Photo by Geri
By the time you’re reading this, we should be starting into prime lake season and (hopefully) you’re enjoying the replenished water level at Sun Valley. As evidenced by our lake level, we’ve had a wet spring season, and while the extra water is certainly contributing to the beauty and safety of our lake, it also presents other challenges (mowing, soft ground, re-adjusting dock placement, etc.).
With the summer season comes the fun and excitement of more boating and fishing activity. Our better lake depth helps improve our ‘Fast Boat’ area size and reduces (somewhat) the chances for striking unexpected, fixed hazards in the water. But the influx of water can also bring about more debris in the lake, and so we urge all our recreational boaters to stay alert and aware for unexpected ‘floating’ objects. The increased water level also can impact shorelines that aren’t adequately protected, creating erosion. We hope all SVILA lakefront owners are looking at their shoreline rock and, where necessary, making plans to reinforce it and protect our lake.
Many of you commented during dues renewal time about the improvements we’ve made for boating and non-standard vehicle (NSV) registrations. After a couple of transition years, we’re now fully implemented with our new Homeowner Association Management system. Instead of completing forms each year, we’ll now move forward with all membership data contained in one system, expedited boat and NSV stickering, online forms for new registrations,
online rules acknowledgement, and more. We hope the changes make things easier for you as members to get your season started. We KNOW the changes are helping our office staff more easily manage the data complexities of our continually growing membership.
Lastly, you’ll see some new (and some familiar) faces on the water this summer in our Lake Patrol boats. We continue to focus our program on safety, and we look forward to their contributions helping all Sun Valley members enjoy a great 2024 lake season. As you head towards the water, please be sure your families and guests are aware of our rules. We want everyone (members and guests) to enjoy a safe and fun summer on the water at our premier, private Iowa lake.
Gene Smith SVILA Manager LakeManager@sunvalleylake.com