President's Comments From Bill Bomar

There is much going on around the lake and a lot of information in this Newsletter, so I will keep my comments brief. If you haven't done so already, please make a note on your calendars and plan to attend the many events this summer. These are listed in the Calendar of Events section of your LBCA Directory and on our website at www.lbca.net. Of special note is the Lakes Golf Challenge on May 10, 2002. The registration for this event is limited and I realize the notice is short, but the date was only recently finalized with the representatives from Lake Rabun Association, and Roger Hansen has been calling those who have participated in the past and those who have expressed an interest in playing. If you are interested and have not been contacted, please contact Roger Hansen. There will be a social gathering after the tournament. Roger Hansen and his team of golfers hope to successfully defend the trophy for LBCA another year. Don't confuse this Tournament with the LBCA Annual Golf Tournament on August 2, 2002. Ben Meluskey needs plenty of sponsors, volunteers and golfers to make this 11th Annual Fund Raising Golf Tournament successful. It is a "don't miss event".

LBCA needs volunteers to serve on the Board of Directors and as Officers and Committee Chairs. The Nominating Committee (Art Benton, Gaston Brawley, Sid Kollme, Bill Markert and me) needs you to volunteer and needs your recommendations of persons who can commit their talents to the Association. Please call me at 404-261-0649 or 706-782-1436, or e-mail me at bbomar@windhambrannon.com with your suggestions. I will be pleased to discuss the commitment with you if you are interested.

If you have friends not listed in the new 2002 Directory, please encourage them to send their dues to LBCA at P.O. Box 1988, Clayton, GA 30525. We will be issuing a Directory Supplement with address changes and new members in June.
As always, please contact any of our Officers or Directors with your questions or concerns.

LBCA Spring Members Meeting

Be sure to put the LBCA Spring Members Meeting scheduled for Saturday, June 15, 2002 on your calendar.

Clean Your Road Month

Every spring LBCA members go out and pick up the litter on the roads around the Lake. Yellow pick-up litter signs have been posted by LBCA at many of the road entrances from major highways targeting April as a peak month for clean up . . . although the job is a year round activity for many members who live on the lake. There is still much to be done and we encourage you to clean up the roads fronting your property. If you are building or remodeling, you may want to do more than your share because experience indicates that construction means litter. The Lake needs your help to mount an ongoing campaign against litter. Please direct any questions or comments to Marian Hansen at 706-947-3625.

LBCA - DNR Boating Safety Class

Saturday, June 22, 2002

The LBCA and Georgia Department of Natural Resources are teaming up again to sponsor a Boating Safety Class on Saturday, June 22, 2002 from 9 AM until 4 PM. All participants successfully completing the program will be issued a Safe Boating Certificate. Minimum age for certification is 12 years old, but the entire family is invited to attend. The course is free and refreshments will be provided. Wildcat VFD has agreed again this year to provide a hamburger lunch, including french fries, cole slaw and soft drinks for $6.00 per person. The class will be held at the Wildcat Volunteer Fire Department on Highway 197 North, just north of LaPrades. Please call Gaston Brawley at (Office) 404-888-5596, or (Home) 706-782-9929, to pre-register for this class.

LBCA Home Tour

The 4th Annual LBCA Home Tour will be held on Saturday, July 20, with rain date on Sunday, July 21. Enclosed in this mailing is the ticket order form as well as the volunteer sign up sheet. Please remember it takes 150 volunteers the day of the tour to make the tour work. Many volunteers take the tour in either the morning or afternoon and work the opposite shift. A bag lunch will be available for purchase between 11 AM - 1:30 PM. It will include a turkey or pimento cheese sandwich, chips, fresh fruit cup, brownie and bottled water or lemonade. Cost will be $5.00. We look forward to seeing you on the tour!

Remember:

1. You must be a current member of LBCA to purchase tickets for the Tour.

2. Tickets will be mailed starting June 1st and are limited to 400.

3. There is a lot of walking and climbing of stairs involved in the tour.

LBCA Annual Golf Tournament Changes Venue

The 2002 LBCA Golf Tournament will be held on August 2nd at Kingwood Country Club. The new venue, located on U.S. Highway 76 about 1 mile east of Clayton, was selected in response to LBCA member requests. Be sure to set August 2 aside for an afternoon of fun and some exciting new tests of your golfing skill (or is that luck?). Those tests include hole in one prizes of over $25,000! Read the June newsletter for details.

More Development On The Lake

You have received our special mailing about the contract of Tricord Capital, LLC to purchase LaPrade's from the Nichols Family. This pending transaction is progressing and we have no new news to report at this time. A copy of the special mailing is posted on the LBCA web site, or we can mail one to you upon request.

