By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor
The Arrowhead Lake Association annual members meeting was filled with praise for both General Manager Mike Pate and Vice President Denise Loxton.
In his president’s report, Bud Macer said that he wanted to “acknowledge the excellent job Mike Pate has been doing. He has taken the day-to-day management of ALA to a new level.”
That sentiment was echoed by member and past president Scott Rindenow: “I want to thank the general manager for his excellent job.” He added that “the board, under the leadership of Bud, the staff and the many volunteers have made this last year at ALA the best ever. More and more is being done to improve our membership experience.”
Loxton has sold her mountain home and is moving, necessitating her resignation from the ALA board.
“I want to thank Denise for her dedicated volunteer service to this organization,” Rindenow said. “We’ll miss her presence on the board and committees.”
Member Gene Warner echoed Rindenow’s commendations and Roberta Rindenow thanked Loxton, saying “her heart was always in the right place. We will always be grateful for a job well done.”
Director Marilyn Dishell said she is “so grateful to Denise for all she contributed to ALA over the years. I have always been awed by the breadth of her knowledge. She has spearheaded to many efforts to improve the way ALA works. Her heart is always in the right place to create an honest, transparent workplace. Her attention to detail and knowledge of the ALA bylaws is unsurpassed. Her legacy will live on.”
President Macer added that he will consult her anytime he needs a consultation.
In his general manager’s report, Mike Pate reviewed the past year through photos: the junior trout rodeo – “the best attended yet” – the Happy Trails workday; an all-staff orientation; the new bridge at Burnt Mill Beach Club, built by the ALA team; emergency boat and crane repairs; a new generator for the office building; new signs around the lake, fence repairs, cameras at key areas, dock repairs and trail repair.
Both Pate and Macer pointed with pride to the renovations done at the Burnt Mill clubhouse.
Pate also noted they have “dramatically changed our approach to maintenance. We had over 400 items on the repair list; it’s down to 30. Repair time has gone from several months to several days.”
ALA is making great progress on the valve project, Pate reported. They had reached out to 26 or 27 engineering firms, seven of which expressed interest in bidding. Four came for an extensive tour. After a second round of interviews, they chose Schnabel Engineering and Kimley-Horn. All the finalists, Pate said, had been recommended by the Division of Safety of Dams.
Quelling some rumors, Pate said DSOD is not threatening to lower lake. Nor will ALA have to lower the lake to repair the valve. “We are getting ready for Schnabel to start on Phase 1. We will dive deeper into the infrastructure and look at possible solutions,” he added.
In presenting his finance report, Director Jim Hannon compared three years of ALA budgets. He noted that year-to-date actuals are “tracking close to budget” and the outlook for year-end is similar. He thanked General Manager Pate for “being proactive and reactive. He takes steps to drive expenses down and efficiency up.”
Hannon also compared the cost of having a dock and putting a boat and kayak on Lake Arrowhead to Spring Valley Lake in Victorville. “Lake Arrowhead is reasonably priced and offers good value,” he said.
Committee reports
Each of the committees then reported.
- Forest and Vegetation: Dave Kelly reviewed the projects that had been completed since last year’s annual members meeting, showing before and after photos. One of the larger projects was limbing up trees and getting rid of ground fuel from Access 44 to 49. It took five to six days with three trips a day to remove the materials by barge. He reminded members to contract him if they need to trim or thin trees on ALA property.
“There is a process,” Kelly said. “I go out, look at it, talk to the people and talk to the ALA-approved contractor. The system works well.”
- Lake Operations and Maintenance: “We guide the vision of the projects,” said Director Alan Kaitz. “We don’t do the actual work – that is carried out by staff. I have never seen our operations run more efficiently than over the past year.”
Kaitz also referenced the reduction of the backlog of maintenance projects from 460 to 30; the remaining projects are scheduled to be done. The maintenance staff, he noted, “is bringing clarity and momentum to the projects.”
- Lake Safety: Vice President Denise Loxton was pleased to report they had a successful July 4 weekend. The Lake Safety patrol, she said, “assisted many boats in distress. They are extraordinary. I thank every patrol person for the hours of hard work they put in.”
Loxton noted a couple of upcoming events: Jimmy Swims, Aug. 30, 6 to 10 a.m. with a pancake breakfast; the lighted boat parade later that day at dusk, led by Lake Safety.
- Shoreline Improvements: Director Marilyn Dishell thanked the board for approving the budget to “refresh this building – it’s the perfect venue for any event.” In the last month, her committee had received 16 regular applications for projects, an increase of six over last year. They also received 22 expedited applications, an increase of four. Year-to-date, they have granted permits totaling $50,500, an increase of $29,475 over last year. She attributed that increase to contractors having the time to address issues caused by Snowmageddon.
The annual members meeting was followed by the regular monthly meeting. During comments from the directors, Loxton thanked everyone for their support throughout the years. “I’ll miss you all,” she said.
The board approved a revision to the boating and swimming rules: “All tow ropes must be held by the skier/rider at all times with the exception of the EZ Ski Trainer that requires the rope to be held by the person on the stern of the boat.”
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