Lakeviews Winter 2013 8 pg:Layout 1
Transcription
Lakeviews Winter 2013 8 pg:Layout 1
The Newsletter of the Wawasee Property Owners Association P.O. Box 427 Syracuse, IN 46567-0427 Phone: 574.457.7172 E-mail: [email protected] Web Address: www.wawaseepoa.org Fax: 574.457.2907 Winter 2013 WPOA Officers & Directors Kay Young President Carolyn Anderson Steve Snyder James Tranter Vice Presidents Janet Hartley Administrative Officer Kip Schumm Communications Officer Jerry Babb Ann Bonifas Jane Finch WACF Liaison Sally Gindling Fireworks Chairman Garth McClain Dan Morris Cindy Quinn Jim Silcox Tom Tuttle II Jim Kroemer LakeViews Editor David Grandstaff Past President The Papers Incorporated Publisher of LakeViews In this Issue: • At The Helm • Oakwood coming back to life • Fireworks subject of Artist Series • Cottage Tours returning • Using the Neighbors directory • Trail committee reorganized • Bald Eagles spotted • WACF’s mission is good water quality • Low lake level • Possibile dredging • Wide World Of Sports Flotilla theme • Fund endows local scholarships AT THE HELM — WINTER 2013 WINTER . . . It is another of those crazy winters, late ice after Christmas and then a thaw, more ice and a thaw and finally we have ice and fishermen and iceboating . . . the only thing missing has been the snowmobiles. We just have not had enough snow for good snowmobiling . . . and who knows what it will be by the time you receive this newsletter! The one good thing is we have had rain and a little snow so the lake is coming up some. The “beach” we had in front of our seawall is no longer there and the water line is starting to creep up the seawall and cover the rocks at its base. That is good news we need all the water we can get for sure. While we are all trying to figure out the weather and water level we have also been working on plans for 2013 and WPOA activities. Starting with a new (well new/old) venue for the breakfast, we are going back to the Oakwood for our breakfast on Saturday, June 22. It will be great to be back on Wawasee and to see all the changes that have been going on this winter at the hotel. Mark your calendar for this traditional opening of summer at the lake. Next is what I like to call “Independence week.” We start with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic on Sunday then the traditional display of fireworks on Syracuse on the 4th followed by our display on Saturday the 6th. Everyone should have their fill of company, food, special events and fireworks for a while at least. Later in July we bring back the “Wawasee Cottage Tour” again this year. We have six great houses, all in the Vawter Park, South Shore area for you to enjoy. Make your plans, gather your crew for your boat and be sure to join us for this evening of touring some of the interesting homes on the lake. Not only do you get to see wonderful homes but you will also be supporting a great cause as the proceeds go once again to the Syracuse/Wawasee Trails project. August brings more summer weather and our annual meeting. Plans are underway and we will give you more details later in the year. But we look forward to seeing you there. With the anticipation of things to come we have to reflect on things that have occurred over the winter. Wawasee lost three of its strongest supporters this winter. We are sad to say good-by to the WPOA Chief of last year Bob Dickinson. Bob passed away in December surrounded by his loving family. Bob was not only the past President of the WPOA but a major force in the planning and completion of the Dry Hydrant project and one of our volunteer lake patrol members who willingly put in many hours on the water to protect everyone that uses the lake. Bob always was available to talk things out when problems would arise and his input will be missed by everyone connected with the WPOA. We will also miss Ted Rogers, “Mr. New York” for many of you that will remember him from evenings of karaoke where he would entertain everyone with his rendition of “New York, New York.” Ted was a successful businessman as well as a strong supporter of the lakes. He was a past director of the WACF and helped to restart the Flotilla in 1973 and served on the committee for over 21 years. Another supporter we will miss is Bill Beemer who lost a long battle with cancer this winter. Bill was a past Flotilla Commodore, successful businessman, head of the Sesquicentennial in 1987 and President of the Syracuse Museum. Bill and his family have lived on Wawasee since 1961 and have all been supporters of the WPOA. Each of these gentlemen will be missed not only by their families but by many of us here at the lake. Looking forward we hope that each of you are having a good winter and making plans to come back to the lake when the weather breaks. According to “Punxsutawney Phil ” we will be having an early spring . . . sure hope he is right and it is not only early but WET! . . . . . . . . . . . . see you soon at the lake! Oakwood coming