Security Report, Nov 9, 2004
On October 23, Roger had occasion to visit the front gate area to do some adjustments with the video camera and he noted on the monitor that a pickup truck had stopped at the gate, which was in the down position, and the driver attempted to call a home owner. The video showed that he apparently received no response and at that time a passenger left the truck, and was observed forcing the gate open. After the truck passed through the man forced the gate back in the down position. Roger noted this had occurred only several minutes before he looked at the tape. He was able to observe the license number on the truck.

Wayne, our guard, was here at the time and was patrolling the roads. When Roger told him of what was on the tape, Wayne recalled seeing that truck on the south side of the lake. Within minutes, the truck returned to the gate and the driver was stopped. He said he had firewood to deliver to a homeowner, and when the proprietor did not respond to his call, he decided to raise the gate to give him access to the lake.

Roger notified me, and he also called the Sheriffs office. By the time I arrived at the gate, a deputy was pulling up also. He was informed of what was on the videotape, and he asked what we wanted to do. Roger had already told the violator the cost of repairing the gate would amount to $250.00. The deputy gave the man an option to either pay the lake's cost, or charges would be filed with the prosecutor. The deputy took information for an offense report, and told the man he would allow five days before filing a report and seeking charges.

On October 25, the man contacted Roger and presented a check in the amount of $250.00, advising he did not want to appear in court.

Again, we owe Roger our gratitude for his astuteness and for the manner in which he is handling gate operations.

Also, you will recall that in last month's report we told about a driver who broke our gate on the first night that it was operational after being broken all summer. Roger followed up on this matter, and was able to identify the responsible party. That person has paid us $100.00 for the damages caused to the gate.

Tonight I turned over to Linda checks and currency totaling $390.00, representing money paid for gate passes and for the above two instances of damage.

On October 28, a passenger in a vehicle who used a baseball bat or some similar heavy object damaged eight mailboxes along North Lakeshore Drive, apparently. The damages ranged from one box being severely damaged, belonging to Marilyn Meyer, to most receiving dents. These were random acts, and even Ron Sansone was a victim. I received two calls from victims, and they were advised to contact the sheriff's office if they desired to file a report.

One resident informed me he and his wife have resided at the lake for 25 years and this is the first occasion they can recall of anyone having mailboxes damaged in this manner.

On November I, several inches of rain fell on the lake and somewhere in the late afternoon, the water level suddenly rose about 12 inches. We had guests at our home and one observed a pontoon boat from the north side quickly floating towards the dam. It had been parked on a lift. I telephoned Matt Holloran for help and he quickly came to our house on his boat, got me and we proceeded toward the dam and were able to "capture" the fleeing boat when it was about 200 feet from the spillway. Fortunately, the keys were in the boat and we were able to deliver it back to the owner.

This is a reminder that even though boats are on a lift, it is wise to also tether the boat to some weighted object along the seawall or elsewhere on your property.

Several years ago Ed Melchior manufactured wooden signs to warn drivers about the hazardous curves on our entrance road. This past week he noticed the signs, one with the wording "Dangerous Curve" and the other with an arrow, had been torn from their posts, and when he investigated further he observed the signs in the weeds alongside the road. He took them in for repairs and then reinstalled both signs yesterday. Thanks, Ed.

Finally, Roger asked me to mention the following issues relative to our security gate.

He has added an additional security camera which allows for a clear view of the surrounding area of the entrance, provides a clear view of the license plates on vehicles entering the gate and is motion sensed to conserve tape space and hard drive space. The gates have been re-wired and now the entrance and exit gates work together when they are scheduled to be up.

By December 31, the gate system will be updated and all cards issued to people who no longer live at the lake, or have been lost or misused, will be removed from the access system. Therefore, it is important that everyone complete the form, which was made available in the most recent newsletter, and send it or give it to me so we can make our records current. A sign will be posted at the gate to remind residents of this issue. I need those forms by December 18 to allow us sufficient time to update our records by the end of the year. I want to thank everyone for their cooperation in this effort.

We are truly interested in making the lake area as safe as possible for all the property owners.