Lakes Committee meeting held on 4-13-22 at Coronado Community Center in Hot Springs Village
Committee Members/Staff present were: Jerry Swaim, Vice-chair; Tom Ellers; Clifford Haygood; Concetta Dixon; Carol Dyer; Dwayne Shipman, and Staff Member, Brad Meredith.
Absent: Alan Wellesley, Chair; Dennis Gee, Secretary; Gary Belair, Board Liason
Diane Bielanski was not present as she resigned from the committee.
Comments from Brad Meredith, Lakes Ecology & Fisheries Manager
- Lake DeSoto’s dredging is moving forward. The motor of the larger machine blew up and only the smaller machine is being used. There were also some issues with the smaller machine, causing some downtime.
- Lake Pineda dredging is finished and it filled back up in one day.
- Buoy 27 on Lake Balboa is loose.
- There are some algae in Lake Sophia. Meredith is hoping the algae will be taken care of by nature and if so, we will save $10,000 or more if it doesn’t need to be chemically treated.
- Lake Isabella valve repairs are coming up soon. The company doing this is running behind and will do our valve repairs as soon as they are able.
- Meredith visited Jessieville, Fountain Lake, and Mountain Pine Schools to talk to fourth graders about fish.
- The Lakes Department will begin electrofishing within the next month. “Electrofishing is a common scientific survey method used to sample fish populations to determine abundance, density, and species composition. When performed correctly, electrofishing results in no permanent harm to the fish, which return to their natural mobility state in as little as two minutes after being caught.” Volunteers will be needed to assist with the electrofishing on the larger lakes.
- When Meredith is performing the electrofishing, he does not mean to be unsociable, but he is unable to stop and talk to folks.
Committee Member Comments
Jerry Swaim
Swaim said there will be new committee members in June. Several current members have completed their terms – Alan Wellesley, Jerry Swaim, and Tom Ellers. Dennis Gee is also leaving the committee.
The new committee members will be Steve Fitzgerald, Russel Grimes, Ken Gazelle, LaVon Winkler, and John Bowers.
Concetta Dixon
The Lakes Communication and Education subcommittee has honed down the Boating Rules and Regulations to one sheet – front and back. This sheet also contains a QR Code. These sheets will be distributed to the gate personnel and marinas. The subcommittee also plans on passing the Rules and Regulations Summary sheet at the Newcomers’ Meeting.
Compliance Update
Swaim said that Larry Thomas is the Compliance Division Manager. There is a new Compliance Investigator, named Rob Newbill who is assigned to lakes duty. Newbill started on April 4 and plans to begin lake operations on May 20.
Scuba Subcommittee Update
The Scuba Subcommittee recommended that recreational scuba diving be disallowed in the HSV lakes. The Board said that scuba diving is currently allowed in the Village and didn’t agree with banning this activity.
Anglers Club Report
The Anglers Club put on three tournaments so far this year. One of the Co-Anglers caught a 7.2-pound bass. Two upcoming events are:
Military Fishing on Tuesday, June 21 – The club needs volunteers for this event to help take the guests out on the lake to fish and also help on the shore is needed. Twenty-five military personnel are invited.
Kids Fishing Derby on Saturday, July 2 on Lake Cortez.
Balboa Yacht Club
On June 4, the Balboa Yacht Club is having its Poker Run.
The next scheduled meeting for the Lakes Committee is Wednesday, May 11 at 8:30 AM at the Coronado Community Center.
Cheryl Dowden, HSV Gazette, April 17, 2022
* * *
We are glad you dropped in to visit Hot Springs Village People Gazette. If you like, please comment below; we love to hear your opinions. Thank you for keeping the comments polite and on topic. Please use your first and last real name. We promote local businesses, events, and organizations! Let us know if we can help. We also accept opinion pieces and articles from guest authors. We can be contacted through this website; just click the contact button and let us know what’s on your mind. Be sure to bookmark this site and come back to visit with us often as our content is frequently changing. If you are an HSV Property Owner, click here to visit and join a private Facebook Group.
