Low Water Blues & BBQ - Saturday, September 18th

Thanks to our BLHA events committee chaired by Phil Gilbert, along with the many volunteers that made the May 17 Caribbean "Castaway" event a great evening for all the members and their guests. For our May meeting, I asked longtime Berkeley Lake resident Mr. Pete Rolader to attend as our special guest of honor. In reviewing the history of the community and our Homeowners Association, he is one individual that definitely stands out. However, before I go into this further, I would like to provide you some of the interesting points about our young and growing community.

In 1948, Frank Coggins created Berkeley Lake by the development of Berkeley Realty and Investment Company (BR&IC)

• acreage was noted to have been purchased along the river for $6 an acre
• the Community consisted of 700 acres
• Lake Berkeley was constructed in 1950
• property owners of Berkeley Lake, all 25, met and formed the Lake Berkeley Civic Association (LBCA) in 1953 to promote the interest of Berkeley Lake and its property owners; telephones, electricity and an all-year road around the lake; improve lake ecosystem by reducing weeds and managing fish population
• Lake Berkeley Civic Association (LBCA), a volunteer membership was formed and dues assessed of $6 per year
• activities for the year included; BBQ, Regattas, Fishing Contests and Holiday Parties

Since last year there have been many wonderful improvements made at the beach, chapel and surrounding areas. Now that the lake is at full pool and many enhancements have been made more people than ever will be enjoying the facilities.

The Berkeley Lake residents can easily be described as one big family. We often spend our weekends together enjoying each other's company. What we need to be cognizant of is that we are all stewards of the lake. Respect for all is of utmost importance. The beach and picnic areas are private property for use by BLHA members. With that said, we all have the ability and responsibility to ask non-members to leave the premises in a polite manner. The beach area in particular may often get used in the late evenings. Any disturbances such as loud music, profanity, or noise made by members or their guests will not be tolerated and may subject a member to the loss of their privileges. In most cases disturbances that may occur will be by the BLHA members unknowingly. A simple and polite request by those affected to those who are causing the disturbance should be enough to change ones behavior. Since we are a family, bringing law enforcement into the situation should only be done under extreme situations. All incidents should be reported promptly, (within 24 hrs), to the BLHA Board and/or BLHA Security contact. For safety purposes, unsupervised young adults using the facilities after hours as a gathering place for parties, should be handled by the police. BLHA members or the Security contact are encouraged to evaluate the situation before taking action.

As a reminder, all water craft must be registered with the BLHA and have a decal/registration number on its side. Allowing friends or family to bring unregistered water craft onto the lake is not allowed, even for the day. Registering a non-members water craft as your own is not allowed, and not respectful to fellow BLHA members.

The BLHA Board will meet on a regular basis to discuss any issues necessary to maintain the lake as a peaceful and enjoyable experience. Remember to go to the BLHA website, http://BerkeleyLake.org for further details on BLHA Rules and Boater Safety.

We hope all of you have a safe and fantastic summer.