Twenty-Seven inches of snow in January. Seventy-Five degrees in February. As I write this article at the end of February, it’s anyone’s guess what March will bring! If nothing else, let’s all hope for moisture. Our lake is still twelve inches below a normal pool.
The fall and winter months have been a busy time at Sun Valley Lake, as your SVILA Board prepares for another busy and hopefully fun-filled summer season. The Board kicked off the fall with a Strategic Planning Workshop on 11/13/23. Included in this session were Board Directors, Staff, and Committee Leaders. Four main areas of focus evolved from this discussion:
1. Preserving and enhancing our natural resources.
2. Strengthening safety and security measures in and around Sun Valley Lake.
3. Staffing and improving office efficiencies.
4. Investing in our financial resources, as well as exercising our fiduciary responsibilities.
For this article I want to focus on objectives #3: Staffing and improving office efficiencies.
Hopefully, recently you have seen the SVILA Help Wanted Ad. Staffing at SVL has always been a challenge due to location and seasonality. This year the SVILA Board has pledged an extra focus in this area. Concerns and objectives driving this focus follow:
• Enhance our succession planning process.
• Build on continuity.
• Staff to meet the needs of a growing member base with increased needs.
• Embrace and take advantage of new and developing technology in the office and how we do business.
• With increased boating traffic on the lake as well as vehicle traffic on our roads, enhance measures to improve safety and security.
Your SVILA Board provides much thought as we consider adding to staff. Our Staff has reached out to Lake Viking and Lake Panorama to better understand their method of operation. The three operations exchange ideas on Best Practices and how we can learn from each other. SVILA with two full time Staff is clearly at the low end of the staffing model. As you consider our current staff, consider the reality of the following:
• Our SVL community is the second largest city in Ringgold County.
• On holidays and very busy weekends it is not uncommon to have 4,000 to 5,000 members and guests enjoying SVILA property, making it the second largest city in a 5-county area!
The above challenges, with increased expectations by many, place a huge burden on our current staff.
Our community is comprised of many talented and experienced members. Please consider getting involved, whether as a volunteer or as a part-time paid employee. We need you! Here’s hoping for a safe, fun, and enjoyable summer.
Bill Breckenridge President, SVILA Board of Directors
