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COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

QUESTION:  How is the Lake Geneva Water level maintained? 

ANSWER: 

�        Lake Geneva is an artificial lake fed by two wells. 

�        The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) allows our association to pump water from the Looking Glass River and notifies us to turn our river pump off when the river drops below a certain designated level.  the river pump has not been used to feed the lake in recent years.

�        We also run a well pump at the north end and west side of the lake. 

�        The single most burdensome expense to the association member is the electric bill we have to pay to run these pumps which as of 2000 averaged $13,000 per year.

QUESTION:  Can my friends and relatives use the beaches?

ANSWER: 

�        Yes.   Under certain conditions.  Use of the beaches is of necessity restricted to members of the Association. 

�       Liability issues exist in allowing non-members access to association parks and beaches without accompaniment of an association member.

�        Upon payment of your annual dues, you will be issued 2 beach cards.   A beach card must be carried when you are beaching or boating. 

�        If you have guests, a member of your immediate family must accompany them to the beach.  You cannot simply give them a beach card to take with them without being accompanied by a member of your immediate family.  The reason for this is that in the past, the beach cards have been given to non-members to use all summer by member families who never use the beach.  If the Association allowed this practice, it would amount to knowingly allowing non-members unrestricted use of the beach and raise a serious liability problem driving up the cost of our insurance and perhaps disqualifying us from any coverage whatsoever.

QUESTION:  Who checks for the beach cards?

ANSWER:

�        There will be persons who function as “beach card checkers” who are sometimes hired by the Association if the budget permits.

�        Often times members volunteer for this task. 

�        They stroll around the beach requesting that current beach cards be displayed to them. 

�        This is a necessary task needed to protect the liability of all association members, so please do not be offended if you forget your beach card and are requested to leave the beach (or if your child is sent home).

�       The beach checkers are directed to have you leave the beach if you don’t have your current care with you even if you have lived here for 10 years and are a past president of the Association well known by all!

�        Many members laminate their card and keep one in their beach bag all summer so they never forget it.

�        Remember, the inconvenience of driving home to get the beach card is negligible compared to the liability and insurance costs incurred if we don’t make a diligent effort to restrict use of the beach to members only.

QUESTION:  Where do we get our beach cards?

ANSWER:

�        Beach cards are distributed as soon as your dues are received.

�        You will receive your statement before the Annual Meeting held the second Wednesday in March.

�        Dues can be paid at the meeting or by mailing your payment to the Treasurer.

�        Dues are to be paid by April 1^st.

QUESTION:  Do I have to pay my dues even if I never use the lake?

ANSWER:

�        Yes.

�        Purchasing property within the subdivision designated as part of this Association automatically entitles you access to the lake for fishing, boating, and swimming.  If you choose not to exercise that privilege, it does not diminish your property value which is enhanced by that privilege so the dues still have to be paid. 

�        You probably have noticed that your taxes are considerably higher for the same reason and, of course, you are obligated to pay them even though you choose not to utilize the lake.

�     Association dues are also used to improve and address issues such as the parks, signs, and other legal concerns that affect all members.

QUESTION:  Why should I pay my dues if the beach equipment is broken and the lawn is not adequately maintained?

ANSWER:

�        This is a commonly heard complaint during years when there is a shortage of volunteers to help on the beach and park committees. 

�        We want to take this opportunity to emphasize to the new residents that the Association is entirely volunteer based. 

�        The beaches do not belong to the board, they belong to the members. 

�        The only way to keep up the beaches to a standard we would all like is to volunteer.  If the leaves are not raked up properly in the fall, call the Park Maintenance Committee and volunteer to help clean them up.  If garbage missed the can or blew out, pick it up and put it in. 

�        If beach equipment is broken, let the Park Committee know in an informative rather than a complaining way.  You should be aware that vandalism of the beach equipment is rampant so it is very difficult for the Park Committee members to be assured that the condition they left the beach in the day before will be the same the next day. 

�        If you see persons being rude or destructive on the beach and there is not beach checker in the area, you as a member can ask them to display a card and request that they leave if they do not have one.  Most people will comply with that request. 

�        Remember, all the board members are your neighbors with children and jobs of their own that keep them just as busy as you.  Their primary responsibility as board members takes every ounce of energy and extra time they have, so pitch in and help them. 

�        These beaches belong to you and each of you must treat them as you would your own yard and make a real effort to take care of them.

QUESTION:  Should I be cautious about using strong chemicals even if I do not live directly on the water?

ANSWER:

�        Absolutely!  These chemicals seep into the groundwater and eventually into the lake itself. 

�        A ban on phosphorus fertilizers is strictly mandated!  This applies to ALL homes within the association.  Phosphorus levels in Lake Geneva are already above the acceptable levels.  Phosphorus is the middle number indicated on fertilizers.  

�        Products that encourage the growth of grass can also cause unwanted growth of weeds in the lake. 

�        Products that eliminate weeds can also pollute the quality of the water causing potential harm to the marine life, water fowl, and most importantly the infants and toddlers that swim in the lake.  Less fertilizers, especially the banning of phosphorus, will save the association dollars due the lesser need of lake treatment.   

�        Please exercise extreme caution in determining what products you use. 

�        You can request all commercial lawns care companies to only use products approved for usage near lakes.  They will honor your request but only if you specifically tell them that you want only lake approved supplies used. 

�        This is a very small lake and can easily be overcome with a strong weed strain in one season destroying all boating and swimming recreation.

QUESTION:  Are pontoon boats allowed to park at the beach while swimming?

ANSWER:

�        Yes.

�        However, you should always park them downwind of the swimming area which will depend on the wind on any given day. 

�        The reason for this precaution is that these boats frequently leave pools of oil behind them when that are sitting or idling in one spot. 

�        The beaches are often used by infants and toddlers who frequently ingest large quantities of water either on purpose or by accident.  We do not want these little ones ingesting water that contains large quantities of residue from the engines or fuel of the pontoon boats.

QUESTION:  Why are there so many restrictions on what I can and cannot do with my property and why are some people not in compliance with these restrictions? 

ANSWER:

�        The property restrictions are legally designated as covenants that run with the land and were filed when the subdivisions were originally established which is an ongoing practice among property developers. 

�        The purpose behind this practice of establishing restrictions as covenants is to attempt to maintain consistent property standards and values.  Without them some areas have developed in an inconsistent manner (Lake Lansing is a prime example of that). 

�        Some restrictions vary for each of the subdivisions within the association because they were developed at different times.  None the less, they provide a constant decorum throughout the neighborhood.

�        Because these restrictions are legally designated as covenants, the Board and/or membership cannot merely vote to change them at an annual meeting without going through a very time consuming cumbersome legal process.  They involve among other things, the acquisition of the proper number of signatures of both property owners of each parcel of land in a specific legally designated manner.

�        There are advantages and disadvantages to having these restrictions in place. 

--  The advantage is that persons purchasing and owning property would be somewhat reassured that the standards reflected by those restrictions would at least attempt to be maintained. 

--  The disadvantage is that they can be an annoyance from time to time as in the boat trailer example. 

�        In short, undertaking to change the present mode of operation should not be taken lightly because as a practical matter, non-compliance with the currently existing restrictions is dealt with by the board only if an immediate neighbor within sight of the noncompliance sends a letter of complaint.  For that reason, many residents have no interest in changing the restrictions since they feel they are workable as they now stand and serve as a reasonably reliable assurance of neighborhood standards.