As everyone should already be aware, we have passed some major milestones with the city's dam repair project since the last issue of Reflections. The bond referendum passed by a landslide, with about 80% of the votes in favor of financing the repairs over 30 years. BLHA sees this as a clear mandate to the city – not just to borrow the money – but also to repair the dam on the fastest timeline possible – as we believe they are attempting to do.

The City's recent Tax Equity Analysis has also been completed. I quote, "Funding the dam restoration through a general increase in millage rate is fair and equitable to all parties". Basically this study confirmed many of the points that BLHA has been making all along. Not only did they confirm that the current method of taxation and lot valuation is fair and equitable, but the method that they used also confirmed our predictions concerning the distasteful option of "draining the lake". That approach would have resulted in much higher taxes (18-20%) for the people in the outlying subdivisions as well as some very unhappy people around the lakebed. We believe that this study completely affirmed our position that repairing the dam, and financing those repairs with a 30-year bond, will result in the lowest possible tax increase for all Berkeley Lake City residents. You can read the complete study at the City's website.

These were important milestones, but we still have a few more hurdles, including a timely approval of the engineering plans by the Georgia Safe Dams (the state regulatory body). As we go to press, we hear that the staff at Georgia Safe Dams has forwarded their recommendations to their Director, Mr. Tom Woolsey, but we do not know what these recommendations are, nor do we know when he may approve the plan (with or without possible required changes). While BLHA is monitoring the progress closely, direct your questions about the dam project to the City Representatives.

At this point the project has missed the original July 11 date for the draining the lake. While we do not know the projected date for the drawdown, we feel certain that we can provide at least 30-days notice to our members for planning purposes and possible boat removal.

BLHA is continuing to develop our plan for removing silt while the lake is lowered. The membership voted at the annual meeting in January, to allow the Board to spend up to the entire amount of money in the silt removal fund on excavation while the lake is down, and silt removal is most economical.

We clearly don't have enough money to excavate all the silt we would like and we know that many lakefront property owners are concerned about their own coves. We would implore everyone to be realistic. We are developing criteria for how much silt can be removed from each cove with the limited funds available. These criteria include a maximum depth (beyond which we will not pursue optional removal), access points to the various coves, restoration costs associated with various access points, and perhaps even the percentage of BLHA membership among the residents in a particular cove. We are committed to making all of our criteria and the entire project as logical and transparent as possible.

We are also working on our long- range plans for recurring silt removal on a rotating basis in future years. Most of these efforts will likely be more traditional dredging operations while the lake is at full pool. Please know that if your cove does not get appropriate relief during our near term project, that you will be on the short list for the future operations. In the past two years we have more than doubled the savings rate for our silt removal fund, and as we further develop the plans for the recurring removal of silt, additional adjustments to your dues and other fees may be proposed. The Board wishes to put a plan in place that is both sustainable and fair, which will keep our lake free of silt for years to come.

We would also encourage you to do your part to keep silt out of the lake. Please report any muddy runoff to BLHA and to the City – they are the enforcement authority. Also, please avoid blowing leaves and other debris into the lake – this is a contributing factor to the natural siltation problem.

Some lakefront residents have expressed interest in privately excavating their own coves while the water is down. We would like to gently remind everyone that the lake bottom is private property owned by BLHA. Just as you (hopefully) would not begin digging in your neighbor's yard without their permission, please respect the property owned by this Organization. While we don't wish to dissuade anyone from removing silt on their own, we may have a few requirements in order to grant permission; such as a waiver of liability, proof of insurance, etc. We would also like to ask that lakefront property owners respect the current property line (shore line), as this should not be seen as an opportunity to increase the size of one's backyard.

Phil Johnson, BLHA Membership Director, has done quite a bit of research into boat storage while the lake is down. See Phil's article for more information.

Lastly I would like to remind everyone about our e-mail policies. E-mail is by far the most cost-effective method for BLHA to communicate with our membership. We generally send fewer than two e-mails per month about BLHA related business. We will never share your e-mail address with any third parties. About two years ago, we moved our mass mailing list to a system that uses a double-opt-in procedure for sign-ups, which is an industry standard. What this means is that you are responsible for maintaining your own e-mail address in the system. There is a link on our website, as well as links in every e-mail both for subscribing and unsubscribing, along with a link to forward each e-mail to others. Click here to sign-up.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the summer. See you around the lake!