back to life; open this summer By Jim Kroemer LakeViews editor For four long years, the Oakwood Inn has languished in limbo, cold, dark and empty, its fate in the hands of courts and lawyers and would-be developers. In fact the future of all the amenities and buildings of Oakwood Park, a haven of rest and renewal on Lake Wawasee for people of faith for most of the past century, were also mired in uncertainty. No longer. Since last October, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters and carpet layers have been working feverishly to bring the inn and other buildings in the park back to life, and the good news for lake residents is that the inn and its restaurant will be open for business by this summer. Late last year, Buckingham Properties of Indianapolis backed out of a tentative deal to purchase the property. It was then that Dr. Rex Parent and his family, a fixture on Lake Wawasee for three generations, stepped up to buy the park and its signature inn. After reaching agreement with court-appointed receiver Ian Rolland and Oakwood property owners, Parent Associates, Inc. closed on the deal to buy Oakwood Park. J.R. Parent, Dr. Parent’s son, has taken the lead in directing the refurbishing of the Oakwood Inn and Jeremiah Heierman has been hired as manager of Oakwood Resort and is in charge of the day-to-day details of getting the inn ready to open. He said the plan is for a “soft,” or gradual re-opening of the hotel. On the weekend of May 18, an open house is scheduled for all the contractors and sub-contractors who have worked on the building since the project started in late October. Then on Friday and Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 24 and 25, members of the Wawasee Property Owners Association will be invited to an open house to view the refurbished hotel. “We realize this is a very aggressive time frame,” Heierman said, “But we will do our very best to open by Memorial Day. We don’t want to let people down.” When completed, the inn will have 77 guest rooms, 10 of them suites. Heierman said the Oakwood would begin accepting reservations in late February or early March. All the rooms are getting complete over- A semi-trailer delivering construction supplies is the only external evidence of all the work going on at the Oakwood Inn. Inside is a different story as many workers prepare the hotel for re-opening this summer. hauls including new ceilings, paint and carpet. There will be wireless internet throughout the hotel and flat screen television sets in every room. “It will look and feel like any other highend hotel people have stayed in,” Heierman said. The public areas of the hotel like the central rotunda, hallways and other common areas will “have an old-time, lakey feel to them,” he said, including personal photos of life on the lake from all time periods. Lake residents who would like to submit framed family photos from all generations for use in the inn’s décor are asked to contact Helena Rensberger at [email protected] or send them to 702 E. Lake View Road, Syracuse, IN 46567. The inn will also have a high-end restaurant and bar open to the public. Heierman said an announcement about who will run the restaurant will be made as soon as all the details of an agreement are finalized. Instead of buffet style dining, the new restaurant will have plated meals, he said, and there will also be outdoor dining on a patio just outside the restaurant. Although the project has been approved by the DNR for 120 pier spaces, Heierman said the hotel will not use that many initially and will leave the front shoreline facing the main part of the lake open. Piers will be placed behind the hotel, facing Conklin Bay for use by hotel guests and patrons of the restaurant. And it’s not just the hotel that is undergoing renovation. The Oakwood property includes 10 vacation homes and eight cabins available for rent, and all 10 homes are being remodeled. Also open this summer will be the 2 Hilltop Banquet Center, the old Wawasee Academy building, with seating for up to 500 people, perfect for wedding receptions and other gatherings. One of the vacation homes and Kimmell Hall will not be open, along with the program center, until 2014. Heierman also said activities associated with the Oakwood for years will still take place and possibly expand under the new ownership. Boat-in worship will be a fixture on the lake in front of the hotel again every Sunday this summer, beginning on May 26. In addition, a wooden boat show has already been booked, and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic will play at the Oakwood again this summer. The Oakwood will also be the venue for much of the greatly expanded local Chautauqua program, possibly including a weeklong program as part of the national Chautauqua tour. Many on the lake are delighted the Oakwood is coming back to life, and Heierman said the feeling is mutual. “The support of the local community has been phenomenal,” he said. “That’s