The Official Newsletter of the Lake of the Woods Association, Inc. Vol. 14, No 15
540.972.2237
The Rave-Ons Played for LOW!
LOWA.org
March 3, 2017
An Open Letter to Members on Increases to Boat Fees February 24, 2017
Photo by Kathy Genson
The Rave-On’s band leader, Todd Meredith, sent a note following two successful LOW concerts. Hello good folks at the Lake of the Woods, I wanted to extend a personal thank you on behalf of the Rave-Ons for your amazing hospitality the past few days. Never have we felt so welcome and appreciated by a community that we have performed for. All the volunteers did an amazing job putting the event together and we really appreciate all their help. We would happily come back and play for you any time. Hope to see you all at Million Dollar Quartet at the Riverside Center before March 5th! Todd Meredith, The Rave-Ons
On Feb. 15, the Board of Directors finalized and approved the FY 2017-2018 LOWA Budget. The final budget calls for an individual lot assessment of $1356 (increase of $16 over the past assessment). The Board also approved a new boat registration fee schedule showing increases of from $2 to $52 and establishing an ascending fee schedule in 50 horsepower increments for power boats. “Why were boat registration fees increased?” 1. The boat registration fee schedule had not been addressed in the last five years and was up for review. During this same period of time lot assessments have grown by 14 percent. Boat registration fees allowed the board an opportunity to relieve a little pressure on the overall assessment, which was driven in part by capital investment in the coming replacement of the clubhouse dock. 2. The boat registration fee goes to support operational parts of our Lake Management Implementation Plan (LMIP) in our Environmental Resources budget including, but not limited to, water quality testing, fish stocking, algae treatment, and additional fish habitat structures in both lakes. 3. Growth in the number and size of boats on the lake are perceived by some as contributing factors to shoreline and dock damage, a problem the Lakes Committee has been discussing for years. The Lakes Committee will be looking at avenues to address these specific concerns in the near future. The final approved rates were the fourth iteration considered by the board and were developed in discussions between board members and representatives from the Lakes Committee. This decision was not taken lightly as the board heard from many boat owners and several board members have boats affected by the increases. The final decision was a compromise between much higher proposed rates and the final rate adjustment. We hope all members understand this change was a part of addressing maintenance needs of our lakes. Larry Morlan, President Leighton Cumming, Vice President JoAnn Zwickl, Treasurer Jennifer Zukowski, Secretary Directors: Bob Hoh, Jeff Johnson, Carl Clawson
Board Approves Budget The LOWA Board of Directors met Feb. 15 and voted to approve the Association Budget for the Fiscal Year beginning May 1. The Board approved the operating and capital budgets and set the annual assessment rate at $1,356. The Finance Department mails the assessment letters to lot owners on March 31, with a payment due date of May 1. Lot owners may choose to pay the entire amount or pay in either semi-annual or quarterly installments. See related FY2017 Budget-in-Brief inside on pages 5-6, and 19-20.
President's Letter 2 Board Agendas 2, 4 General Manager's Column 3 Association News 3-11 Budget-In-Brief 5-6, 19-20 Calendar 9-10, 15 Viewpoints 16 Orange County News 21 Classifieds 22-23
March 4 LOWA Regular Board Meeting 10 AM, Community Center
March 14 LOWA Regular Board Meeting 7 PM, Community Center
March 12 Daylight Saving Time begins
March 20-31 Early Boat Registration Member Services
Special Pull-Out!
Members: Lake Currents can be read online at: LOWA.org/Lake-Living/Lake-Currents
Security at Front Gate Info: 972-2210 or 972-2020 or use dwellingLIVE https://community.dwellinglive.com/ lakeofthewoodsassociationinc.aspx