3/31/2007

Hi Toni,

Per our earlier e-mails...here is the article from yesterday's Baldwin Register regarding use of grass carp in lakes and ponds.  As the article states: 10 - 18 fish will control the weeds/grass per acre.  And these will do so for at least 3 to 5 years.  Sterile (triploid grass carp) fish are available to prevent spawning, if desired.  I really can't imagine that these grass carp are that expensive.  Although not a permanent fix...the reduction in the amount of grasses in the lake will reduce the locations for the silt to anchor to.  Maybe I can even get the use of my dock back.

I think the Lake Committee needs to look at this option.

Mitch...I sent that to you to post.  I am tired of the lake being the bastard step child of LF amenities.  As a few have said before...what if the golf courses were as poorly maintained as the lake?  In 2005, I had water at my dock...now just grass and muck!  My peddle-boat sits up next to a tree because I can't get it in the water.  I haven't been able to take my granddaughter out for a ride in over a year.  (and you can include these comments as well.)

3/31/2007

I had an excellent conversation with P.J.Waters (good name) of the Sea Grant Extension office & learned that the grass carp is a fascinating fish that could help with the weeds in the lake. It is absolutely NOT a threat to other fish & bites off weeds just where they emerge from the lake bottom. They are even social like brim & can grow to 35-40 pounds. If you are mowing near the lake edge, they are known to even come to the edge for the cut grass. They cannot reproduce in our lake however & would have to be reintroduced in 7 or 8 years, costing around $5,000 to be effective. Obviously they cannot help with the silt build-up, but if nothing is going to be done in terms of dredging for several years, at least this might hold back the weeds that are engulfing the lake & choking off my recreational access to it. Since I use no other LF amenities besides the lake, I am pondering applying my monthly dues toward this project if Mr. Waters says it will work. Anyone else interested in this & forming a non-LF Board of directors lake committee? You do not have to be a lakefront owner. I know many non lakefront residents who are disgusted with the condition of the lake & lack of progress on this & other lake issues. With BT off the board now, it is past time for the rest of us to get active in this matter. I am meeting with Mr. Waters next week & will submit my findings as soon as I get them. Don Prosch

As members of the LFPOA we are obligated to pay our maintenance fees.  Not doing so will result in real aggravation on our part, not the board's.  We cannot pick and choose how our dues are to be applied.  Our Board of Directors is responsible for determining the best way to use the association's revenue.  Dissent needs to be expressed at Stated meetings, not by withholding dues.  I would suggest the re-creation of the original member run lake committee.  That's right.  The origin of the lake committee was as a member created organization.  Bryce Cocke was very active with that one and I imagine would be willing to help a new one.

3/31/2007

Yes, it's true, I was told that Toni our Manager cannot spend more than $25 without the consent of Henry or the board.....with the salary she is drawing, plus benefits, (medical, car allowance, etc.) why would any manager work under these conditions.....I'll tell you why, she is not confident in herself to do the job....Toni, stand up for yourself, if you want the job, work the job! I'm expecting you to get upset with the board anytime now and just quit! That is not fair to Lake Forest. Neither is having a manager who can't be allowed to spend but $25 without somebody's approval? What is wrong with this picture folks?

3/30/2007

I am sure that everyone in Lake Forest is now aware that we have a serious problem with residents posting signs and other garbage on the delicate trees that make this area so nice. They are using nails and staples that are left in the trees long after the illegal postings are removed. Then when a storm comes or we have a really cold winter, the trees become weak and the city has to remove them. This not only costs all the taxpayers of Daphne, but especially the homeowners in Lake Forest that depend on things like trees and other natural beauties that add value to our homes. This illegal posting of signs should no longer go on. Something needs to be done. I am contacting the mayors office and the City Hall for any recommendations.

3/29/2007

The insurance issue is very serious. The Mrs-Manager obviously doesn't know anything about the subject. why do we pay someone a good salary when she doesn't know what to do and has to go to the board with every decision. Absolutely a comedy of errors Monday night during this discussion. Robison claimed to have sold insurance for 10 yrs, but his knowledge didn't represent that experience. They discussed having some of the buildings being insured for ACV (actual cash value) and some of them being replacement cost coverage. I'm guessing no insurance company will split coverage that way. For the sake of the LFPOA I hope someone knowledgeable (none of the directors or the Gm qualify) steps up and advises her what to do before she trips over the dollars chasing the pennies in savings! This may be the most important issue this slate and the last has ever faced.  Knowing where every dollar was spent is different from spending every dollar effectively. (Not they know where every dollar went for the last 2 years.)

