The third annual LAPOA weekend was a wonderful success. In case you missed it, we thought we would give you a brief synopsis.
Several years ago we changed the LAPOA year from January/December to July/June, and moved the Annual meeting to June. We did this in order to capture more participation from summer only users of Lake Athens.
In order to help build community around the lake we created a new tradition, the LAPOA Weekend. 2016 was the third year. We are happy to report that participation continues to grow each year. We have received overwhelming positive responses from all who participated last weekend.
Outdoor Movie “Jaws”
To kick off the weekend, Janice and Richard Griffin hosted an outdoor movie on the lake. Approximately 30 enjoyed eating popcorn and watching the 1970’s classic, Jaws.
Saturday was a busy day on the Lake.
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- The day began in the morning with 15 scullers and kayakers going for a group row. It was a fun site seeing all of those colorful kayaks and sculls cruising in such a large group!
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Rowing Regatta
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- Mid-day featured a skiing exhibition where six skiers skied behind one Ski Nautique around the central basin. Several boats came out to watch, and many stopped what they were doing to observe such a rare show. You can watch a short and fun slide show of the skiers at https://youtu.be/SPNjGiSZGZo and the video below. We also have these on our Facebook page.
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- The lake day closed with a sailing regatta. Although the winds were very light, there were a total of eight boats participating. It is a grand thing to see eight sailboats on our Lake at one time!
Sailing Regatta
- Our annual Saturday evening dinner and meeting featured a barbecue dinner and slideshow (taken from a drone) of the day’s events.
- LAPOA Directors Geri Moran and Todd Garrett were re-elected for another three-year term on the Board.
- LAPOA President Todd Garrett gave a synopsis of LAPOA’s activities. In summary, LAPOA’s purpose and mission is to build community and to represent the interest of the property owners. Over the last several years, potential threats to Lake Athens have presented themselves and LAPOA has worked hard to protect the lake and our common interests. As many of you know, there have been some recent changes at AMWA, including the election of two new Directors to the AMWA Board. Your LAPOA Board of Directors looks forward to working with the new AMWA leadership to protect and preserve Lake Athens for the Citizens of Athens and the Lake Athens property owners. We will continue to remain alert and to keep you informed. We are working on new initiatives that, if successful, should be effective in helping to protect Lake Athens for years to come. We will provide updates as they are available.
Mike Peek
- AMWA Director Mike Peek gave us a brief update on AMWA, including progress on the planned construction of the new AMWA/Peace Officers building on land adjacent to the bridge on FM2495. The big news was that Milburn Chaney and Frank Lunceford have been elected to serve on the AMWA board. In addition, Mike Peek was chosen by the AMWA Board to serve as President. He assured us of his intent to work with us whenever possible toward our common goal of protecting and preserving Lake Athens.
- Our membership voiced their concerns about the huge increase of fishing tournament boats and vegetation. The introduction of non-native vegetation and Zebra Mussels brought in by tournament boats visiting from other lakes is an ongoing concern. We will begin to dialog with AMWA about possible solutions.
- President Peek has directed that the topic of controlling fishing tournaments on Lake Athens be placed on the agenda for the next AMWA Board of Directors meeting to be held on Wednesday, July 13th, 2016, 8:00 am, at the Hart-Morris Conservation Center of TFFC. Please feel free to weigh in with any ideas you may have and plan to attend the AMWA meeting.
Sunday Devotional
The weekend culminated with a Sunday morning devotional and brunch hosted by Judy and Steve Blaising. Approximately 30 people attended for a wonderful message, fellowship and food.
We have learned, and it has just been demonstrated, that we are most effective when we are numerous and unified. The results of all of our efforts through LAPOA have been notable and have had a huge impact on protecting the lake. For this reason, please encourage your neighbors to join the LAPOA team and have a role in helping protect and preserve Lake Athens for generations to come.
If you have not renewed your membership for July 2016 – June 2017, please do so in order to continue receiving our communications. 2015-2016 memberships expire on June 30th. Please go to the Renewal Page of our website (https://www.lapoa.org/?p=872) to renew online or mail your check for $30 to LAPOA, PO Box 1578, Athens, TX 75751.
Good Times – but don’t try this at home
(Special thanks to members Alex Mondini and Bob Bushnell for shooting the photos and videos. To see more, click on the 2016 Property Owners Weekend Gallery.)
