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Because of the improved lake water quality and Portland-area economy, we receive significantly more requests for information from current and prospective homeowners and realtors.
While these improvements have helped to maintain and even increase the value of lakefront properties, they have also caused strain on our use of current facilities (we now have 7 year round employees). That, combined with the declining state and aging of our current structures has caused us to conclude it is time to act. For the last several months, the Lake Oswego Corporation has been developing a remodel plan for the LOC Marina buildings. In doing so, we expect to accomplish the following:
Dedicate space to a Water Quality Laboratory. Our professionals will no longer have a meeting room in the middle of their area and thus will be able to organize themselves more effectively.
Correct significant deficiencies in the current buildings, such as water leaks, patched ceilings/walls, poor and inefficient cooling, old Lake Patrol boatlifts, space for office operations, shareholder interaction areas, etc.
Build private space for a Lake Manager’s office as well as a room for board and many other types of meetings.
Strengthen the disaster preparedness of the buildings, including a more secure location for our file server and network
We’ve Decided to Remodel the LOC Marina Buildings - Here’s Why
Twenty years ago the Lake Oswego Corporation at 700 McVey Avenue was a four-person operation, which included Lake Patrol, Operations, Licensing, and Bookkeeping (a part-time position). Since that time, there have been many changes to our model of operations:
We added a Lake Manager to provide leadership to water quality, safety, development, shareholder and easement responsiveness, and community relations.
Our Operations crew has become adept at constructing & maintaining items important to lake operations such as alum infrastructure, debris skimmers, barges, docks, aquatic herbicide application rigs, etc. Bringing these items in house allows us to operate more effectively while saving money.
Our Water Quality program significantly improved with the employment of a professional limnologist, scientific sampling, Portland State University PhD consulting, as well as the utilization of hypolimnetic aerators, fish screens, and alum injection equipment. In order to be able to react more quickly to water quality changes, we will be bringing inside some of the laboratory testing work.
We have, and will continue to invest in, our information technology infrastructure, including a “mesh” network to monitor and control remotely our head gate, power plant, aerators, alum injectors, and dam as well as to improve shareholder and easement communications and website capabilities.
From the Boardroom
In This Issue:
Manager’s Corner - 2
Save the Date - 2
LOC Records Update - 2
Water Quality - 3
WWW.LAKECORP.COM March 2017
© Copyright 2017 Lake Oswego Corporation
Lake Oswego Corporation
equipment, so as to allow operations during and after a major flood or earthquake.
Construct buildings that are attractive, but not elaborate, and that should serve the needs of the lake community for twenty years or more.
We expect to perform most of this work during the drawdown this coming fall and winter and without a special assessment or use of our line of credit. We will share more details and plans at the annual shareholder meeting in May.
LOC Board of Directors
MANAGER’S CORNER, Jeff Ward
As the weather warms we have seen a few boaters venturing out. I am happy to report that you will find all but one of the downed trees removed. The final tree will require heavy equipment to remove. Please be advised that there may still be some heavy debris out there that we haven't encountered yet. We have seen more strong storms this year than in recent years so it may take a while to find everything. We think we are close but it is best to remain alert over the next few weeks. As you read in the board article, we are planning some work on both marina buildings during the upcoming drawdown. We will present our current plans at the annual meeting in May and keep you updated after that. Speaking of the drawdown, I know it seems like it's a long way off but now is the time to finalize plans and obtain permits for any waterfront improvements you intend to perform this fall. The window for this drawdown will be shorter than in 2014 because we don't want to experience the same difficulties refilling we did then. Our tentative schedule is to begin lowering the lake on October 15. It should be down about 8 feet by the end of the month. We will continue to lower it until it is ten feet down. We will the allow it to refill from the watershed beginning December 1. That is plenty of time to perform in-water work but you will need to have permits from both the LOC and the city in hand so that you can hit the ground running. Finally, we should have our new website ready to go by Memorial Day. We are excited for you to be able to use the useful information and tools we will have for you. Much of it designed with your requests in mind. Stay tuned.
SAVE THE DATE Annual Shareholder Meeting
(shareholders only)
Tuesday May 23rd
Lakewood Center
Hot August Night Saturday August 5th
Hit Machine
Lake Drawdown Fall 2017
LOC RECORDS UPDATE, Christina Stauffer
Believe it or not, we started the process of updating our
member records one year ago. If you have received an
email or letter requesting additional information it means
we do not have the proper documentation in our system.
Please email, fax or mail the requested documents at your
earliest convenience.
In addition to confirming we have the required
documentation for each power boat, we also need to have
current phone numbers and email addresses for each
shareholder and easement member. A majority of our
correspondence is done via email, especially during the
summer months with regards to surface applications, events
and safety precautions. Also, a login account cannot be
generated without a valid email address.
Lastly, many of you may have renters. If this is the case,
please send an email to [email protected] so we can add
their information to our system and ensure that all lake
users are aware of lake related information.