Isn't director Clint Martin in the insurance business?

3/29/2007

Ok...was I the only one who saw the article in today's Baldwin Register about the Grass Carp. I don't know exactly how many acres our lake is...but it can't be that big of an expense. I'd even be willing to pay a share as a lake front home owner. If we could cut down on the amount of grass currently growing in the lake...then the silt wouldn't have anything to anchor to. Seems like a simple and fairly inexpensive fix until they can dredge the lake. I have already lost use of my dock...nothing but silt and grass where water used to be.

Actually, you were not the only one.  The following came in first.

Also just read an article in today's paper about a weed eating carp that might be good for our lake. I am going to call the writer & find out more.

I see where BT is still involved in the Bass Pro development & environmental lawsuit. Wouldn't it be great if that led to the clean up & fix for the lake.

Somehow I seem to recall in the back of my mind that where there is carp, there is no game fish.  Since I think that carp are vegetarians, I am probably wrong about that.  It could also be that in the instance I am recalling, the game fish were gone because of all the fertilizer, insecticides and so forth that came into the body of water with runoff.  So the arrival of carp may not have been the reason the game fish were gone.  Nevertheless, one thing I am fairly sure of is that carp do not eat dirt.  The problem of erosion from upstream will have to be solved before we can expect that lake to ever really be returned to the beauty that it once had.  Still, the carp idea is worth investigating.  For those who are interested, I have placed the following link to the Mobile Register story.

http://www.al.com/press-register/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/1175073981326170.xml&coll=3

3/29/2007

Brice quit? Well, this is bad. When things get so bad that someone whose been around for many years in LF quits the board, things are bad. I sugt that any board member write this website, keep us informed of what is going on with the board...people like the website and want to keep abreast...the official website is not newsy, never has the minutes until 2/3 months later. I read December's minutes in February! Our paper is printing old news! The manager and the board should have a question and answer site....people have a right to know....so keep on Mitch....this website is great!

3/28/2007

Hi,  I live right on the lake and even though the condition of the lake continues to deteriorate with the silting etc...it is still a beautiful amenity of ours.  The lake has plentiful wildlife, birds, turtles, an occasional gator, and plenty of fish. I am always amazed however at how few people use the lake.

Perhaps a way to increase the use and knowledge of the lake might be a kids fishing tournament.  A good weekend for it might be Memorial Day weekend.  Would be a good chance for the Lake Committee to show the lake...and maybe get some interest in turning it around.    Regards,

Great idea!

3/28/2007

At the stated meeting last night the discussion went on for what seemed like hours about insurance.  It was unbelievable!  Our insurance lapses on Friday!  Only last night did our general manager bring that to the board’s attention!  She wanted them to decide what kind of coverage to buy.  Should we get 100% replacement or actual value and other such issues were the questions.  This is something that should have been decided months ago.  She should have been busy getting quotes to be presented last night, not this kind of thing!  The whole thing just blew my mind!  The insurances lapses Friday!  How long will it be before the board catches on that they have a problem with management?  Will it take another case of running out of money and needing an assessment to drive the point home?  Can our manager make any decisions on her own?   

Then they held another of their notorious “executive sessions”.  This was to discuss management contracts.  Has anyone told them that the only justifications for executive sessions are the good name of employees and legal matters?  They have made the executive session the slate’s trademark.  This whole secret meeting thing is becoming an embarrassment for our Board of Directors or at least it should be.

3/28/2007

B. T. quit last night.

3/28/2007

Hey Mitch, enjoy the website, got to keep Lake Forest going....been in Lake Forest 21 years, in Daphne 23, ain't going nowhere! Try to constantly keep an eye on the board all these years, it's a big job....unfortunately, not enough people go to the meetings and when I did go I was embarrassed by the surliness of some of the board members....especially when BU was in....the board was ridiculed, made fun of, told they were each CRAZY....imagine that,,,,and they had a following....people that believed they were miracle workers,,,,until they wanted to GIVE AWAY. When people found out they wanted to (seriously) give away all of the amenities they cleared out like mice! We would be an old neighborhood if that would of happened. Keep up the good work! We love Lake Forest and want it to continue to be a functioning, healthy subdivision, although on little money! These people just will not vote to pay any more maintenance fees.