the reason we’ve been able to be as aggressive as we have been.” Although Heierman couldn’t say exactly how many employees the park and inn will require when everything is up and running, he expects it to be a force in the local economy. Much of the remodeling work is being done by local contractors, he said, and added, “it is important to the Parent family to employ local residents.” Fireworks subject of 2013 Artist Series painting The fireworks over Lake Wawasee every July are widely considered to be among the most spectacular Independence Day displays in the entire Midwest, and now the annual show has been memorialized for the WPOA’s annual Artist Series. The fifth and final print in the series, entitled “Grand Finale,” was created by Lawrenceburg artist Sandy Maudlin. Mary Beth Gadus, who heads the annual artist series, said this year’s painting is magnificent. “Sandy came to Wawasee for the fireworks and took hundreds of pictures,” Mary Beth said. “The result is a breathtaking painting of one of Wawasee’s greatest summer moments. She captured the aura of the evening perfectly, and the colors in the painting are so real you can almost hear the fireworks.” As in past years, the original work of art will be on display in Syracuse at the Water Lily Gallery, 801 N. Huntington St. It will also be on display at major events like the WPOA Breakfast June 22 at the Oakwood Inn. Silent bids on the original will be accepted beginning on Memorial Day weekend. Prints of the work are also available with all proceeds from the sale of both the original and prints going to the Syracuse/Wawasee trails project. Because of the popularity of the artist series, Mary Beth suggests you reserve your signed and numbered print early. “Since 2009 the Artist Series has raised more than $40,000 for the trails project,” Mary Beth said. “We feel confident that ‘Grand Finale’ will bring WPOA’s contribution from the series to over $50,000.” Last year’s work by Larry Rudolech was en- Popular cottage tour returns After a one year hiatus, the popular pontoon tour of some of Lake Wawasee’s most historic and beautiful homes and cottages will return this summer. The event is sponsored by the Wawasee Property Owners Association. The tour will take place this year on Saturday, July 27. Six homes in the Vawter Park and South Shore area will be featured and open for viewing by tour participants. As in the past, attendees will assemble their own crews and meet at the Wawasee Boat Company to enjoy an assortment of appetizers before heading out on the lake to visit the featured homes. Each boat and crew is responsible for providing their own “refreshments.” In the past, as many as 500 of our Wawasee neighbors have participated in the tour. Many WPOA members and area businesses generously support the tour through sponsorships, and the cost per individual attendee is $45. All proceeds from the tour go to support the Syracuse/Wawasee Trails project, and combined with proceeds from the annual Artist Series, the WPOA has donated more than $69,000 to the trails project over the years. Also, the WPOA sincerely thanks the home and cottage owners around the lake who graciously and generously open their homes for the tour. Gather your crew now and mark your calendar for July 27 for the 2013 return of the home and cottage tour. 3 titled “Lake Worshipers” and depicted a scene from the weekly boat-in worship in front of the Oakwood. The first three prints in the series include “Conklin Bay,” by Douglas David; “Connections,” by Susie Brandes; and “Regatta,” by Andrea Bojrab. Sandy Maudlin, the artist who created this year’s “Grand Finale,” earned her degree in art education from Indiana University and has studied under many nationally known artists. In addition to the Water Lily in Syracuse, her work is also displayed at galleries in Fairfield, Ohio, and Oldenburg, Indiana. Additionally, she has put on exhibits of her work over the past 20 years in a number of Midwest cities including Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Nappanee. She has won numerous awards and honors at art shows in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky including Best of Show in Kokomo and Logansport. Her work has also been featured in a Better Homes and Gardens special interest publication. “Painting adds to my sense of excitement about the world and helps me express what I’ve experienced,” she says. “Although I’ve painted with oils, acrylics, pastels, inks and colored pencil, my favorite medium is definitely transparent watercolor.” Sandy also teaches adult watercolor classes at her home gallery in Lawrenceburg, and says, “I find it very rewarding to see other people discover the artists within themselves.” Using the Neighbors directory to do good The annual Neighbors directory of Lake Wawasee property owners has become an invaluable tool for many living on the lake. Last summer, one of our neighbors used the directory to find the owner of a lost wallet. In