On June 30th we reported some vandalism to a few of the boats in the marina. At that time we reported 3 boats were impacted, but have since learned up to 8 boats were affected. Police reports were filed and these boat owners are now having to deal with the headache of insurance claims, quotes, scheduling repairs, and the awful feeling of having their new boats damaged every time they step on them. The combined extent of the damage is north of $40,000! Orchard Lake Police are working this case, but it doesn’t appear we have any camera footage or an eye witness at this time.
Needless to say, adding security cameras to the marina and beach was the first topic of order during our July 10th General Membership meeting at the beach. It’s truly a shame that it’s come to this, but with 55 boat slips in the marina with an average boat value of $40,000 we have over $2 million in boats, docks etc. down there to protect. SBIA board moved to form a Safety & Security committee who are getting quotes from 3 vendors and will present their recommendations at the next General Membership meeting. The Safety & Security committee members are: Rick Cumbo, Brad Filips, Larry Goss, Jack Pelkey and myself. If you have input on this topic please feel free to reach out to one of us and/or attend the next General Membership meeting.
My ask of the membership is that when you are at the beach or marina pay attention to what’s going on around you. If anything doesn’t look right – stop and watch and if you feel comfortable ask questions. Or just take a picture with your phone camera and send it to one of us. If you are witnessing any property destruction, malicious or nefarious behavior do not hesitate to call the Orchard Lake Police immediately via 911. You can call or text me next and I’ll engage.
On a positive note, our beach pavilion was power washed and our play structure was power washed, bolts tightened and stained. We also have our new subdivision sign in place as you may have noticed and all are looking sharp! Shout Outs to Chuck Broadwater and Brad Filips for your efforts here.
The 4th of July Fireworks were outstanding and again the highlight of the Summer for the entire Upper Straits Lake community. As you may know, Rick Cumbo provides the leadership for this event and he deserves a HUGE Shout Out for all the time and effort he puts into this.
As a quick reminder if you are using the boat ramp, please be sure to pull the chain back up and lock the ramp
Finally thanks for those who took the time to complete the first Master Plan survey to provide input on desired projects. We will be taking this input and sending out a second Master Plan survey to get everyone’s input on which priorities they desire the most. It’s important that we hear from all members and we hope you will take the time to engage on the survey and help us get close to a 100% completion rate.
See you out there!
Dan