It was recently reported in The Atlanta-Journal Constitution that another developer, Mr. Jim Bell, has purchased the property on which Lake Burton's Camp Cherokee for Boys, run by Jane McConnell, was located. Jim Bell is developing the land and selling part of the 26 acres as eight two-acre lakefront lots. The McConnell family owned the land since the 1920s, before the lake was built, so the lots will be fee simple. Jim Bell stated to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he wants to keep the property as natural as possible and protect the devotional spring where campers once held worship services. Architectural restrictions will be placed on new construction in an effort to maintain the environment and camplike feeling.

We hope to have updates on these two projects at the Spring Members Meeting on June 15th; so, plan to attend and get the facts first hand.

Georgia Power Company Environmental Testing

The Georgia Power Company Environmental Laboratory routinely samples the water quality at all of the GPC reservoirs and annually issues a written report of its findings. Samples are taken to evaluate basic water chemistry, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. Water clarity is also measured using a Secchi disc. Schedules allow each reservoir to be sampled at least three times during a year. Additional samples are taken at beach and high public use areas. The report for 2001, issued in March 2002, concludes that GPC reservoirs have good water quality overall and that Lake Burton continues to be one of the cleanest of the GPC lakes. A copy of the written report is available from the Georgia Power Company Land Office or by contacting Mr. Thomas L. Broadwell at 404-799-2100, or you can e-mail him at tlbroadw@southernco.com.

Wildcat VFD - Fried Chicken

Saturday, July 13, 2002

Wildcat Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting its Third Annual Summer Chicken Fry on Saturday, July 13, 2002 from 11 AM until 4 PM. Pat Marcellino and his family will be preparing his famous "Chick'n Coop" Fried Chicken and Corn Fritters. Dinner plates are $6.00 and will include fried chicken, cole slaw, corn fritters, baked beans and soft drink. Funds raised from this annual event are needed to support the continuing operations of your local fire department. Wildcat VFD is located on Highway 197 North, just north of LaPrades. Come join us for this event. For further information, or to volunteer to help, call Gaston Brawley (Office) 404-888-5596, (Home) 706-782-9929.

Boat Church Opens

Boat Church opened on Easter Sunday! Services will continue from 9:00 to 9:30 every Sunday morning until the end of October. The messages are warm, and mixed with friends, the outing becomes an uplifting way to start a day. Do plan to attend.

Rhapsody - The Premiere Gala Event In Rabun County

Pull out your tuxedo and polish your dancing shoes, for the gala Rhapsody in Rabun on September 9th. This year's Rhapsody will be held at the newly restored Rabun County Civic Center. This year's black-tie evening recognizes and benefits the Rabun County Community Park and Playground Project. The Project is an organization created by a small group of parents raising funds to develop a safe and low-maintenance public park and playground in Rabun County. The development of the site has begun at Rabun County Park and will continue until all structures are built for the enjoyment of all ages. Two colorful playgrounds are already available for children and grandchildren. The proceeds from Rhapsody will allow the Project to quickly work toward completing its final goals. The Project plans to install swings, creative-play equipment, a covered pavilion large enough to host family reunions and a multi-use trail that will meander throughout the site.

Rhapsody and the people who attend make things happen in our community. Twelve years after its inception, Rhapsody has contributed almost $300,000 dollars to area causes such as Habitat for Humanity, Hospice, Fight Abuse In The Home (F.A.I.T.H.) and Rabun Youth.

Invitations are sent out five weeks before the event. Individuals may attend for $50 a person or chose from a range of benefactor packages. Interested parties who have not attended before should contact Mack Spates at 706-782-4000.

Construction Project Updates

Ben Meluskey recently visited the site of the new recycle center on Laurel Lodge Road and the paving project on Blalock Goldmine Road. The projects are underway, but a spring completion date appears unlikely, unless you consider that Rabun County is "Where Spring Spends the Summer".

Sky Valley Resort Sold

The sale of the Sky Valley Resort to Sky Mountain LLC, an Atlanta entity, was scheduled to have closed on March 22. Robert Horrell and Bill Marriott, representing the developers, have stated that they expect to spend in excess of $300 million on Sky Valley over the next seven to ten years. First year improvements include renovation of the lodge and golf course, landscaping and building a general store for the community.

Covecrest Conference And Retreat Center Sold

Covecrest Conference and Retreat Center has been recently sold to Life Teen, Inc., a nonprofit, Arizona-based youth ministry of the Catholic Church. Covecrest will remain functionally similar and continue to offer church retreats and facilities for family reunions. Life Teen offers weekend retreats as well as week-long summer camps.

Power Line Update - GTC Suit Against Rabun County

In late February, Senior Superior Judge Robert Struble ruled that GTC's lawsuit challenging Rabun County's moratorium banning the construction of high transmission lines was not a timely issue before the court in that GTC still needs to first obtain permits from the U.S. Forest Service to run the power lines over public land. The suit was dismissed.

Copyright © 1999 - 2004 by Lake Burton Civic Association and Scot Roberge.  All rights reserved.