his note to Janet Hartley, WPOA administrative officer, the Good Samaritan asked that his name not be used because he was not looking for any credit. He wrote, “I’m grateful to the WPOA and all of the individuals who are involved in the creation, printing and distribution of the Neighbors directory which made it much easier for me to do the right thing and have this wonderful story as a result.” Here’s the story: Last week I went to a local convenience store to put air into one of my tires. When I arrived, there was a young man just finishing doing the same thing. He was in the process of hanging the hose back up when I asked if I could have the rest of his air. He said okay and handed me the hose. I started to pump up the tire and just before I finished, the compressor shut off. I chuckled and went to put in my four quarters as he was finishing putting the caps back onto his tires. I said “Nothing’s ever free, is it?” He smiled and nodded his head in agreement. When I arrived home that evening, I noticed some trash across the road and went to pick it up. I also noticed something in our driveway and stopped to pick it up as well. It was someone’s wallet. I looked at the name on the driver’s license and recognized it from the Neighbors directory. There was also an insurance card with a lady’s name so I then knew that it was either the gentleman’s wife or mother. I got out our current edition of the Neighbors directory, looked at the alphabetical list and located the lady’s name. Her husband’s name was different from the name in the wallet so at that point, I knew it was (the wallet owner’s) mother. I was able to locate their address and drove there with the wallet. When I arrived, I discovered there was no number on the mailbox so I wasn’t positive that I was at the correct location. There were several cars in the driveway but there was nobody around. I was at the point of putting a note in the mailbox with my name and phone number when I noticed a boat coming along the shoreline, towards the boat lift on this property. I went to the lift and asked if they were coming to that lift and the driver said yes. I then asked “Are you Brandon (name changed to protect the innocent)?” He said, in a rather challenging tone “Why?” “Well,” I replied “I think I have your billfold but I don’t think I can give it to you since you don’t have any ID and are unable to prove to me that you are who you say that you are.” I also winked at one of his friends when I said this. He got out of the boat and said “I didn’t even know I lost my billfold.” I looked at the picture on the driver’s license and confirmed that it was him and handed him the wallet. His friend said “Dude, your billfold fell out of your car.” They asked me where I found it and how I was able to find them. I answered their questions and explained how helpful the Neighbors directory was. He then exclaimed “You’re the tire guy!” I looked at him rather perplexed, thinking that he was referring to an inner tube and had me confused with someone else. I asked “What do you mean, I’m the tire guy?” He responded, “You’re the tire guy, at the gas station!” When I heard that, my mouth dropped open, my eyebrows arched and I said “That was you?” “Yeah,” he said. We laughed and gave each other a high five. — Trail committee reorganized — Spike Ford, the long-time champion of the Syracuse-Wawasee Trails Committee, stepped down after last year’s construction season ended, leaving very big shoes to fill. At a recent meeting of the SyracuseWawasee Park Foundation, reorganization of the trails committee was the main item on the agenda. Park foundation board member Mike Buhrt presented a plan that calls for the trails committee to continue to be under the direction of the park foundation, but with more specific guidelines on what is expected of each member so that duties can be more evenly divided among members. With the committee under the jurisdiction of the park foundation, the board will continue to have the final say on committee decisions and the acceptance of committee members. They will also have the opportunity to change Buhrt’s plan if needed in the future. The plan calls for seven to 13 people to comprise the trails committee, and board members discussed ways to get different organizations involved in the committee, including the lake associations. It was noted during the meeting continuing the trail committee under the park foundation makes it easier to get grants for the trail. The plan was approved by the board members, who also recommended setting an “Introduction to the Trails” meeting to reach out to organizations, including the Rotary Club, Lions Club and lake associations, to identify potential members for the committee. A tentative date of March 19 was set. Earlier in January, the park foundation 4 board, along with representatives of the Syracuse-Wawasee Trails Committee, Wawasee Property Owners Association, Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation