Manager's Report

As of today, we have 3601 owned lots.  Of the owned lots, 2146–which is 60%--have their assessments paid in full.  1455 of the owned lots–which is 40%--are past due.  Of the past due lots, 47–which is 3.2%--owners are deceased and 360–which is 25% of the past due lots–are in collections. This number will change soon as we are getting ready to send our next round to the lawyer for collection.

The spring-cleaning event at Sugar Valley was a huge success again this year.  We hauled off 11 ¾ tons of landfill items, 1 ½ ton of tires, and 6 ½ tons of household trash.  Thank you again to Linn County for providing the roll offs.

I spoke with our trash service company for HVL.  They have lowered our contracted price and they have added an extra dumpster. Also, I applied for a grant through the Kansas Department of Agriculture for High-Hazard Dam Rehabilitation.  We were approved for $98,400 to use towards the down pipe repair.

With Memorial Day Weekend coming up and our summer season kicking off I wanted to throw out a couple of reminders.

Please remember that the speed limit is 20MPH throughout both communities. It is important to be aware of your surroundings when driving, as we often have lots of children and adults out walking, running, and playing on/near our roads. Please abide by the speed limit to keep our community safe and avoid accidents. 

Please note that underage driving is not allowed. This includes ATVs, golf carts, four-wheelers, dirt bikes, watercrafts, and all other types of motorized vehicles. You must have a driver’s license to operate any of these on the premises of either community. Also, please be sure to obtain the necessary permits for all vehicles. You can access the registration forms by visiting the 'Payments and Registrations' tab on our website, or by coming into the office.

Boat Safety is very important.  Many boat safety practices may seem like common sense, but they are worth repeating: Always operate your vessel at a safe speed, always stay alert to what is going on inside and outside your watercraft, always keep an eye out for people / watercraft / other objects in the path of your vessel. It's also important to be aware of buoys and other navigational aids, which are placed for the safety of everyone who uses our lakes.  We do know that the buoys at Sugar Valley have moved with the flooding, we will be getting them back in place this week. 

Make sure everyone on your vessel has a properly fitted life vest.  Keep in mind that the boating lane runs counterclockwise around the lake. Make sure everyone in your party knows the hand signals when water skiing or tubing so that those on the boat can communicate safely with those on the water. These hand signals allow the skier / tuber to communicate many messages non-verbally, such as "I'm done," I'm okay," or to tell the boat to go faster or slower. When you have a swimmer, tuber, or skier in the water, be sure to raise your orange flag to let other boats know that someone is in the water. 

We have recently seen a rise in the number of unauthorized items being discarded in our trash compactor. Please remember that it is only for bagged household trash. 

Please be respectful of the bathhouses.  We have already had some vandalism at the women’s bathhouse at Sugar Valley. Also, our bathhouses are not laundromats. Please do not ruin it for others.  I know it is just a small number of people who are destroying things, but it affects the community as a whole.

Finally, please keep in mind that all dogs must be leashed and under total control by the member when on common properties. This includes the golf course, clubhouse, parks, dams, roads, easements, and boat ramps.

Thank you for your attention to these matters. 

Tracy Mayhugh

Association Manager