Thank you for a fun and safe Memorial Day Weekend at the lake. While the lake was very crowded at times, for the most part everyone was having fun and being safe at the same time. However, please never hesitate to call the patrol or me in the event you do witness a situation that is questionable in your mind. The patrol number is 816-564-8250 (the same number as before). You are always welcome to call me with your concerns or questions. My number is 913-305-7181.
There was yet another lake event that needs to be shared with you. As you know, the lake is very busy with new docks and other structures being installed on the lake, along with the old structures being towed to the spillway area for disposal. In the last two weeks a contractor was pushing a new double well dock down the main channel. Low and behold, a pontoon pulling a tube with two occupants cut directly in front of the contractor pushing the dock, and worse yet one of the occupants fell off the tube right in front of the dock. The boat and other tuber kept going and then that other tuber also fell off the tube in another location. This scenario left a young occupant in the water right in the path of the dock being pushed. Now knowing that most of you have not pushed a dock on the water, it is logical to note that the contractor cannot simply stop the dock on a dime, nor quickly alter course. The good news is the contractor was keeping a keen eye out and was able to avert an unfortunate outcome. PLEASE STAY HUNDREDS OF YARDS AWAY FROM THE AREA WHERE CONTRACTORS PUSHING OR PULLING DOCKS OR ANYTHING ELSE on the lake. Likewise, please keep a safe distance from sailboats. Simply put, please practice some good ol’ common sense while enjoying your time on the lake.
While we are on the subject of fallen tubers or skiers, please remind those people to hold up their hand or ski high in the air while they are in the water waiting for the boat to return to pick them up. This simply adds to their visibility to other boaters and users on the lake. Also, PWC’s may not pull skiers or a tube.
The water samples taken before the Memorial Day Weekend all came back with very low readings. We will continue to test on a regular basis to monitor the water quality for e-coli. If a test does come back above the recommended level, the office will send out a notification regarding the same.
In one of the past newspaper articles, it was mentioned to follow the boat manufacturer’s load maximums for occupants. Evidently some members did not read that article. Recently several people have observed that the number of occupants on pontoons appeared to have been clearly in excess of the maximum capacity, thereby causing the inherent nose-diving of the front of the pontoon. What also happens is all of the trash and beer cans on the pontoon rush into the water. Please exercise caution while operating your boat, follow the occupant rating and if trash does fall into the water, please retrieve it and dispose of it properly. Our lake is so beautiful, and we want to keep it that way.
DID YOU KNOW: All Structures excluding docks/lifts, including trampolines, islands and any inflatable devices between 6 feet and 12 feet in diameter must be permitted before it may be used on the lake… (As a comment, please keep the structures or devices as close to your dock as possible so as to not impede the normal flow of water traffic on the lake.) Only the current year sticker shall be visible (3 pts.) (As a comment, place your current year sticker over past year’s sticker or remove the out-of-date sticker from your boat). The lot and block numbers of the registered Owner shall be displayed on the Watercraft, before any Watercraft may be used on the Lake. The letters and numbers shall be contrast in color to the background upon which they are displayed (emphasis added), be a minimum of 3 inches in height and be visible for at least 75 feet (3 pts.). Violation of any section (of the Rules) where points are not specified shall be a 3-point offense.
Please call 816.578.4272 if we can help you or answer your question(s). I can also be reached at 913.305.7181 or email me at haroldmitts@lakelotawana.net. Be safe! Harold