and the Tour de Lake Bike Ride, met with John Yoder, president of the Friends of the Pumpkinvine. The Pumpkinvine Trail runs between Goshen and Middlebury along an abandoned railroad bed and is one of the most successful and popular hiking/biking trails in the state. It’s a good example of a public/private partnership and Yoder gave the group interested in continuing the work of the Syracuse-Wawasee Trails Committee the benefit of his long experience. Topics discussed included ideal trail width, committee composition, governance, fund-raising and liability and event insurance. Bald Eagles spotted Large birds of prey tentatively identified as immature bald eagles have been spotted soaring over Lake Wawasee and Syracuse Lake this winter. Steve Snyder, one of the WPOA board’s vice-presidents, shared these photos. In one picture, two of the birds are seen about to swoop in on a flock of coots. In the other photo, geese and ducks give a wide berth to a young eagle on the ice enjoying his lunch of fresh coot. Steve sent a number of photos to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and in an e-mail response, John Castrale, bird biologist for the DNR, said “I couldn’t definitively identify all the eagles in the photos, but I believe they are all immature bald eagles. American coots are a favorite prey item of bald eagles. Golden eagles occur in the state, but are much less common than bald eagles (for example, I counted 281 bald eagles during four days of aerial surveys within the past week and only one golden eagle). They prey primarily on mammals, but I’m sure they could catch a coot.” Thanks, Steve, for this fascinating look at nature on the lake during the winter. WACF’s mission is good water quality By Heather Harwood WACF Executive Director The Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation’s main mission is good water quality through preservation and enhancement of our watershed. The Conservancy considers threats to our water and works toward lessening the bad impacts. Work includes studies, constructing erosion control and stabilization projects, restoration and mitigation, educational ag tours, canoe trips down the 10-lake chain and introducing lake topics to the community. Thus summer WACF plans to continue its series: “Lake Talk and Eats.” Join us the on the first Saturday morning of June, July and August for a light breakfast, coffee and lake talk. Learn how our lakes were formed and their geology; invasive species, why they are bad news and how to slow them down; and stresses and benefits to the health of our watershed. In July we will have our annual Water Bug Catch for grandparents, parents and children. Kids will be surprised to learn that the type of bug they catch indicates the quality of water. On the Agriculture Tour with Russell Anderson we learn about farming practices and good land stewardship. Canoe Trips down the 10-lake chain are a fun way to spend a summer morning. Lake ecology, Indian history and some fresh air all help to make the canoe trips a favorite. WACF has been busy installing erosion control projects. After completing projects in Dillon Creek and Village Lake Stream last year, WACF was fortunate to continue the momentum with our ongoing GLC grant and a new DNR/LARE grant at Ritter Branch. Ritter flows into Hindman Lake upstream in the 10-lake chain. The WACF canoe trip travels through Hindman Lake about halfway through the trip, and it is one of the most pristine lakes in the watershed. The exotic plant species, Starry stonewort (SS) and Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) continue to be problems in our watershed. WACF has partnered with the Syracuse Lake Association (SLA) on a DNR Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) grant for an update on the Aquatic Vegetation Management Plan for Wawasee and Syracuse Lakes. 5 The first Aquatic Management Plan for Wawasee was completed in 2006, focusing on annual control of EWM in areas of high recreational use. SSW had not yet been discovered. Large scale EWM treatments (25-50 acres) were made on Wawasee in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Starry stonewort was first identified in 2009 in a channel off of Johnson Bay. That year, total acreage in Wawasee was estimated at 15 acres and treated for SSW control. In 2011, the IDNR received a grant through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for the control of exotic weeds. Since then, the IDNR has fully funded numerous SSW treatments in both Wawasee and Syracuse Lakes, ranging from 11.29 acres to 67.39 acres. However, despite large scale efforts to control SSW, its acreage has increased steadily each year since 2009. The total SSW acreage in Wawasee in the fall of 2012 was estimated at 159 acres. Chemical applications temporarily control SSW, but long term control remains an issue. Multiple applications are needed in the same treatment area throughout the season to keep SSW suppressed. From WACF