July 4th Weekend – what a great weekend celebrating this great nation we are so fortunate to be able to live in. Did you know – next year will be the nation’s 250th birthday celebration. We had another safe holiday boating weekend and how about those fireworks. Thank you to everyone who donated this year to the firework fund. Did you know we contract with the Firework Display Operator each year to get a discount and lock in the following July 4th show. Firework operators are extremely busy, and it is important to lock them in as soon as possible. This means we pre-pay for the following year and the money collected replenishes the fireworks account. Any donations over the amount needed are being saved for our 100-year celebration coming up in a few years.
Did you know – the dam is closed annually to all traffic during the fireworks event to ensure safe set-up by the firework crew. This year, closure was scheduled and communicated to begin at 4:00 p.m., with reopening anticipated after clean-up, typically around 1:00 a.m. For east shore property owners expecting off-lake guests please remember to share this information with direction to gate 7 for coming and going.
Also, the barricades are in place for safety reasons and this year it was necessary for the crew to repeatedly restore them after drivers moved or bypassed them during clean-up operations. Such actions violate Fire Marshall regulations and can result in citations for the Association. Several rideshare drivers experienced confusion, highlighting the importance of informing your guests of these procedures in advance. Last, I personally was berated by many drivers for the closure, which unfortunately is too common these days. We will be considering hiring off-duty police next year and additional barriers.
Gate #1 Building – Its official, our new building construction is complete. The Water Patrol is now using the new office! We will be looking for a few pieces of office furniture, so if you have a line on desks and chairs, please let me know. Also, the new fence was installed on July 14th. You can expect millings from the road resurfacing project to be added to the parking lot and some grading to improve drainage and erosion control. The operations crew and contractors have done an outstanding job.
Did you know – the City of Lake Lotawana was kind enough to waive permit fees and hooked up the building along with the Community Club to the new sewer lines installed. Being a high-pressure line, we did have to install a grinder pump, which the city provided. If you’ve never heard of that before, see the picture below. Yes, it is a big item! Many thanks to the City for their contributions and support of this project as it really helped with the overall project cost.
Road Projects – ICON Construction completed in one week the first culvert project in the back of M Block as we prepare for resurfacing in August. This was a large and deep culvert that had completely rusted away. As the main drainage line for Silt Basin #5 it was key to fix before resurfacing the road.
At the low water crossing, Spire installed a new gate valve to route service to the west shore homes as they started boring operations for the relocation of their two lines. This installation will allow ICON to start the demo of the existing structure, helping with our schedule to complete road work before school starts. For the next many months as work progresses we request members not walk through or drive around the area for everyone’s safety.
FYI, all the west shore directors have a copy of the project schedule if you have questions.
Dredge Committee – met on July 15th to review current and future project costs. With several complete engineering designs we have a much better view of the future funding needs that will be shared with the Ways & Means Committee. While there are still ongoing Engineering efforts for Silt Basins #5 and #6 and equipment evaluation continues we feel more confident going into this budget cycle what the next 4-5 years look like. There are still significant expenses ahead, hence the committee established a regular maintenance budget and reserve fund last year. We will continue to fine tune the long term view and funding as we dig into (no pun intended) our silt basin efforts. Members also toured Silt Basins #3, #5, and #6 to evaluate dirt removal progress and assess needs for Basin #6, especially after acquiring additional land to the south (V66).
Also, we continue to assess our equipment requirements as our proficiency in comprehensive silt basin dirt removal and system upgrades grows. The acquisition of a new excavator this spring has significantly improved our operations, while the use of a rented off-road dump truck has allowed us to better meet our dirt removal objectives. This year, we chose to rent to gain practical experience with various dirt removal techniques, which have since proven effective. Due to the substantial costs associated with renting the dump truck, we will evaluate during the 2026 budget preparation whether purchasing this equipment would be more cost-effective. Our Caterpillar 963 dozer, an early 1990s model, is exhibiting signs of wear, and its limited power has started to impact our operational capacity. If replacement becomes necessary, it will further influence our evaluation of the benefits of renting versus owning a dump truck. The long-term nature of our dirt management increasingly suggests that investment in both pieces of equipment may be warranted. Accordingly, we will incorporate future replacement costs into our capital reserve plan over the next decade as 10-15 years is a good life cycle estimate for heavy equipment.
Silt Basin Update – Basin #3 between Gates 3 & 4 has been our primary focus this year so we can restart dredging in 2026 with the NW coves. While not completely empty, we now can finalize depths and the design of the new drain system by Allstate Consulting. We will be going out for a bid soon with plans to complete the work prior to next year’s dredge season.
I want to express thanks to the residents in the Waterfall Cove area who are putting up with the extra noise and dusty conditions as we work through the dirt removal project. As the silt dries especially the top of the embankment where the dump truck travels the wind carries the dust towards residents in the area. This will continue for several more months based on the current pace of dirt removal. The periodic rain helps and we will do our best to keep it to a minimum. South end of Basin #3 and close to halfway done. New drain will be installed to the right of the excavator in the picture and run down our easement to the lake in a buried pipe.
Storage Lot – the operations crew is mowing any open space; however, we are seeing several trailers overwhelmed by grass and trees. It’s important to pull your trailer and weed eat your space. If you have trees or bushes, cut them at ground level. Spray brush killer if you don’t want to have to manage long term. Also, make sure your sticker is on your property along with Lot/Blk numbers. I know this tune is a broken record, but still a lot of non-compliance.
Water Patrol Update – many thanks to Jen Stafford and the crew for a great July 4th weekend. I only heard the patrol siren a few times. Many have commented on the new schedule for the weekend working smoothly as I noticed it from out deck and being on the water. There were a few wave runners operating during the wrong time frame and a few tubers with more than one passenger, but all in all a safe weekend. FYI, we publish the water patrol phone number in the Lotawana News and it’s on our website. It’s recommended you save in your contact information.
FYI, during the very busy weekends the patrol will not be able to help with towing vessels. Please make sure you have adequate fuel and good battery before venturing out. Please remember the patrol can’t be everywhere, so when reporting issues make sure you leave your contact information for follow-up. Lot/BLK numbers, descriptions, pictures and video are helpful as we want to send courtesy letters to members when water patrol is not close to see and provide a citation.
Courtesy Reminders – Lotawana Days is the weekend of July 26th and the Lot-a-Smoke committee is already signing up teams for the October event!
If you have questions or topics, you would like discussed regarding the Association, please feel free to drop me a note at President@lakelotawana.net.
Sincerely,
Jeff Clemow
President