. 2017 was an exciting year here at Lake Lotawana and the future is bright. If there is something that you feel we should be doing to better serve, please let us (or your District Director) know.
Submitted by: Jan T. Olson – Executive Director
If you need to reach me for anything, please email me at [email protected] or call the office at 578-4272.