This is an exciting time for Lakevale. The recent successful community Halloween celebration was yet another sign that our neighborhood is emerging on the other side of COVID stronger than ever. With so much going on this is a good time to provide a general update on some of the items the Board has been working on this year.

Activities. This fall has been filled with activities and our neighborhood volunteers plan to keep that going through the winter. So far we have seen a successful Shrimp and Crab, Laketoberfest, Halloween celebration, and food trucks with performances from amazing neighborhood bands.

We are looking forward to the return of the Wine Tasting event on November 13th and multiple holiday events in December. We are all extremely grateful for the efforts of our many volunteers who make our community such a special place and keep our self-managed Association working.

Pool Renovation. The county approved our permit and NVBlu began demolition work on the wading pool this week. After the new wading pool gunite is applied, they will begin on the main pool and the filter system changes. The next major actions will be to rebuild the failing retaining wall, demo the pool decking, install new deck drains, underwater lights, coping and tiling. The last steps will be the fencing surrounding the wading pool, pool deck concrete installation, deck anchors and pool whitecoat.

We will test the main pipes to ensure there is no leak and ask an independent structural engineer to visually inspect the pool shell and clubhouse wall once the concrete deck has been removed. In the spring, we will address any landscaping needs and install new BBQs.

Although there may be some minor inconveniences with construction vehicles while work is ongoing, we will be able to continue to use the clubhouse, bathrooms and parking lot for our planned events throughout the rest of the fall and winter. As long as the weather cooperates, we anticipate the work to be complete by May 1st so we can open the 2022 swim season as usual.

County Sewer Issue.  As you may have heard, multiple Lakevale homes on Newton Street had raw sewage flow into their homes from the street (some were impacted multiple times). This sadly forced one family to move out of our neighborhood. As a short-term measure, the county installed 11 backflow control devices to protect homes on Newton Street. We are staying engaged with the County and our board of supervisors representative as they consider medium and long term plans in response to the problem. More details can be found on the Lakevale Estates Collection Improvements Project website.

Although this isn’t an issue over which the Association has any oversight or responsibility, we want to support the affected homeowners. A community meeting in mid-December will address the technical findings after the County conducts a hydraulic study. A second community meeting mid-February will address the preliminary engineering report.

Traffic Study.  Of the four streets requested for study (East Meredith, Newton, Vale, and Lakevale), the county determined that only Lakevale Drive qualified for traffic calming measures. We have identified at least five neighborhood volunteers to work with the county department of transportation to consider potential measures, such as pavement markings, signage, and raised crosswalks, and develop a plan that will be presented to the community and voted upon. For those streets not qualifying for the traffic calming measures, we can request “Watch for Children” signs.

Upcoming Board Elections And Our New Online Member Management System.  We plan to use our new online membership management system (Member Splash) to conduct the upcoming 2022 Board elections.  To prepare for the election, please go to https://lakevale.org/ and click on the Member Login link at the top of the page to update your account. If you have any trouble or have questions, please contact us at lemembersplash@gmail.com.

If you have not already made changes to your account, your username will be the email address used for your pool renovation survey. If your email address doesn’t work, try your spouse’s. Once you’ve accessed your account, you can change the primary email address on the account. Please be sure the primary email address listed is one you check frequently. The default password for your account is Lakevale. *IMPORTANT: You will see a reminder that you are using the default password. Change it to something secure. If you ever lose your password, you can use the password reset link. You can store one email address per adult member by clicking Edit next to their name on the account management screen. Update your account to reflect all the members of your household. Add a birthdate for all minors. Add pictures to the account information if you plan to access the pool.

Any Member who desires to be placed on the ballot must submit a candidate statement by the deadline for the December newsletter (November 15). The Election Meeting of Members will be held at 7:30 p.m. on January 11 at the clubhouse and anyone who hasn’t already voted can vote at the meeting.  Electronic voting and distribution of paper ballots to those without internet will start in mid-December.