Chairman Sam Leman and the entire WACF Board of Directors — thank you for your support. Your conservancy is working hard to keep the lakes clean and healthy. Numerous factors led to low lake level By Nate Bosch Kosciusko Lakes and Streams The drought of 2012 left Lake Wawasee’s water level down about 18 inches and even dropped nearby Lake Michigan to its lowest water level in recorded history (since 1918). Curiously, however, this water level drop was not seen in all of the more than 100 lakes in Kosciusko County. This past year was a perfect storm (or unstorm) for lowering lake levels in several ways. Warmer than average temperatures led to more evaporation during the summer and the previous winter (normally, ice cover would stop evaporation during winter), lack of precipitation dried up three of the four inflowing streams to Lake Wawasee, soils were so dry that they soaked up the little precipitation that did fall, lower local water table likely caused groundwater springs in lake to reverse flow and become drains out of the lake, and increased irrigation usage led to more evaporation losses as well. Why then did some of our county lakes not suffer the same low water levels like Lake Wawasee or Lake Michigan? Lake Wawasee is unique compared to most other lakes in Kosciusko County (other than maybe Dewart Lake). Because it sits near the continental divide, it has a relatively small area of land that drains into it — called a watershed. This is helpful when we are worried about unwanted dirt and nutrients coming into the lake, which grow algae and weeds, but it is harmful when we want more precipitation and ground water to come from that drainage area into the lake. A helpful analogy might be your house’s roof and gutter system. A small roof area (drainage area) would be nice if you want to cut down on the amount of leaves and twigs that clog your gutters and downspouts. But, if your goal was to get lots of water through your gutters from your roof, you would be at a disadvantage with that small roof. Lake Wawasee’s small drainage area is helpful in keeping it clean in normal years, but in drought years it exacerbates the dry weather and makes the lake more sensitive to lower water levels. The only influences on the water level that we can change is irrigation usage around the lake and in the lake’s surrounding drainage area as well as how the lake level control structure is operated throughout the year. Grace College’s Kosciusko Lakes and Streams center is hoping to study those influences in the future. We will also continue our research on Lake Wawasee this coming summer, and we are still monitoring the inflowing streams to see what materials they are bringing into the lake as well now that more water is flowing through them again. Possible dredging of main channel discussed Last summer’s drought was devastating to our lakes and has exasperated an already difficult situation in the channel between Syracuse Lake and Lake Wawasee, with shallow water in many spots making navigation difficult. In November a group of people including representatives of the WPOA, SLA and local businesses along the main channel met to discuss this and the possibility of dredging to open up the area of the channel where it connects with Syracuse Lake as well as the area where it connects with Lake Wawasee. Topics of discussion at the meeting included cost, who would handle permits and how the operation of the dredging would be handled. Three bids were opened and reviewed, and one was chosen, if the project should proceed. It was decided to move forward with the permitting process as well as applying for a LARE grant. All of this will take several months, and even after all approvals are secured, additional funds will need to be raised. At that time further discussions on funding will be held with one option being to ask for donations from the residents of both lakes as well as the businesses that are along the main channel. As this moves along we will continue to keep you up to date on a solution to this problem. The main channel between the lakes is a vital part of the life here at the lake with most of our residents as well as Syracuse Lake residents using the channel frequently during the boating season. ‘Wide World of Sports’ Flotilla theme The Wawasee Flotilla will celebrate its 52nd parade during the 2013 Fourth of July weekend, beginning at1:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 6. This year’s theme is “Wide World of Sports” where floats and homes on the lake are invited to celebrate their favorite sport, team or athlete. As in the past, individuals can use banners, balloons, streamers, plywood, etc. to transform their boats and piers into sports themes. The judges cannot wait to see what “Wide World of Sports” entries will appear, said Holly Tuttle, flotilla chairwoman. She also said the committee is accepting de- signs for the annual Flotilla T-shirt. You can submit your design to [email protected] or mail