3/26/2007

OK, the webmaster's back.  I hope everyone had a nice peaceful week.

3/26/2007

Read the two proposals, A&B. The plans are typical of consultant companies. But, where are we going to get the money to pay these people, $20,000 down $6000+ each visit????....again, if the board would stop panicking and hang with it, maybe when we get through paying back taxes with penalties (our fault, don't let it happen again) and wait until the $90,000 comes in for the golf carts (is that going to happen?) we'll start looking better. My gosh, we just had huge Hurricane expenses, that has set the whole Gulf coast back. We're not alone in having unusual bills. You're getting more from the members each year. Stop worrying about all this stuff and live like the rest of us, pay your bills are you can.

I have to agree with every point the contributor made.  It has always been my position to encourage any action that would make Lake Forest better.  However, there are limits.  I am puzzled at what we could do with whatever study.  From the ideas we have heard mentioned over the last year, it would seem that almost any recommendation would come with a large price tag.  And, after many years of dealing with the Lake Forest membership, I really doubt that they will agree to anything that adds to their own cost.   So, the money spent on the study could very well be wasted. That is why we made such an effort to bring the debt down, while still trying to maintain the amenities as best we could.  We knew that in order to make the kind of improvements we wanted, we would have to do it within the existing revenue stream.  Once the debt is gone, the money that we put toward debt service could be stashed away for some future projects.   It just takes a little patience, perseverance and imagination.  I have been told that almost a third of the homes in Lake Forest are rentals.  While these landlords would naturally want to protect the value of their investments, it is likely that they consider the current state of things to be acceptable.  The board could probably not count on support from that segment.  Most members are actually "occasional" users.  They use the pools in the summer.  They may play tennis occasionally or maybe a round of golf sometimes.  They probably go down to the Yacht Club for the 4th of July and maybe carry guests down there every once in a while.  They are not every day or even every week users.  These members are probably not going to support a major overhaul, that affects their own pocketbook.  I would recommend that the board take care of the important things that are impacting us now.   Find a way to help management do its job or find new management.   Correct whatever problem is causing us to lose good employees.   Maybe I am wrong.  One of the directors told me to get my head out of a place that I couldn't put it anyway, because all this could be done without a cent of out of pocket expense to our members.  Really?  Last year we couldn't even run the current operation without additional out of pocket expense to our members.

3/26/2007

Here are some photos taken on Saturday 3-24-07, of Charles Robinson, the husband of one of our staff members, Nella from the Bay View Lounge at the Country Club.  He caught this large mouth Bass in our very own Lake here in Lake Forest.  It weighed in at 6 and 3/4 pounds and was 22 inches long.  This catch will be mounted.

3/17/2007

To give you something to ponder while the Webmaster is on vacation, one of our readers sent us the two proposals the board is considering for renovating Lake Forest.  Some of the pages are pretty large so it may take a while to load, but be patient.  It will be worth your time.  A few of the pages are blurry but readable because of poor fax quality.  Also, the page showing a detailed breakdown of Company B's proposal appears to be missing.  I believe I failed to scan that fax and will try to get it for you when I get back.  The other costs itemized in Company B's proposal should give you some idea.   I hope to get some new copies of the blurry pages to put out here next week, also.  Check out Company A and Company B and tell us what you think.

3/16/2007

I just left the Daphne City Council work Session. I was there to introduce a volunteer, Victoria Phelps, for a presentation on improvements in Lake Forest. The presentation outlined goals and objectives for improving the public infrastructure within our subdivision. Improvements requested included road repairs, beautification steps, median curbs, and a walking path through the subdivision. It was tastefully presented and well received. Ron Scott was especially supportive and even stated that we should start by curbing one median, probably near an entrance. Of course, we also heard of the pending road repairs. It was stated that the city is preparing to spend around $600,000 in Lake Forest on roads this year. It was also noted that entrance improvements are underway. The plan presented was a four year plan for these improvements. It will likely take a few more than that to accomplish. All in all, progress was made making leaders aware of our desires for improvement. I hope it continues. John Peterson

Many thanks to Ms. Phelps and Mr. Peterson for their efforts on our community's behalf.

