Patrolling the Pond. May 6, 2025
The Late Edition. Or is it Early?
By Mike Miller, Board Member, Vice President, Lake Lotawana HOA
As it turns out I was actually EARLY for this edition of the Lotawana News! Isn’t it great to be early when you actually thought you were running late? To be early is to be on time right?
We recently experienced the annual Spring Cleanup. In past years I haven’t always been able to align my schedule with the spring cleanout date. This year, I decided I wanted to make a few stops around the various venues to check it out and then drop a couple of things off in the dumpster. It didn’t disappoint.
First let me send a BIG THANK YOU to all of the volunteers for giving their time and effort to a successful clean up. This event, like so many others in our community, requires a small army of volunteers to make it all work. I stopped by both the Martin Property and the Gate 1 Maintenance Area to see how things were going. Wow! While there was certainly a lot of takers in dropping off yard waste at the Martin Property, as one of the volunteers (who shall go unnamed) said, “I am helping out here because it is so much simpler than the dumpster drop location. The response to filling the dumpsters was just amazing. By noon at least six dumpsters where brimming full of all kinds of overused and broken items. The calm and quiet of the open and serene field of the Martin Property was the total opposite what seemed like organized chaos at the dumpster drop off. Don’t get me wrong, it was totally organized. Everyone was on it from the get-go. “Get in line here.” “Pull up! “Back up! “Metal goes here, everything else there.” And finally, “Let me help you get that out of your truck.” I was amazed. First I was amazed at number of volunteers giving of their Saturday. Second I was amazed at the sheer volume of trash that was generated. It reminded me of a meme that I saw the other day that went something like this: We go through three stages in our life. The Want Stage. The Get Stage, and the Get Rid of It Stage. I am personally in the “Get Rid of It,” stage and had a great affinity and maybe even a bit of jealously for all that I saw piled up in the dumpsters. I clearly have more work to do to catch up. I guess it may have to wait until next year’s spring cleanup.
Getting back to being early (or now late if you haven’t done it yet, that is, placing this year’s FOREVER decals on your watercraft. Yes! If you are reading this and you have not yet placed your decal on your watercraft, you are late. The new FOREVER decals (a brilliant shade of orange) must be placed on your watercraft on or before May 1, 2025. If you haven’t done it yet, you will want to get your decals ASAP. I did see a post that someone is offering to remove your old (and likely layered) decals to make room for the permanent replacement. I love the entrepreneur spirit! You definitely want to make sure that when you place the new FOREVER decal that is done securely. The good news is that all of those other lake toys do not need stickers this year. This year, I only had two decals to deploy. It was quick work! Are your decals on yet?
The fact that I am writing about decal placement for 2025 can only mean that boating season is just around the corner. For many it’s already here. I have seen a fair amount of traffic on the water especially on the past couple of humid days that felt like late June. With boating and water activities on the increase, you will want to take a quick look at the Rules and Regulations. I know, so many of you have been here for a long time. This will be our 20th year on the lake (having visited for over 30 years) and I still do a quick overview of the rules. I also review them with my family. If you are new to the Lake it is a must read. I also think it is really important for those who are part-time, summer visitors to do a full review of the rules of the water. While there are many reasons we have Rules and Regulations, the most important is SAFETY. Nothing is more important. Like it takes a community to pull-off a Spring Clean Up Day or the Independence weekend events or Lake Lotawana Days, it also takes a community to uphold the Rules and Regulations. We ALL play a part. Yes, we have the Water Patrol but really they are about Water SAFETY, not patrol. If you want to start your review of the Rules and Regulations here at Patrolling the Pond, you can find some challenging questions in the SAFER SEVEN Quizzes. Being early is always a great idea. There is no better time than the present for a safe start to your boating season by reviewing the Rules and Regulations. Until next time…See you on the Pond.
This Week’s Safer Seven: Getting Started with Spring on the Water
TRUE or FALSE?
- You can receive 3 points for not securing the locks on the ramp at the Marina. True of False? (Refer to Section III, D, Part 1, Page 11, Lake Lotawana Rules and Regulations.)
- You cannot launch a watercraft from the Parkway. True or False.
- An owner or family member must be present to operate a motorized watercraft on the lake. True or False? (Refer to Section III, E, Part 1, Page 12. 6-point violation)
- You have some friends over for a BBQ and you let them take your kayaks out on the lake. After two hours you wonder where they went because you can’t see them anywhere. You can get cited for a 6-point violation. True or False? A guest can operate a non-motorized watercraft as long as they are within sight of an owner or family member. In this situation they were out of the sight of an owner or family member.
- Your son just turned 17 but hasn’t taken the Missouri Water Patrol Water Safety Class. He can now drive the PWC. True or False? FALSE. No one under 16 shall operate a PWC. No one under 17 shall operate a PWC until they take the Missouri Water Patrol Water Safety Class. This could be a 6-point violation.
- Every watercraft should have flotation devices for each person on board. True or False? If you have ever heard of the Titanic you should know this rule of the water or you can find it in Section III, F, Part 1 page 12 of the Lake Lotawana Rules and Regulations. That said, double check your flotation device quantity and quality at the beginning of each season. Things get moved around. Animals can destroy floatation devices. Better safe than sorry.
- Every watercraft should have an operable fire extinguisher onboard. True or False? TRUE. It is also necessary to have efficient or mechanical ventilation as well. There have been stories in the news of people being overcome by carbon monoxide while riding in the back of boats. We will explore and expand on this topic in future editions of Patrolling the Pond. Check your fire extinguishers at the beginning of each season to make sure they are in proper working order.
If you have any questions or suggestions for future SAFER SEVEN quizzes, please feel free to send me an email at [email protected]. Until next time,