The Official Newsletter of the Lake of the Woods Association, Inc. Vol. 17, No. 15
540.972.2237
LOWA.org
/LOWAssociation
November 22, 2019
Leaf and Brush Disposal by Jessie Graves, Director of Facilities
The Maintenance Department will soon begin vacuuming leaves that naturally fall into the roadside ditches and common areas; this process takes a lot of time. LOWA owns three leaf vacuums; two units are assigned to the Grounds Crew for LOW parks, Clubhouse Point, and other common areas. The third unit is assigned to the Roads Crew for roadside ditch cleaning, with emphasis placed on areas directly affecting the health of the lakes, such as Lakeview Parkway and Section 13. The department strives to clean all the ditches in LOW at least once. There are approximately 80 miles of roadside ditches in LOW; your patience, cooperation, and assistance, by properly disposing of your yard debris throughout this process, are greatly appreciated. Regulation V.E.1 prohibits residents from disposing of leaves and/or yard debris into the roadside ditches, lakes and drainage easements; doing so can result in violation enforcement. One way for members to help keep the lakes healthy is by minimizing the amount of leaves entering into the drainage system. Leaves by nature contain the nutrients that the tree used to grow. In the fall when the leaves die, what is not taken back by the tree remains in the leaf after it falls to the ground. Some of these leaves are bound to enter the lakes; however proper removal and disposal of leaves away from drainage areas, and keeping leaves and yard litter off of hard surfaces reduces the amount of material entering the lake from the watershed and slows the aging process of the lake. Vacuuming and removal of leaves is a service that the Association provides to its residents, so the leaves do not end up in the drainage system, which can cause driveway culverts and ditches to become clogged, as well as impact the water quality of the lakes. LOW has a leaf and brush drop-off area located at 9.9 Maintenance Area, adjacent to the Campground in Section 12. When dropping off debris, please be aware of the regulation signs and remove all leaves from bags. Only pieces of brush 2 inches or less in diameter are permitted to be disposed of at 9.9. Trash and stumps are costly for the Association to grind, as they wreak havoc on the grinding machine. Please be vigilant of others, should you see someone not complying with our regulations. Another great way to deal with leaves is by mulching them with your mower and leaving them on your yard. The leaves will add nutrients to the soil reducing your need for fertilizer. Driveway culvert pipes are owned by the homeowner; therefore, it is the responsibility of the homeowner to keep their driveway culvert pipes clean, allowing storm water runoff to flow freely. LOWA commends those residents who dispose of their leaves appropriately, and appreciates all that residents can do to keep LOW beautiful and safe.
Association News 2-10 General Manager's Column 3 Financials 4-6 Mayberry Press Release 7 Calendar 7-8 Viewpoints 14 Orange County 17 Classifieds 18-19
Photos by Dan McFarland
LOWA President Cliff Wilks welcomes the Orange County Supervisors to Lake of the Woods for their annual meeting here on November 13. “We look forward to this meeting every year,” he said. “This kind of interaction maintains and improves the relationship between Orange County and our community.”
Orange County Supervisors (L-R) Lee Frame, Jim White, and Jim Crozier listen to President Wilks’ welcome at the start of their meeting in the Clubhouse.
Wednesday, Nov. 27 LOWA Offices Closed at 12:30 PM Maintenance Offices Closed at 11 AM
Dec. 3, 4, 5 2020-2021 Budget Presentations (See schedule, p. 4)
Sunday, Dec. 8 LOWA Member Holiday Party 1-4 PM, Clubhouse
Thursday, Nov. 28 LOWA Offices Closed Fareways Café Closed LOW Trash Compactor Closed
Friday, Dec. 6 Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony 7 PM, Clubhouse
Tuesday, Dec. 10 LOWA Special Meeting of the Membership 7 PM, Community Center
Saturday, Nov. 30 Member Services Closed Turkey Trot 8 AM, Woods Center
Saturday, Dec. 7 Christkindlmarkt 9 AM-3 PM, Community Center Electronic voting assistance for the ECC Referendum 10 AM-noon, Holcomb Building
Wednesday, Dec. 11 LOWA Regular Board Meeting 2 PM, Community Center