3/15/2007

Boy!  It's been quiet around here this week.  Everyone must be contented right now.  If you have something to tell us, you need to do it this week.  The old webmaster will be out of town all next week, so you will have to get your Lake Forest news somewhere else for awhile.  Just don't go too far.  Something is bound to pop up before long.  Why don't you say hello to our new Architectural Support person and tell her that you are on her side when it comes to enforcing those covenants?  In fact, why not help her out some by reporting a violation?

3/14/2007

Mitch, be sure to welcome the new architectural support person. Her name is Stacy Johnston.  Keep up the good work!

It is also very good to see our management and board move so quickly to fill this very important position.  We also understand that Alisa will be taking over the updating responsibilities for the official website.

3/11/2007

You can sure tell that someone responsible for covenants is not on duty this weekend.  Just enter Lake Forest from the Windsor entrance.  There are signs in the medians, el cheapo Wal-Mart signs, cardboard signs, signs taped to stop signs, even signs nailed to trees!  It seems that everyone who knows nothing about the rules decided to sell something this weekend!  They've even taped signs to Lake Forest's very own courtesy directional signs!  The medians and intersections look as junky as they ever have because of the signs.  There's even a 99¢ house for rent sign on corner of Windsor and Ridgewood!   The sooner our new enforcer goes on duty, the better.

3/10/2007  From a director . . .

The charge for taxes will be removed when all tax liabilities are covered, as stated by the board. I believe that our projection for removing the tax escrow charge was July or August. Joe Mosley will be deciding when that amount is reached and requesting it be removed from the bills at that time. Just to clear the air, the $2.50 charge creates around $93,000 per year. Of course, some of that is uncollected. The real property tax bill was around $68,000 last year. A discussion needs to be centered on whether the amount was set too high, actually. I have asked for both real and personal property tax amounts for that discussion. If we are charging too much for that purpose, we should know that. John Peterson

3/9/2007

Your Webmaster went to the stated meeting last week.  Unfortunately, old habits are hard to break and I arrived at 7p.m.  As you may know, the day and time of the stated meeting were changed at last fall's annual meeting, so I was an hour late.  I'm just glad I got the right day.  In any case, I joined a couple of our members at a table in the rear and one of them showed me his notes.  It seems that the board has received the final tally on the delinquent City and State sales taxes.  The figure, I believe, came to a total of just under $32,000.  Add to that the Baldwin County bill of about $12,000 that we received last fall and we get a total of around $44,000.  The board passed a temporary tax fee to cover those taxes of $2.50 a month per member. If we consider that there are about 2800 paying members at $2.50 each per month we come up with $7,000 per month.  We now have been paying that tax fee for three months which means that they have received $21,000 or about half the bill so far.  Wouldn't that mean that in June, the board should be removing that fee from our bill?  There will only be a couple of thousand left on it at that time.  Correct?  If my numbers are wrong, someone please feel free to let us know.

3/8/2007

Do not believe for a minute that Lake Forest is going to go down hill. A new architectural support person is already hired and will do a great job for us. Look for diligent enforcement to continue. -John Peterson

Great news!  Thank you.

3/7/2007

It's very bad news to hear that LF's Architectural Manager has resigned.  Get ready to see Lake Forest deteriorate into a virtual junk yard of oversized sheds by the golf course, utility trailers in driveways, and boats on the lawns!  It's really going to be beautiful.  Especially with the aid of Lawson and Moss. They should both resign from the Architectural Committee for their abuse of power and conflict of interest.  It was the recently resigned Architectural Manager who was responsible for the difficult job of covenant enforcement.  But who can blame her when she can't do her job because of those two "good ole boys" on the committee!

3/7/2006

Karen quit? well, that's no surprise, dealing with certain board members and certain residents repeatedly, may times a day, about every little thing, neighbors too loud, dog barks too much, shrimp boil stinks, etc., etc. Yes, complaining that a shrimp/crab boil was odorous! Some of these seniors are childish and want to talk to somebody and whine.....Karen listened to this stuff all the time and had to make decisions about dismissing complaints and what needed looking into. We don't need to let this job disappear. Jim Moss, this will be nothing but an old run down subdivision if you don' t get on this! Architectural is very important. So Sorry, we will miss Karen, she was good at what she did!

She had one lady who would not stop complaining that all the mailboxes on her street did not match and her neighbor had a ladder against his house all week.  Karen was very good at what she did and will certainly be missed

3/6/2007

Is the situation with Henry and Jim Moss the reason that the Architectural Support Person resigned?

