The Joint Advisory Committee on Lakes met last Wednesday, June 20, to discuss young lake users. Committee members bounced around ideas for how to keep crowds of kids small at the lakes.
Lakes superintendent Rick Echols said the committee may be ahead to recommend some amendments to the rules for dependent ID cards, which currently can be issued for dependents aged 16 to 18 and provide the same lake access rights and guest privileges as a normal photo ID.
"We're having continuing problems on Lake Avalon with the swim docks," he said.
There are times, he said, where there might be 50 kids on the docks, and parents are regularly removing their young children because of foul language. While rangers ask for a card, he said, one teenager may claim all other present teens as guests.
Issues include kids climbing the heated fishing dock and jumping into the water and people racing their cars up and down the dam, among others.
"I think that we need stronger policies, spelled out a little bit better, about what we want to do going forward," Echols said.
One solution, he said, could be limiting the number of guests a dependent may have, without limiting adult members, who could chaperone visiting youths.
"Four is a group of friends, 40 is a party," he said.
Rick Yorman said the primary issue is between teens and the close-by residents for which they are creating a nuisance but, whatever decision is reached, the POA needs to work to ensure that members are aware of any new rules.
The committee also talked about lake fertilization, budget requests for next year, a drawdown on Lake Windsor for the 2018-2019 winter and increased lake patrols.
General News on 06/27/2018