Your prompt response and cooperation are greatly
appreciated. Please note 2017 stickers will not be issued
and boat launch appointments will not be scheduled until
all documentation is received.
Operator’s Licenses
OSMB & LOC operator’s licenses are required for powerboat
operators only. In order to get a LOC Operator’s license you
must:
Complete and pass the Oregon State Marine Board
operator’s license test
Complete and pass the LOC written test
Complete and pass the LOC driving test within 60 days of
taking your LOC written exam
Registering a new Powerboat
There are several requirements to getting a powerboat
licensed and launched. The following items must be in place
prior to scheduling your ramp appointment:
Provide a copy of your Oregon State Boat title or
Temporty title showing the boat licensed in your name
Provide a copy of your boat insurance declaration page
showing a minimum of $500k liability
Provide a completed and signed Wake Enhancement
Certification form
Have a valid operator’s license
Have the boat cleaned and clipped at an approved
vendor
WATER QUALITY, continued
the morning, and we do not get heavy rain during summer
that washes nutrients from the watershed into our lake.
These factors will limit the amount of nutrients we get from
our two watersheds and the lake will be cooler and less
favorable to cyanobacteria growth.
In order to delay opening the head gate as long as possible
we keep the lake a bit higher in late May and into June in
anticipation of the rains slowing down. This usually does not
disrupt residents because we only increase the lake level by
two to three inches. This is our typical range during winter,
but instead of allowing the lake to come up until the
powerhouse can bring it down, the lake will stay a bit higher
if it looks like our watershed will start drying out.
Remodel
As you have read in the Presidents message, we are planning
to remodel our marina and boathouse this fall. I am looking
forward to the project because we will finally have a
dedicated water quality lab that will allow easier analysis of
lake conditions. We will be performing similar tasks as
before, but instead of having to pull equipment from cabinets
and use them on shared space, we will have dedicated
stations. This will make our water quality activities much
more efficient and allow us to better manage our sampling
and analysis tasks.
We are working with the city as we go through the
Development Review process and have a neighborhood
meeting in early April as part of that process. We will be
sharing our plans more broadly once they are firmed up in
early summer. We will be starting in late summer in
anticipation of completing our work by the time the lake is
refilled after the drawdown. We are all excited about this
project and look forward to showing it to shareholders once
it is complete.
The first day of spring was Monday and it can’t come soon
enough after the winter we have had. Fortunately most of
the downed trees have been removed and people are
working on fixing broken docks and boathouses. Relatively
warm and sunny days are lifting our spirits and making it
easier to work outside.
With warming air temperatures the lake is getting warmer
as well, in fact it is 12 degrees warmer than it was at its
lowest point in mid-January. Hopefully we don’t rush into
summer too soon, because although it would be nice to
have warm weather, our lake will grow lots of algae if it
gets warm too soon. If the forecast holds we will see a
cooler spring than we have experienced the past few years
so this should portend a good summer for water quality.
The recent climate report shows our weather pattern
shifting from a mild La Niña to ENSO-neutral, which will
persist through this spring. The forecast models show either
a continuation of ENSO-neutral or shift to a mild El Niño by
this summer. The near-term shows April to June as cooler
and wetter than average. (see graph)
I was looking at a graphic of past weather patterns which showed La Niña years 2007-2008 and 2010-2011, with mild El Niño in the years between. There are many other factors that affect our lake water quality, but air temperature and weather are significant contributors. I remember the previous La Nina years as being pretty good for water quality, and we were able to go several years without a surface alum application. We are coming off a couple of very productive years so
there may be some residual cyanobacteria growth as a
result, but three factors will help us have a good summer:
we receive enough rain through June to delay opening the
head gate until into July, we experience marine layer fog in
Lake Oswego Corporation
Newsletter published for the Shareholders and Easement members of the LOC.
_____________________________
Board of Directors
Officers:
Jay Hamachek, President
Stuart Smith, Vice President
Todd Hennelly, Secretary
Rick Miller, Treasurer
Directors at Large:
Jeff Edelson
Justin Harnish
Ward Hubbell
Rick Johnson
Elaine Lord
Matt Reid
Phil Robinson
Larry Thompson
_____________________________
How to Contact Us
Phone/voicemail: 503 636-1422
Fax number: 503 636-3226
Lake Patrol Cell Phone: 503 810-5411
Website: www.lakecorp.com
LOC staff and email addresses:
Lake Manager - Jeff Ward [email protected]
Office Manager - Christina Stauffer
Water Quality - Mark Rosenkranz [email protected]
Operations Manager– Gabe Winfrey
Lake Patrol - Jeff Grant [email protected]
March Newsletter
Lake Oswego Corporation
P.O. Box 203
Lake Oswego OR 97034
April Marina Hours
Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
(please make a ramp appointment)
503 636-1422
Office Hours
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE
PAID LAKE OSWEGO, OR
PERMIT NO. 756
To opt out of receiving a paper copy, please contact our office at 503 636-1422 or [email protected]