Probably not, but it didn't help.

3/5/2007

So Henry and Jim Moss thought they could slip in and make their request w/out the LF membership realizing what they were doing? Shame on them. Or....what if they do not care what the membership thinks of their personal request with the zoning board of Daphne. Then they went in front of the wrong group? Clear this up for me Mitch....What kind of leadership is this? I knew Jim Moss would cause trouble when he came here. What was Henry thinking? And it's not fair to anyone else in LF who has a problem with some deck they might want to build or, more importantly, another utility shed that's visible to the golf course. I understand there are over 30 of them, and that's against the rules too! Is it all getting away from us? Let's not let that happen, your property values will go down.... A concerned resident

The webmaster's opinion of this leadership is already on record.

3/3/2007

We were just informed that Thursday night, two of our directors, Henry Lawson and Jim Moss, went before the Daphne Board of Zoning Adjustments and made an impassioned plea.  One bad thing about it was that they were asking that the Zoning board allow one of their neighbors to keep an outbuilding that was constructed without permission, violated our own architectural rules, and violated a city ordinance.  What is even worse about it is that these two men are on our own Architectural Committee!!!  To make matters even worse, they lied in the process by saying that our Architectural Support Person had approved the variance!  She had not!  In fact, they had badgered her to no end to give the approval and, to her credit, she would not.  These are two of the people that we rely on to enforce our rules and protect our property values.  It's back to the "good ol' boy" days when directors would routinely give variances to their friends and neighbors, a situation that has caused us a great deal of grief over the last decade as we have tried to get violations under control.  Moss has been reported to say that his neighbor didn't have to worry about it, because would take care of the matter.  Well, the Board of Zoning Adjustment denied their request.  And, to his credit, one of the members of the Board of Zoning Adjustments is our own director Willie Robison who, we were told, voted with the majority.  The fact is that the zoning board does not have the authority to grant variances over ordinances.  The following is in the City Council meeting packet for Monday night's City Council meeting..

There will be a meeting March 1st at 6:00 p.m. with five (5) submittals 1.) Variance to allow a covered carport to encroach the front setback line by 21.83 feet at 503 Lake Forest Blvd. 2.) Variance to allow a legal non-conforming sign at 29100 Highway 98 to remain such. 3.) Variance to allow the resident located at 1001 Johnson Road, which is zoned B-2, to add on an addition 4.) Variance to allow the resident located at 129 Rolling Hill Drive to place a storage shed 2.6 feet from an attached deck 5.) Variance to allow the resident located at 1103 Lovette Lane to encroach the north side yard setback line by 5.4 inches. The public is invited to come.

It will be interesting to see if the two directors show up at that meeting to try and get the council to overrule the zoning board.

3/3/2007

There is a rezone request on the agenda for Monday's City Council meeting that might be of some interest to some Lake Forest members.   The owners want to rezone a parcel from residential to business.  From the map on the Daphne website, it looks like it is a 14 acre parcel on Highway 13 across the street from the Eastern Shore Christian Center.  It looks like it would back up to the lots of some of our residents on Ridgewood near Lawson.  If I am reading this correctly, it would appear to be similar to the kind of thing that some of our residents have who back up to Home Depot.  Don't rely too heavily on this analysis, I could be reading the thing all wrong.  Connect to the City web page from this site and check the packet under the Agenda link on their website.

3/2/2007

I just read the article by Henry Lawson in the Lake Forester.  He asks the question, "what makes the most sense for the entire membership? Do we continue to wander or do we seek competent professional help?" This question Mr. Lawson is referring to is whether or not the Association needs to hire in a professional consultant to advise the Association as to where it is or where it can go.   Now here's my question.  Had the Board hired in a General Manager with the education and skills required to run an Association like ours we wouldn't need a consultant now would we?  If we need a consultant, why do we need the current General Manager?  Usually a General Manager for an organization such as ours is educated in finance, food services and/or hospitality.  It's time for our Board of Directors to assume some fiscal responsibility and hire a General Manager with the knowledge required to manage our Association in the manner that doesn't require the help of expensive consultants that the Association obviously can't afford.  That $50 assessment for 2006 proves that.

