Golf Course and Conference Center
Announcements will be made in September concerning progress on the acquisition agreements between the LPA and Progressive Development, Inc. a subsidiary of the Guthrie County REC that owns the conference center and leases and operates the National Golf Course.
       

Summer and Fall LPA projects
For the curious, here are a few of the projects still to be worked on or completed by the LPA this fall:
       
       Work will begin at the end of August on the Panorama West Par 3 course's new irrigation supply system. Presently the course uses water from the LPA water company. After the installation, the lake will become the water source for irrigation of greens and tees. The savings in water production costs should provide for a payback of the costs for the new system in 4 to 5 years.
       
       The lake will be drawn down beginning October 1st for the replacement of the hydraulic cylinders that control the dam gate.
       Weitz Construction of Cedar Rapids will be the contractor. Work will begin about October 11 after the lake has been lowered 5 feet.
       
       LPA maintenance continues to work on ditches and drainage issues that were worsened by the May 22 downpour. This work will continue until freeze-up.
       
       Peterson Construction of Reinbeck, will resume work on the upper basin rip rap project this fall when the lake is lowered. Most of the remaining areas are either steep banks or difficult to reach areas that can be done more easily after the water is down.
       This project is paid for by the Rural Improvement Zone.
       
       Nicholl Drive, below the Panorama West golf course is being re-graded and rocked for homes being built on the formerly empty street.
       
       The marina boat ramp will have continued improvements when the underwater slab is repaired. This will also be done in October when the water is down.
       
       

Water Standpipe Steelwork completed
The new 330000 gallon water standpipe on the far north end of the development has been erected. The next task for contractors will be bringing a new waterline to supply the tank.
       
       Preparation and painting of the tank will be on the schedule in a few weeks.
       
       The tank should be online and in use by November.

Monthly rule violation report
Stop sign violations led the way for rules violations in July with nine individuals fined for flagrantly violating stop signs. This particular issue, because it involves safety to members and guests will get increased attention by the security department.
       
       Two violations were noted for illegal driving of golf carts on the roadways. Only licensed drivers are permitted to drive on the roads for safety reasons and carts driven on the roads at night must have approved vehicle lighting.
       
       Illegal dumping of trash in brush dumps was the source of two violations. One of the violations was a second offense and resulted in a $100 fine.
       
       Two tickets were issued for driving ATV vehicles on the road. ATVs are permitted on the roadway only when used for business and work purposes.
       
       Members sometimes receive tickets because their guests have violated lake rules. Be sure to inform your guests of the responsibilities involved.
       

New Silt Basin bid Letting is September 24
Bids for the construction of the new silt basin, which will be west of Nester Point and Poplar Avenue on the extreme west side of the development, will be received on September 24. Funding for the project will be from the Lake Panorama Rural Improvement Zone, which uses incremental taxes from growth at the Lake.
       
       The structure is being designed to handle up to 20 or more years of siltation (at historical averages). The county road—190th Street—will be relocated to go over the new dam structure. The dam will be up a small valley on the south side of the lake that is directly across from the silt basin originally constructed on the north side of the lake by Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) when they owned portions of the development.
       
       Completion for the project will most likely by the spring of 2006.
       

Road Maintenance Work
Numerous potholes and smaller deteriorating areas along the streets will be repaired in the next few weeks. Thin roadbed rock and wet areas are the usual culprits that provide soft areas in the streets that breakup and rut.
       
       The maintenance department will be fixing the bad areas utilizing a number of methods and will then chip seal the small areas with LPA owned equipment.
       
       Additional road related work will include improving drainage and repairing ditches and culverts.
       

Boating violations for July
There were sixteen tickets issued in July for boats exceeding the speed limit in coves that are posted. One ticket was a $100 second violation and another was a third violation which will result in a $250 fine and loss of boating privileges for that member.
       
       Eight violations were noted for boats or personal watercraft that were overloaded. This is a serious safety violation and one that will be enforced regularly. The capacity of a boat is marked on the boat hull and capacity includes the number of individuals that are being towed as well as those in the craft. Personal floatation devices for each person are also required. One of these tickets was a second violation and received a $100 fine.
       
       There were three tickets for lack of lights between sunset and sunrise.
       
       Other safety violations included two tickets for water skiing without an observer
       

Spray your poison Ivy Soon
If you haven't done it yet, spraying poison ivy this time of year should provide some control for the noxious plant. Chemicals recommended include glyphosate (Round-Up or Kleen-Up)
       and broadleaf herbicides that include the ingredient 2-4DP. Spraying in late August is not as effective as early spring, but often can stunt or reduce the extent of the growth of the plant.

Building Rule Reminder
Any building, remodeling that changes the size of the house, or grading that removes the groundcover in a lot requires a permit. Please check with the office if you have any questions.
       641 755 2301.

Beach Water Quality Varies through the summer.
In the first season of extensive tests for e-coli bacteria indicators at each LPA beach, results have varied.
       
       Except for after flooding conditions, Shady Beach has usually tested very well. Boulder Beach results have been mostly good, but several weekends have had postings not recommending swimming.
       Sunset has rarely had a good test this year, largely because of murky, silty conditions of the lake bottom in the Sunset area.
       
       Most poor tests in the late summer seem to relate to Canada Geese in the area. Solutions to the goose problem are being researched.