Long Lake Association

Click here to download our Spring 2006 Newsletter

Committee Reports & Updates

Water Safety Report

Once again this summer, the Long Lake Association is paying for supplemental marine patrols on Long Lake. The association pays for a Marine Patrol Officer to be on the lake for an eight hour a day shift on weekends and holidays. We have asked the sheriff to vary the shifts so that some evening patrols are included. When we have a rainy weekend those scheduled patrols will be carried over to some weekday evening shifts. These are supplemental patrols and do not take away from the patrols that the county normally provides on the lake. Because of this there may be times when you see two sheriff boats on the lake.

There has been quite a bit of discussion regarding the boat launches on Crescent Shores and at Gilbert Park. The township has been conducting resident input sessions regarding the Crescent Shores road end launch to help determine what to do there. There are a couple of options. One is to make the road end launch safer by adding a traffic island just before the road end and putting designated parking spaces for approx. 15 vehicles with trailers on the side of the road and placing no parking signs along the rest of the road. The other option is for the township to purchase land along Crescent Shores Rd. for a parking lot to get the vehicles with trailers off the road. There has been talk of closing the Gilbert Park boat launch due to safety concerns. Not only is it a traffic hazard, it is illegal to back a vehicle across a road, which is the only way to launch there. The Grand Traverse County Road Commission is the party that controls this issue as the launch is in the road right of way. They have stated that the launch will not be closed this summer but they are concerned about the liability and realize something needs to be done.

We look forward to a safe summer on the lake. The association board is staying closely involved in the launch issues and we encourage members of the association to voice thier opinions to township officials.

Bill Kaupas

Lake Management Report

The macrophyte survey conducted by the Great Lakes Environmental Center (GLEC) last summer combined with our own work in locating and measuring Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) sites gives us an excellent foundation of data for developing a long range plan for controlling EWM. Dennis Wiand has plotted all these EWM findings on a computerized mapping system. This map will be presented at the June membership meeting.

Last summer we found evidence that the weevils were controlling EWM in most of the sites in which they were planted. There was also evidence that they were migrating to other EWM sites. We are optimistic that weevils can become a major part of controlling EWM in the long run.

We can and will treat EWM site(s) with chemical this summer if necessary. A comprehensive report on all of the activities conducted by GLEC will be presented at the June membership meeting. If you want to understand the characteristics, including magnitude of our EWM problem, you should come to this presentation.
Dennis Wiand and Ron Albers

Long Range Planning Committee

The Long Range Planning Committee is in the process of tabulating the results of the recent survey sent to current association members and non-member riparians. 808 surveys were mailed. A total of 363 surveys were returned, 303 by association members. 60 non-member riparians responded. The response from association members was an impressive 71% of the total membership of 424. Your planning committee hopes to have a summary of the survey results by the June discussion meeting.

Charlie Conville

Community Affairs

Here is a short recap of a very busy winter:

Long Lake Township approved their new master plan after two years of work and meetings.
The Bay Pointe Community Church, which had been denied a conditional land use permit by the township planning commission last summer, sued the township and was granted a rehearing. The decision was tabled for a couple months for different reasons. The township board went into mediation and announced the settlement April 26th. Bay Pointe and Grand Traverse Academy will be granted a conditional land use permit and site plan approval.
Since the July planning commission meeting, 5 (out of 7) commissioners have resigned.
Mediation sessions on the lawsuits concerning cluster development are scheduled for this month. Legal representation for both sides is the same as the Bay Pointe mediation.
The township met with Crescent Shores property owners about the situation at the launch site. Another meeting is scheduled for May 25th.
Concern is being expressed about some of the activities that occur at the Gilbert Park boat launch. Joy Tobin

Membership Committee

One of the biggest challenges of the association is expanding membership. While we are pleased with the current number of 424 members, we are well behind our goal of 500. Only about 50% of those that live on the lake choose to be a member of the Long Lake Association. Dues statements for the 2006/2007 fiscal year will be going out shortly. We ask you to send your renewal back promptly and talk to your neighbors. If all members make an effort to encourage those living close to us to participate we can be a stronger voice in keeping our lakes the finest in Michigan.

Charlie Conville