3/2/2007

Based on the webmasters response of 2/28/07, Lake Forest is looking at a slow fall into disrepair. The webmaster feels that the membership will not vote to increase monthly dues and will not vote to approve borrowing money to renovate the facilities. He also seems to feel that additional money is not needed to run Lake Forest now or in the future since in previous years the budget could be balanced. I agree that with the webmaster that Lake Forest was never designed or intended to be run solely on the fees generated by users of the facilities. The monthly dues were intended to help support the facilities and keep the costs low for all members. However, since the monthly fees have not been raised to keep pace with inflation and will likely not be raised in the future to keep pace with inflation, this business plan is doomed to eventual failure. Let’s assume that the cost of running all the facilities at Lake Forest has been the same since they were taken over by the homeowners association. The only increase in costs is due to inflation. It has been stated that if the monthly dues had kept up with inflation, they would currently be approximately $62.50 per month per household. The monthly dues are currently $35 per month. Assuming 2400 homes in Lake Forest, the income lost due to monthly dues not keeping up with inflation is (($62.50-$35)x 2400 homes x 12 months) = $792,000 per year. To replace the lost $792,000, the following options exist. One is to raise the fees charged the members. The fees paid by the members to use the facilities would need to be raised to not only cover inflation but also the money lost due to monthly dues not being increased. Over time, the fees to use the facilities are no longer affordable to some of the members and each subsequent increase in fees raises less money. A 10% increase in fees only raises 7-8% more money because fewer members use the facilities. A downward spiral begins and is exacerbated by each additional increase. Eventually, the fees to use the facilities become unaffordable to too many members. The second option is to cut costs. However, costs can only be cut so much until service provided and/or the condition of the facilities is adversely affected. As the service provided and condition of the facilities declines, the desirability of facility decreases. Members use declines because the facilities and service are less desirable. Again, a downward spiral is started. The membership needs to make a choice. 1. They can refuse to adequately fund the facilities and watch them fall into eventual disrepair. 2. They can fund the facilities at a minimal level (which will require increases in fees and monthly dues). Eventually, the facilities will need major repairs which will need to be funded. It appears that we are at or close to this point now. 3. They can choose to fund the facilities at a level equal to or close to where they were originally funded. This will require an immediate increase in dues and periodic increases in dues and fees. This will provide adequate funds to begin renovating the facilities and making Lake Forest a more desirable place to live. 4. The members can choose to sell the facilities and let someone else run them. This will result in higher user fees, use by “outsiders” and loss of control over how the facilities are maintained/improved. It will also likely result in lower monthly dues.

  These are the kinds of contributions that your webmaster likes to see, discussions that address the real problems in Lake Forest.  What was interesting about this last one was there was no suggestion among the contributor's options that indicated that all we need to solve everything is a shiny new facility.  This one is obviously the result of a great deal of thought by the member.  I do not know where the estimated dues figure, reflecting an increase for inflation, comes from, but it does seem reasonable.  However, there have been other changes in the operation of the association that may not be accounted for in the picture painted by this contribution.  For example, when the property owners took over, the operation was nothing like it is today.  There was full, sit-down dining services being provided at two restaurants, the Country Club and Yacht Club.  There was a Sunday lunch that would knock your socks off.   We talk about costs for the F&B operations today as being unacceptable, but they are nothing compared to what they once were.  There was a time when F&B costs were in the $300,000 per year range.  The rest of the operation was just as extravagant because the property owners had taken over a system that was meant to be awe inspiring and designed to sell lots.  If the dues at that time were able to cover the costs, then the reductions in those costs over the years would have extended the effective life of that dues level for a long time.  And, let's not forget that there was a dues increase a few years ago from $27.50 to $35, which gave the association a little breathing room.  It is true that at some point,  the membership will have to make a decision along the lines the contributor has described.  That time is rushing toward us.  For one thing, the covenants expire, I believe, in 2023 and at that point the residents will no longer be obligated to remain members and pay those maintenance fees.  That is only sixteen years away.  So, a measure like one of those above will certainly have to be taken.  But, it doesn't have to be today. 

The contributor did not mention option 5, take the amenities public with the property owners retaining ownership.  That would allow them to retain control, enjoy some special privileges, avoid initiation fees and allow other outside users to help keep the place up.

3/1/2007

 I just wish some members on this current board would spend ½ as much time working on planning for Lake Forest’s future as they do complaining about the past board. Maybe they could then get three or four times more accomplished than they already have.

Three or four times more than what?