LAKE LUCERNE ESTATES CIVIC CLUB
SPRING 2015
NEWSLETTER
Sunday, March 29, 2015 2pm - 3pm
Come one, Come all
Please have children bring their own
Easter basket. There will be surprises
in each egg and grand bunny prizes.
Come early and enjoy some
light spring snacks. Egg Hunt for All Ages | Egg Tossing Event | Bunny Crafts | Enjoy the Community Clubhouse
Want to volunteer time or resources? Contact Misty Johnson - [email protected]
LLECC Calendar
March 29 - 2PM
Easter Egg Hunt at the Lake
March 31 - 7 PM
COPS Annual Meeting @
Lucerne Baptist Church
April 11 - 10 AM
Garden Work Day
April 18 - 9 AM
Spring Clean Up at the Lake/
Clubhouse
April 26
SPRING FLING Social event
May 9 - 10 AM
Garden Workday
May 21 - 7:30 PM
COPS Watch Annual Meeting
This spring, our COPS Watch program will celebrate it’s one
year anniversary. We will conduct our Annual Neighborhood
Meeting on Tuesday, March 31 at 7:00 PM in the sanctuary
of the Lucerne Baptist Church. All neighbors are urged to
attend. You do not have to be a member of the Lake Lucerne
Civic Club to attend.
Officer Kevin Martinez, our Gwinnett PD COPS liaison, will
conduct a program on Safety and Self Defense. This program
focuses on situational awareness and is a critical component to
help maintain everyone’s safety on a daily basis.
Remember that the COPS program’s mission is for all of us to be
observant and report any suspicious activity first to 911 and then
to your COPS block captain. If you need your block captain's
info please contact our neighborhood COPS Liaison, Jay
Hancock at 770-289-3027 or [email protected]. To receive
current news as it happens, join our new private social network
at NextDoor.com.
LLECC Meeting @ Clubhouse
WWW.LAKELUCERNEGA.ORG
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LAKE LUCERNE ESTATES CIVIC CLUB
SPRING 2015
President’s Letter
Greetings to all Lake Lucerne Estates neighbors:
Since the new board has taken office I believe the biggest change we have instituted is the
availability of online payments for yearly dues and boat stickers. We also hope to have the card
reader in place for the Spring Fling festivities. You can use the button available on the
neighborhood website at www.lakelucernega.org/membership. Or make a payment directly
from your Paypal account to [email protected]. Payments can still be made by
mail or hand delivered at member meetings.
We also have independent efforts by several of our neighbors to get a group discount from local
businesses for septic tank pumping. Maintaining your septic system is good for your property,
and also really impacts our lake in a positive way. I encourage everyone to read through the
Septic Tank article from the Environmental Protection Agency concerning the impact of septic
systems on lakes. If you are interested in teaming up with your neighbors to get a group rate on
septic service, please see postings on Next Door. Or feel free to call or email me for information.
We have quite a few events planned for this spring. We will host our first neighborhood Egg
Hunt on March 29th from 2pm to 3pm. The event will be free of charge, so we hope to see all
the neighborhood kids. We also have our Annual Spring Fling scheduled for April 26th.
A few of our neighbors have noticed an increase of litter along the roads. One of the biggest
culprits is loose trash from curb-side garbage pickup. When the trash truck comes through and
flips the can into the machine, small pieces of loose trash (not secured in bags) will often fly out.
Those small pieces of un-bagged trash may come from cleaning out your vehicle as you get
home. I know I have been guilty of it myself without thinking. Please take that few extra seconds
to get your loose trash into a bag.
I hope everyone will feel free to email me with any concerns they may have about the
neighborhood or the civic club. If you are a shy person but would like to bring up an issue with
the members at a meeting, please feel free to email those thoughts to me and I will convey them
for you at the next meeting.
- Cindy Alexander
Community Garden in its Third Year
Our garden offers lots of variety…in its
members and in what we plant. It's a great
place to meet neighbors and work side by side
in such a beautiful setting. Stop by to chat
with us any second Saturday, 10-11 AM. Plots
are still available for 2015. Contact Lisa
Milton @ [email protected] or 678-344-4788.
