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President's Comments From Bill Bomar A large crowd turned out for the Lake Burton Civic Association's Spring Members Meeting to listen to presentations about the developments on Lake Burton, enjoy food by Joni's, and enjoy fellowship with other Members. The presentations were made by: 1) Jim Adams, Tom Clinton and Rufus Chambers of Tricord Properties, LLC about their plans for the purchase and development of LaPrade's, and Charmont, their development on Charlie Mountain; 2) Jim Bell of J.W. Bell Enterprises, Inc. about his development known as Cherokee Point; and 3) Charles and Scott Buckley of Buckley Land Development about their purchase of Cherokee Landing and plans for development of this property. Also, a presentation was made by Warren Blye about the need to install standpipes at key locations around the Lake to be used with Burton One, the rescue/fire boat that LBCA donated to Rabun County last year. While we would all like to keep Lake Burton the way it was when we first visited it, we must realize that the entire North Georgia area is changing and that we will not be able to prevent the change. Many of us have been a part of that change in recent years. Lake Burton Civic Association will continue to monitor the developments in our area and keep you informed in future newsletters and communications. Tricord Properties, LLC has a contract to purchase LaPrade's Restaurant Cabins and Marina (consisting of approximately 90 acres, including 14 acres under the Lake) that is scheduled to close in July. Jim Adams and Tom Clinton, two of the principals of Tricord, are the developers on much of the property on Charlie Mountain. Both are members of Lake Burton Civic Association. The property is zoned commercial around the restaurant and marina areas and vacation cottage for the remainder of the property. Tricord is continuing to study various options for the best use of the property. The Principals of Tricord assured the Members present at the meeting that it is their intention to develop the property in a quality manner. The developers stated that they intend to run LaPrade's Restaurant as a public restaurant, continuing to serve the same family style meals for which it has become famous. They also plan to develop a membership Lake Club open to both property owner members and non-property owner members. There will be from 100 to 125 fee simple single-family residences in various price ranges with the retention of much green space and trails in keeping with the current development around the Lake. The developers also expressed their intention to keep the Lake access ramp open, and upgrade the boat docks and the marina area with new facilities and limited shops. The number of boat slips will be increased from 119 to approximately 230. Charmont at Lake Burton on Charlie Mountain consists of lots from 1 to 3 acres designed to compliment the topography and tree preservation. Cherokee Point, developed by Jim Bell, consists of 8 fee simple lakefront lots ranging from 1.25 to 3.75 acres each on the 26-acre tract on which Camp Cherokee for Boys was run by Jane McConnell for many years. Jim Bell stated 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 camp-like feeling. The Cherokee Landing property, to be known as Seasons of Lake Burton, is fee simple and zoned commercial. It also includes approximately 2 acres under the Lake. Buckley Land Development plans to build 13 upscale residential homes owned by a corporation using two different floorplans. The corporation will sell 156 shares at $65,000 and $90,000 each, which give the shareholders the right to use the homes and access to a pontoon boat. The homes will also be available for rent. Phase 2 of the development includes a lodge with approximately 10 rental rooms, a common area, and a small high-end reservation only restaurant in a home-like setting (approximately 15 tables). The current marina and public access ramp have been closed, but there will be dock space for restaurant patrons. Charles Buckley stated that they have obtained all necessary permits and intend to comply with zoning laws and regulations. He has also stated that this will be a quality development. Warren Blye's discussion of the need for standpipes located around the Lake included a mock-up of a standpipe for members to touch and feel. Several years ago, LBCA and certain members spent many long hours installing dry fire hydrants at strategic locations. These allow the fire pumper and tank trucks to pull water from the Lake to fill their tanks for fighting fires. These dry fire hydrants have proven to be very useful and will continue to be a critical element in the Lake fire protection system. However, there are limitations with dry fire hydrants because the trucks must be close to the Lake elevation in order to pull water from the Lake. The addition of standpipes allows the rescue/fire boat to hook up to a standpipe with a hose on the lakeside (even in times of low water) and push the water up much greater elevations to the pumper and tank trucks. This will greatly increase the flexibility and timeliness of supplying the much-needed water to our firemen in their efforts to contain fires when disasters strike. Also it will be economical ($1,000 to $1,500) for a homeowner, or a group of adjacent homeowners, to install an approved standpipe on their property for emergency use. Our next newsletter will include specifications and supplier information on standpipes. Also, later this summer or fall, you will be receiving solicitations for charitable contributions from LBCA Foundation to raise the funds necessary to install the standpipes needed to enhance the fire protection system around the Lake. Registration for the LBCA/DNR Boating Safety Course on Saturday, June 22, 2002 at Wildcat Volunteer Fire Department has been excellent and will prove to be very beneficial to all who take the course. Also, several times this summer, Georgia Department of Natural Resources will conduct the course at Tallulah Gorge State Park and other locations. If you missed the LBCA/DNR course and would like information about the other courses, call the Gainesville DNR office or (770) 784-3068. Remember, there