it to Holly’s attention at 813 S. Huntington St., Syracuse, IN, 46567. This year’s awards will include the coveted Commodore Cup, the DNR award, the WPOA award, as well as category awards for Neighborhood, Youth, Wawasee History, Most Patriotic, Commercial/Business and Non-Profit. An award will also be given for best on shore display. And once again this year, there will be a division for vintage and wooden boats. For the latest information please visit the flotilla web site at www.wawaseeflotilla.com. Please send all correspondence regarding LakeViews to Jim Kroemer, editor, at [email protected] 6 Fund endows local scholarships The WPOA-David F. Lichtenauer Memorial Scholarship Fund was established at the Kosciusko County Community Foundation as an endowment fund in 2010 in memory of Dave Lichtenauer, who served the WPOA in many capacities, including editor of the newsletter. Dave’s leadership paved the way for the WPOA to play an active role in giving back to the Wawasee community. His vision, and that of the WPOA, is to increase the number of scholarship awards given to local students each year as well as the amounts given. An endowment lends permanency to this vision, providing an opportunity for steady growth and contributions help this effort to sustain “the gift that keeps on giving.” Donations by check may be made payable to KCCF (with WPOA-David F. Lichtenauer Memorial Scholarship Fund included in the memo line) and mailed to KCCF, 102 E. Market Street, Warsaw, IN 46580. For credit card donations, please visit www.kcfoundation.org/donate. Your support will make a difference in the education of our future leaders from the Wawasee community. What does your WPOA membership do for you? We are your VOICE with Indiana state government, the City of Syracuse, the DNR, the Kosciusko County Sheriff ’s Department, the board of Zoning Appeals and other lake associations. • We liaison with WACF (in fact they were created by WPOA when members saw a need for greater conservancy efforts). • Lake safety is our high priority. We patrol the lake in boats owned and managed by WPOA. • We provide continuing support for the development of the Syracuse/Wawasee Trails. • We sponsor the Artist Series as well as the popular Cottage Tour. • We provide and maintain the “pump and dump” stations at the public boat launch to help keep our lake clean. • We provide funding for educational projects in local schools. • We provide street lights at many dark points around the lake for safety. • We have developed, installed and maintain dry hydrants for continued fire protection around the lake. • We saw the need and helped develop severe weather warning systems around the lake. • We develop, coordinate and implement the annual Fourth of July Fireworks display. • We print and distribute a newsletter four times a year. • Your directors are your neighbors, volunteering many hundreds of man hours to make all this happen at a reasonable cost. NOTICE Only dues paying members will be receiving the Neighbors book this year. Please tear off and return: to WPOA • P.O. Box 427 • Syracuse, IN 46567 WPOA DUES RECEIPT ($75.00 per year) Name: __________________________________________________________________________________________ Home Address: (City, State & Zip Code) ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Home Phone: _____________________________________ Cell Phone: __________________________________ Lake Address: (City, State & Zip Code) _______________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Pier No. ___________________ Lake Phone: ________________________________ E-mail Address: ____________________________________ Check No. __________________________________ Check Date: ________________________________________ Lake Patrol Boat Replacement Fund: Amount of Contribution $______________________ Credit Card Payment: Discover MasterCard Visa Card Number: __________________________________________ Exp. Date (MMYY) ______________________ V Code Number: ________________________________________ Total Due: $ ___________________________ Card Holder Signature: __________________________________________________________________________ Home Address, City, State and Zip Code: ________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Phone No. __________________________ Lake Patrol Boat Replacement Fund: Amount of Contribution $______________________ 7 Calendar of Events for 2013 May 18 May 24-25 May 26 June 8 June 22 July 4 July 6 July 6 July 13 July 27 August 10 August WPOA Board of Directors Meeting Oakwood Inn Open House for WPOA Members Boat-In Worship Begins WPOA Board of Directors Meeting WPOA/SLA Family Breakfast (Oakwood Inn) Fireworks — Syracuse Lake 52nd Wawasee Flotilla WPOA Fireworks Lake Wawasee WPOA Board of Directors Meeting Home/Cottage Tour WPOA Board of Directors Meeting WPOA Annual Meeting (Date to be determined) P.O. Box 427 • Syracuse, IN 46567-0427 First-Class Mail U.S. Postage Paid Syracuse, IN Permit No. 7