Lake Safety Committee
By: Bruce C. Bower

Since I was not at the Lake for the day of the fireworks, I chose not to write my yearly column titled From My Deck, but this different style of article leading up to the 6^th and a little thereafter.

I looked up the sunset times for this short time period, it was 9:00 PM on 7/3 declining to 8:52 PM on 7/19. This means it is dark and there is a NO-WAKE speed, per State law, on our Lake. So here is some of what I saw:

7/3    3 power boats going full speed at 9:15 PM and then a Jetski at 9:20 PM moving fast.

7/4    a pontoon with NO lights, going the wrong direction, near shore, on the west side of lake.

7/5    a jetski going the wrong direction pulling a skier at 9:10 PM.

          a jetski moving fast at 9:15PM.

7/6   a jetski with 3 young men went between my neighbor’s boat and them and the shore,

           going the WRONG way. This was reported to me by the neighbors.

7/13  a 2 person ski pulling a tube, with 2 on the ski.

          It was reported that at around 11:30 PM, a power boat made several passes up and down

          the Lake. Neighbors hollered at the boat with no effect.

7/14  a 2 person ski pulling a tube with 2 on the ski.

7/19  now the sunset time is 8:52 PM.

Power boat and a pontoon going full speed heading south at 8:58 PM.

A pontoon just pulling the kids out of the water, off the tube, with only the dock lights on.

He then takes off with only the white stern light on.

A pontoon with only dock lights, wake speed at 9:11 PM.

A pontoon, no lights heading for Plum Creek at 9:15 PM.

A pontoon, all lights plus dock lights, going north at 9:15 PM.

Understand, folks these antics on 7/19 took an elapsed time of 17 minutes, and this is only what I saw happening right in front of me. What was happening on the rest of the Lake is left up to your imagination. Ok now we come to 7/20, the Lake is at “flood stage” which means NO WAKE. It’s on the internet and the signals are set on beach one and two and at the Marina. And as I have said in the past, for the slower to understand people, is that when you step up into the boat, instead of stepping down, is when the water is HIGH! At 6:45PM a pontoon came flying down the Lake, where there were several other toons just cruising at no wake speed. I could hear all the boaters screaming at this miscreant to “slow down, it’s No Wake”, it didn’t matter. When he got in front of my place, I hollered several times thru my bull-horn and promptly got the one finger salute. What a great, kind, and caring neighbor, I am so blessed and so is the entire community.

Gil, on the Patrol Boat, did a fantastic job of stopping the ridiculous, inconsiderate, self- centered, blah blah blah boaters who just don’t care. These are my words, not Gil’s. He did wonders to control the entire lake by himself, without causing a wake himself. We all owe Gil a huge thanks for trying to protect our seawalls, docks and boats from the damage caused by the Cretans who just don’t give a crap and can’t follow common sense rules when at flood stage! I therefore suggest that in difficult times, for those of us who follow the rules for the safety and protection of the members of our community and their property, we should change the name of our Lake to LAKE FEAR.

When I left the Shores on 7/21 at 2:00 PM, there was hardly any boat traffic and everyone appeared to be behaving. There were skis out, but even when they are trying, they still make a wake. In my opinion they should not be on the water, a wake is a wake. Here are some more opinions: the flood gate should be opened early, before everything really gets bad, there should be more warning devices on shore, and investigate the possibility of a sound warning every half hour or so. I also think there should be a formal protocol designed and agreed to by all, as to when and who opens the water gate. The high water situation appears to be happening more often and when the water is higher than your seawall, you’re going to take on damage when there are waves. Everyone probably has suggestions. Don’t keep it to yourself let the Village and the Association know your thoughts and opinions. Go to the meetings, write in, call, and get active.

 As always call me with your criticisms and suggestions.   216.906.2301

Bower out.                     

Submitted by: RomeRock Board of Directors

As residents of Roaming Shores, we enjoy a beautiful lake community with great neighbors and awesome resources which we sometimes take for granted.  We are also very fortunate that we have some really amazing Association Employees as well.  These people take care of our community as if it were their own.  They work hard, listen to our complaints, fix our problems, and smile brightly even on those toughest of days.  Dan Mullins provides great leadership to a great team!!

Most times they are lucky if they hear a thank you and get a smile back!  I know that when I joined the Association Board last year I had no idea of all the things they did and handle without blinking an eye.

Yes they do get paid, but it is never enough!!!  While we can’t afford big raises for them, we can raise their spirits by letting them know how much we appreciate what they do and how they do it.

Employee Appreciation Day is set for Friday, August 2^nd.  We are also going to be like Macy’s Department Store Sales and have Thank you Day continue on Saturday, August 3^rd.  If you get a chance, stop by the office and tell them thanks, give them a call and tell them thanks, send a card and tell them thanks or simply an email to… and tell them thanks.  The Board is going to serve lunch for all employees on Friday, August 2^nd.  They do like desserts, so if you want to drop off some great cookies or chocolates, they won’t be turned away!!!!

Seriously, your board of directors personally want all of you to know that our Association employees are the very best!  They are hard workers, good people, sincerely care about you and what they do and they do all they possible can to give us a good days effort in return for the paycheck we provide.  I hope all of you are able to join me in letting them know their efforts and their commitment to Roaming Shores is much appreciated.

THANK YOU ROME ROCK ASSOCIATION EMPLOYEES!!!  YOU ARE THE BEST!!!

The High Water/No Wake Lights have been turned off as the lake waters have returned to normal levels. Be safe out there!

Due to the amount of rain water we have received last night, the entire lake is currently NO WAKE. No wake indication strobe lights are located on the Clubhouse, at Beach 2, and at the Marina. If the lights are flashing, the lake is NO WAKE.

Creating a wake while the lake water is high risks damage to docks and boats. Be cautious!

High lake waters bring more than just water. If you are out on the lake, remember to be extra cautious of debris that may be in the water and hidden due to the muddy conditions.

Check on your docked boats. If the lake water is high and there is not enough slack in your line, the line can snap and your boat can float away. However, make sure to not have too much slack to where your boat can end up on top of your dock. If you have canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, etc. on your dock, you may want to consider moving them further away from the shore.

If you are not a full time resident, consider calling your neighbors to check on your boats.

Once the water recede to normal levels, we will turn off the No Wake lights.