are minimum age and boating safety course requirements for persons under the age of 16 to operate a boat or a PWC in Georgia. The 2002 Lake Burton Fun Run benefiting the Lake Burton Fire Departments and sponsored by the Rabun County Chamber of Commerce will be held on June 29, 2002. Advance registration is required. If you are interested and haven't registered, call (706) 782-4812 or (706) 947-3312 for information. You should be receiving in this mailing, your 2002 Membership Directory Supplement listing changes and new members. These pages can be attached to the back of your directories. I apologize for the length of my comments, but there is much to report. As always, contact your officers and directors with your questions or concerns. My email address is bbomar@windhambrannon.com. LBCA 11th Annual Golf Tournament Enclosed with this newsletter is the entry form for the 11th Annual LBCA Golf Tournament scheduled for Friday, August 2, 2002. There will be lots of new excitement this year! The tournament will move to a new venue: the Kingwood Resort, and there will be Hole-In-One Prizes with a total value of over $25,000. Golfers entering the tournament need to send group or individual entry forms and their checks made payable to the LBCA Foundation to Tom Fischer at the address on the form itself. We will hold entries exclusive to LBCA members and their guests until July 15th. It is important to note that, since proceeds of the tournament benefit our local fire departments, $75 of the tournament's $125 entry fee is considered a charitable contribution for tax purposes. If you do not want to enter the golf tournament, but wish to support the fire departments send your tax deductible contribution payable to the LBCA Foundation in whatever amount you deem appropriate to: Ben Meluskey at 3999 Laurel Lodge Road, Clarkesville, Georgia 30523. The LBCA Membership has made it possible to upgrade the quality of our fire departments over the years but there is a lot more to be done. Please play golf or make a contribution to this worthy cause . . . in the long run you are the ultimate beneficiary of this event. Your Vote In A Changing Rabun County In August, primaries will be contested for two of the three seats on the Rabun County Commission and voters will also get to decide if the County Commission should be expanded from three to five members. Stop for a moment and consider what is happening at and around our Lake. In the last three years, four development projects have started or been announced: i.e. Waterfall, Cherokee Point, LaPrade's and Cherokee Landing. While all of these are in the "Lake Image", it is obvious that your vote at the polls is going to be increasingly important in the years to come to ensure that Rabun County develops zoning standards that continue to protect that image. If your household does not include at least one Rabun County voter please consider taking steps to register now and Vote In August . . . and beyond. Boating Safety And Summer Season Courtesies Please take time to review information published by Georgia Department of Natural Resources about the Georgia Boating Laws and safety, and strongly urge your teenagers and guests who will be using your boats and personal watercrafts to read and understand them. The busy summer is here and without thinking about it, or perhaps just not knowing, most of us will all commit an intrusion on our neighbor's search for Shangri-La. Let's do our best to be mindful of:
Road Litter - Extending April's Success Thanks to all of you for making the April campaign against litter a success and a special thank you to Marian Hansen for organizing the effort. Our roads were beautiful. One way to extend the success is, of course, to keep picking up the litter. Another is to report offenders. Please send an account of any littering you witness, including: a vehicle description and the license plate number of the offender, the date and time of the offense, and the road where the offense occurred to the Rabun County Marshal's Office, 25 Courthouse Square, Suite 137, Clayton, Georgia 30525. The Marshall will send the offender a stern warning while keeping your name in strict confidence. Lets continue to crack down on litter! We can all pick it up and report offenders. Power Line Update Immediately following our last newsletter, Superior Court Judge Robert Struble ruled that Rabun County's three-year moratorium against the construction of power lines over 35 kilovolts was unconstitutional. Judge Struble stated in his conclusion that, "it is the province of the Georgia General Assembly to determine when the right of eminent domain may be exercised." An appeal of this ruling has been filed by Rabun County. On May 14th the U.S. Forest Service announced that it would be early August before it will know whether or not GTC would be granted a permit to use forest service land for the power line. It currently appears the proposed line would not cause any environmental impact (endangered species, etc.) to prohibit issuance of the permit. Hopefully the permit will, if issued, include construction guidelines that will minimize the visual impact of the line. Where Is Boat Church? Our last newsletter failed to tell everyone that Boat Church is held each Sunday at the Moccasin Creek State Park pavilion at the west end of Moccasin Cove. Service begins at 9:00 AM and is generally over by 9:30 AM. Visiting takes place 10 minutes before and after the service. You can come to church by boat or car. Important Dates June 22 LBCA/DNR Boating Safety Course June 29 Lake Burton Fun Run July 6 Fourth of July Fireworks July 13 Wildcat VFD Fabulous Fried Chicken Fundraiser July 20 Tour of Homes July 27 Mid-Summer's Night Bluegrass Party August 2 LBCA Golf Tournament August 17 LBCA Annual Business Members Meeting Tour Of Homes The LBCA Tour of Homes needs many volunteers to staff either morning or afternoon shifts in the homes, on the docks, and transporting people around the Lake. Please contact Linda Dixon at (706) 865-1774 to volunteer. Also, remember to send in your requests for Tour of Homes tickets and Bluegrass Party Reservations. |
Copyright © 1999 - 2009 by Lake Burton Civic Association and Scot Roberge. All rights reserved. |