Hello Members,
I hope all LECC members are enjoying this winter. It is nice to see all the hockey and ice skating happening on the marsh this year. It has been a good year for ice. As soon as the weather permits a new 14ft X 4ft wood/charcoal burning barbeque will be built and installed at the Clubhouse and the final touches done to complete our pavilion. We will be looking for plenty of volunteers when the time comes. I would like to thank all the volunteers we had in 2009. We completed several projects ourselves: resurfacing the tennis courts, a lot of trees were planted, all the work on the pavilion and so on, that we could not have done otherwise.
Throughout the winter I have heard of some of the problems we have had with our road. We must remember the causeway is open to direct wind which causes icy conditions on more of a regular basis. Slower speeds and caution are essential during the winter months (20 KPH).
The Board is discussing several issues with the proper authorities to rectify some of our problems:
We are having preliminary discussions with the town of Amherstburg about taking control of our road. By the annual meeting we should have something more concrete to share.
We are looking into warning signs for our road, as well as arrow signs in the tight curves and caution signs at each side of the causeway. Ontario Highway Safety Authority has promised us some of the arrows and will keep us in mind for other appropriate recycled signs (meaning old signs they have removed and replaced from road construction)
As an old timer here at LECC, I personally feel that the road has held up better this year than any other year I can remember. The new rock and rebuilding the crown has definitely helped. I know there are potholes, but they aren’t as bad as the foot or foot and half ruts that we use to get. The washboard at the highway hasn’t been that bad either, but this is not the last blast of winter we will see.
Lastly, there have been several sightings of wolves in our area. We always had coyotes and foxes, but wolves will look for lesser prey. So with the ice, the predator animals have direct route to our back yards and will attack dogs, and especially cats, so please, watch your pets.
See everyone soon,
Ken
President L.E.C.C.
Robert Gossmann
Saturday, March 27th, 2010 at 4:06amI experienced my first LECC Spring thaw in 1987 (the year we moved here), and although, I only remember the foot and a half ruts from that one winter a couple of years ago(the only year I ever had directly related, car repair bills), I will say that this has been one of the better years, especially after the tar and chip was removed by the Clubhouse. More recently, the new stone that was added, seems to be sticking around a little longer without so many potholes returning, a move in the right direction.
If you have lived out here for one winter, you don't need any warning signs to tell you when and where to slow down as you navigate your way down our twisty, icy, country road, but signs would be a nice gesture for our guests and family members that come out for the first time or infrequently enough that they may forget how treacherous the road can get. I know I have helped push a few people out or given them a ride home over the years, after they slid off or missed a curve and that includes family members, so yeah, I think signs would be helpful.
My thoughts on the wood burning barbeque; it would be nice to have, as is the Pavilion, and it would help to generate more activity around the Clubhouse. My only objection would be to the timing of it in regards to cost since the club has gone into a negative cash position and dues have gone up the most percentage-wise, in the club's history. If we start spending on items that we desire now, with the anticipation that we will pay for them later by increasing dues or adding more special fees, well anyone with a credit card can tell you where that path leads to. It's a little different when it's a maintenance issue and putting it off will only cost more later, but I think the BBQ can wait. Maybe a better idea would be to pay for it through a fund-raising event like a horseshoe tournament, or maybe, that's the plan already and if so, excellent!
The last thing I want to comment on is the litter being thrown out on the road, the majority of it being right at the bend near the Adam's garden. I have been tracking it and occasionally picking it up, and by the consistency of it, believe that almost all of it is coming from just one person. Such a contrast; one person plants a beautiful garden for no other reason that to make this a more enjoyable place to come home to, while another treats it like a personal landfill. I would like to thank Bill McKinnon for taking the time (a couple of weeks ago), to clean up the litter that had accumulated over the winter and, although it's already starting to accumulate again, I hope that the person(s) responsible for dumping it, will make an effort to break this nasty habit.
Oh, and to the member that changed the notice on the Clubhouse, chalkboard, to “Have a Nice Day!”
Thank you, and I wish the same for everyone on the beach!
Robert Gossmann
#165