This article is being prepared in advance of the March 10th Annual Meeting. For members unable to attend, the presentation can be found on the Lake Lotawana website. The coming year includes an ambitious set of objectives, and staying informed will help members understand any potential impacts. Additionally, awareness enables members to provide valuable feedback through their District Director. I extend my appreciation to the office staff, particularly Courtney Fleenor, for their diligent efforts in keeping the membership updated via website postings and mailings.
In April, the Board of Directors for the 2026-27 term will elect officers and committee chairs to guide us in achieving these objectives as discussed during the annual meeting.
Dues and Fees were due February 28th, so if you missed the deadline please work with the office to make your payments.
V Block Culvert Project – The project began with pot-holing to determine utility depths and revealed a conflict with Spire’s natural gas lines. Construction is delayed while Spire Engineering develops a relocation plan. A new timeline will be announced once planning is complete, but completion is still targeted for this spring to align with the East Shore road resurfacing project.
Dredge Options – The Dredge Committee is actively researching silt mitigation by consulting dredge companies and other lakes. For example, Lake Winnebago contracts out dredging every ten years, closing the lake for a season to allow third-party use of large equipment. However, this requires large silt basins to handle expanded water volume during dredging. Envision when you use a blender it expands the contents. Same thing with dredging operations where the water and silt under pressure expand in volume requiring larger basin capacity. Our current basins lack the necessary capacity to support expanded dredging. The committee is prioritizing future upgrades to support third-party dredging as an option to either augment or replace our own capabilities. The cost of dredging has a lot of variables, however without silt basin capacity our options are limited.
We are also exploring ways to extend our dredge season to a year-round strategy. IMS, our dredge supplier, has shared methods for operating in cold weather, and we are considering how best to support our team for winter operations.
Silt mitigation before it comes into the lake is also a key part of our planning. Many lakes have retention basins prior to water entering the lake. Our lake was not designed with silt removal in mind. As we review all our watershed inputs the committee is looking at options to keep silt out of the lake to reduce the dredging requirements.
The current water level of the lake and shallow nature of Sunrise impact on our ability to launch the dredge. We are hopeful that spring rains resolve this limitation, however, we need to address the risk along with new capabilities to support all lake maintenance operations. The dredge and infrastructure committees share the responsibility for developing this plan and I will provide more information on this project as planning progresses.
Silt Basin #6 Design Phase II – Allstate Consulting has revised the Phase II task form to include the recently acquired 3.5 acres located south of Basin #6. With this updated task form, Allstate Consulting will now work on creating a design that expands both our basin capacity and dirt management efficiency. Just as we did with Silt Basins #3 and #5, expanding our capacity here will support greater dredge operations.
Moving Docks during Dredging – why do we require docks to be moved when dredging in a cove is a question asked by many members. Our dredge is designed to churn the silt from the front and pump the water/silt mix to the dredge pipe that extends to the silt basin. The dredge pipe starts with flex pipe so the dredge can operate requiring 150’ wide space. Where the coves narrow, docks have to be removed so the dredge can operate safely. The dredge operates up to 5 feet from the shoreline / seawall to avoid under cutting those structures. In the deeper and wider parts of the cove the dredge will operate up to the docks and silt will sluff off into the dredge. FYI – dredging does not remove 100% of the silt, so where the lake bottom is shallow you will see limited improvement in water depths.
Information Technology – This year, we’re upgrading our office technology to cut costs, boost security, and improve staff efficiency. We replaced the Toshiba Copier/Printer in February with a newer model as part of switching to cloud-based DocuWare for document management, which also saves money. We’re adding Firewall and VPN appliances through our IT provider; the Firewall will strengthen ransomware protection and the VPN enables secure remote access for offsite work. Additionally, an IT Security policy is being added as part of our insurance coverage to improve cyber security protection.
Courtesy Reminders – we have seen members using the lake already, so please refresh your understanding of the Water Use Rules. While the Water Patrol does not start operation until May, we need members to continue following the rules and operating safely.
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