Spring Cleaning
April 18th - 9 AM
Meet at the Clubhouse. Please bring tools
and equipment for grounds cleanup, such
as trimmers, rakes, pruning tools, gloves,
and similar items. More details about the
clean up day will be sent to neighborhood
residents via email.
WWW.LAKELUCERNEGA.ORG
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LAKE LUCERNE ESTATES CIVIC CLUB
SPRING 2015
Septic Systems and Lake Water Quality
A properly functioning septic system will remove most disease-causing organisms and some
nutrients and chemicals from wastewater. However, it will not remove or treat many watersoluble pollutants such as solvents, drain cleaners, and many household chemicals.
Consequently, the proper location, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of septic
systems are critical in areas close to lakes and streams as well as in shallow groundwater zones.
Lake community homeowners have a special responsibility to ensure that their septic systems
are not polluting the lake. Septic systems can be safe and effective so long as installers design,
locate, and construct systems correctly, and homeowners actively monitor and maintain them.
Discharge of septic tank effluent to a lake or tributary stream, either through overland flow or
groundwater seepage, can contribute to localized increases in algae or aquatic plant growth. In
extreme cases, the oxygen depletion associated with untreated sewage can even kill fish.
Widespread discharge to a lake over a period of time can significantly accelerate the lake's
eutrophication ("aging") rate. Because phosphorus is very slow to leave a lake system, sewage
inputs often have lingering effects long after they have been discontinued
The frequency of sludge removal from your septic tank ("pumping") varies with the amount of
use your system receives. For an average family of four, a septic tank needs to be pumped out
every two to three years. If you are only using the system on a seasonal basis (e.g., summer
cottages), the tank may need to be pumped less often. If you are placing heavy demands on the
system, such as a large family or a garbage disposal, the tank may need to be pumped every year.
Tank pumping must be done by a licensed contractor, but sludge level determinations and tank
inspections can be done by you.
SIGNS OF A PROBLEM:
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•
•
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Slow draining toilets, showers, or sinks.
Sewage backing up in the basement or drains.
Ponded water or wet areas over the absorption field in your lawn.
Bright green grass over the absorption field may indicate that effluent is coming to the
surface.
A dense stand of aquatic plants or algae along only your shoreline.
Sewage odors.
Bacteria or nitrates show up in tests of a nearby drinking water well.
Biodegradable dye flushed through your system is detectable in the lake
Our clubhouse and grounds are a great place to hold your next event or
family gathering. LLECC members receive a discount on rental rates. Call MB
Strickland or Alisa Walsh at 770-558-2904, email [email protected] or
[email protected]. More info can be found at
www.LittleLakeEvent.com.
WWW.LAKELUCERNEGA.ORG
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LAKE LUCERNE ESTATES CIVIC CLUB
SPRING 2015
Lake Report
Quite a bit of trash and debris has accumulated along our roadsides and in our lake.
Everyone in our community can help to minimize this pollution through some very basic
actions:
1. Carry a bag with you on your walks - If you see
trash, pick it up.
2. Check your own property for stray debris –
especially at your road front and around the
curbside trash/recycle pickup area. Routinely
pick up around your place when you retrieve your
garbage can and recycle bin.
3. When you see handbills attached to your
mailbox and coupon flyers thrown at your
driveway entrance, pick these up promptly too.
Make these few small things part of your routine
and it will make our neighborhood and lake a
better place.
On April 18, we will have a lake and
neighborhood
clean-up event.
Board of Directors
Everyone in the
neighborhood is
encouraged to peruse their own property to pick up and
President - Cindy
properly discard all stray bottles, cans, plastic bags, etc. Also
Alexander
on this day, lakefront owners are encouraged to remove all
[email protected]
foreign debris from their own lake front. Beginning at 9 AM,
(706) 248-3285
we will need volunteers to help along the shoreline extending
Vice Pres - Bob Mylacraine
from the boat ramp and back west past the coffee shop.
(770) 736-9175
Whether you invest 1/2 hour in front of your place only, or
more time at the lake on this cleanup day, please send a
Secretary - Misty Johnson photo of your trash collection (small or big) to
(404) 447-3778
[email protected] and your photo may be posted in the
Treasurer - Nancy Burchik
next newsletter or on social media.
(770) 978-6432
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WWW.LAKELUCERNEGA.ORG
Mailing Address:
PO Box 870954
Stone Montain GA 30087
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