House numbers:
While on the Welcome Committee for
Walker Lake Landowners Association, I found it difficult to deliver the Welcome
Baskets to the newer Members of our Community throughout Walker Lake because of
the inconsistency of old & new numbers, as well as the lack of house
identification. In doing so, I realized, not only I, but also the Emergency
Services would find it extremely hard to locate addresses when they were
needed, as some folks do not have any identification, others have their house
numbers on their houses, not visible from their driveways and some have old
numbers prior to the installation of the 911 emergency system. Shohola (along
with all of Pike County) has "new" 911 addresses that negate the old
house numbers. The Shohola Recreation Department and Shohola Supervisors'
Office have application forms for nicely made, uniform wooden signs that are
visible at night as well as in daytime. (The proceeds for the signs go to the
development of The Rohman Recreational Park located on Twin Lakes Road just
before Route #434. To date, this area has been cleared, seeded and the backstop
for the baseball diamond has been installed.) The Emergency Services request
that the old house numbers be replaced with the updated 911 numbers in a highly
visible location. These uniform signs make it much easier for them to locate an
emergency when needed. Thank you.
--Pegge Dodge
The Conservancy received our Lake and Watershed
Assessment Study in December. This
study was funded through a PA DEP Growing Greener Grant. As expected, the greatest threat to the
water quality of Walker Lake is non-point source pollution. The most common sources of non-point source
pollution are storm water runoff and septic systems. The Lake & Watershed Assessment Study identified 30 priority
non-point source pollution sites within the watershed. The Conservancy has submitted a PA DEP
Growing Greener Grant to design and construct Best Management Practices at two
priority sites in Walker Lake and one site in Twin Lakes. The Conservancy should receive notification
from PA DEP by early summer whether we will be funded. If the Conservancy is a recipient of the
grant, we would design the Best Management Practices in 2004 at the three sites
and begin construction in 2005. The
Conservancy has received the support of the Pike County Conservation District,
Shohola Township Board of Supervisors, Walker Lake Landowners Association and
Twin Lakes Park Association. With regard to septic systems, the Conservancy has
submitted a grant application to the Canaan Valley Institute to conduct a
2-pronged approach to educating the residents of the watershed about septic
systems. The first approach will
consist of an inventory of septic systems in the watershed including a homeowner
questionnaire on the current condition of their septic system. The second approach will be a series of
educational activities on septic systems including a septic system fact sheet,
maintenance checklist and Septic System Seminar at the Walker Lake Clubhouse. The Septic System Seminar will be presented
by Bruce Fox and is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, July 24, 2004. Bruce Fox presented a similar seminar in
2003, which was well attended. Please
make plans now to attend the seminar if you didn’t attend last year. If you
care about the water quality of Walker Lake and want to ensure that Walker Lake
remains healthy and pleasant, then we
need you to become a member of the Twin/Walker Creeks Watershed Conservancy. Your membership support will assist the
Conservancy in continuing to monitor the water quality of Walker Lake as well
as protect the property values of our community. To become a member, contact me: 296-2244 or visit our website at www.twcwc.com. Memberships begin at $5.00 for senior and student and go up to
$50 for corporate or business. Family
memberships are $15 for family. There
is additional information about the Conservancy on our website thanks to Jeff
Seeds. All membership contributions are
tax deductible. Please join us and
visit our site. --Peter Wulfhorst
Road
Maintenance:
Walker
Lakeshores Landowners Association will begin annual maintenance and upgrades
soon. Please be aware that minor
inconveniences may be necessary in order to carry out this maintenance. Please
check the website for updates on the maintenance schedule
(WalkerLake.com). Signs will be posted
to provide important information about the maintenance of our roads.
Speed Limit & ATV’s:
Complaints
have been made regarding speeding by residents and their guests. Please remember that the community speed
limit is 25 mph unless otherwise posted.
Many
road
problems would be avoided (particularly during the Spring thaw) if speed limits
were observed. Additionally, there are
many small children in this community that we’d like to keep safe! Owners are
reminded that use of registered ATVs are permitted only when
in
compliance with PA law and Walker Lakeshores Landowners Association rules and
regulations. These vehicles are permitted, provided they have been registered
with the Commonwealth of PA and carry the necessary insurance and
identification. ATVs & snowmobiles must be registered at the Walker Lake
office. Proof of insurance and PA
registration is required when registering for use on Walker Lake roads. ATV stickers must be visible and validated
annually. Use of ATVs on our roadways is a privilege and
will
be suspended if complaints continue.
Road Bond:
A
friendly reminder that you must post a $2000.00 Road Bond for construction
projects that will be occurring on your property. The road bond is refundable, provided the heavy-duty equipment
used during construction does not cause harm to the roadways in Pennsylvania
Lakeshores. Please ensure that the road
bond has been paid before beginning construction projects.
Crime Watch:
The
Association has been having some difficulties maintaining its Crime Watch
schedule. Please attempt to switch with
another committee person or notify us if you are unavailable for your week’s
patrol. Additional volunteers are needed.
Please contact the Crime Watch Chairman, Jack Rauch on 296-2605 if you
are interested in participating.
Beach Badges, ATV, Car
and Boat Stickers:
New
Beach Badges and “04" stickers will be required as of 7/1. Pick up at office.
Trash:
Property owners are reminded that they
MUST NOT deposit household refuse at
the Clubhouse for pick-up. Property owners are responsible for making private
arrangements for their trash pick-up.
Loss:
Sorry to report that Dick Frantz’
wife, Alice, passed away in February from her battle with cancer. Our
condolences go out to Dick and to their daughters Linda and Nancy.