A lot has changed since my last column, and unfortunately a lot has stayed the same. In the short time period between writing and publishing I expect there will be more changes and that we are on the road to getting back to normal. As of this writing the office remains closed. We will be following the local governments’ guidelines as far as re-opening. As before, we are taking boat registrations remotely and mailing them or arranging for safe pickup as quickly as we can. We are prioritizing new boats that have never been stickered for insurance purposes. The board has determined that no citations will be issued for sticker violations until June 1st at the earliest. That may need to be adjusted as time goes by. Please be patient with us; every call or email we get asking where your stickers are only delays the processing. If we don’t have the dredge in the water by the time you read this, I will be surprised. Same thing with boat gas sales. Since we are still required to have the pumps “attended” there will not be consistent hours of operation due to delays in getting the restaurant opened. We will have an “OPEN” sign lit when there’s power to the pumps. No one is as disappointed as I am regarding delays on these projects.
The good news is that we do have a new contract for trash services. Although we’re sticking with the same provider, there will be quite a few changes to the program. It will be an automated collection system which will benefit the members in the following ways:
- 96-gallon trash carts and 65-gallon recycling carts will be provided to all participating households. Currently deployed company carts will be removed for residents.
- Curbside collection of trash will be confined to cart contents only. Residents can obtain a second trash cart at a subscription rate of $6.50 per month. Weekly recycling collection will remain unlimited. Collection of large items or additional trash that doesn’t fit in the carts can be arranged simply by contacting WCA on the member web portal or with a phone call.
- Weekly collection of up to 10 bags/bundles of yard waste per household is included.
- New routes will be created, and collections will be conducted on Mondays and Tuesdays.
- WCA will provide a mail piece to all households detailing collection days, yard waste regulations, acceptable recycling materials, ways to contact our locally-based customer service and other related issues.
- WCA will create a Lake Lotawana landing page on their website that provides community-specific information and an opportunity to contact customer service.
Submitted by: Jan T. Olson – Executive Director
If you need to reach me for anything, please email me at janolson@lakelotawana.net or call the office at 578-4272.