BEAVER LAKE BEAUTIFICATION
AND
ACCESS LOTSURVEY
RESULTS
As of 2 March 2009
In order to better serve the community, the Property Committee, in conjunction with the Ladies’
Auxiliary, Nature Club, and Board of Directors, sent the following survey to the membership
through the newsletter and through a mailing that was attached to the Cross Connection survey
sent out by the Office. The latter was sent to only members who owned homes in the Beaver
Lake subdivision while the newsletter was sent to everyone. We do not know how many
completed forms were returned as a result of the newsletter; however we can surmise that the
bulk of the forms were in response to the Cross Connection Survey because its return was
mandatory. As a result, it is suspected that the survey is somewhat skewed towards members
who have dwellings at the lake. There were 469 surveys returned. About 699 were sent out
yielding a 67% return rate.
1. First, I will go over the yes/no questions in a table type format. The results are as follows:
YES AND NO QUESTIONS
Are you aware of our
access lots?
Have you or your family
used an access lot in the
past 12 months?
Would you use Reserve
Lot-7 if playground
equipment was improved?
Should we Hire a
Professional Landscaper
Do you think we should
install basketball hoops in
the parking lot north of the
clubhouse?
Would you Volunteer to
provide some self help for
Beaver Lake beautification?
Yes
No
No
Comment
% Yes
388
53
28
82.7%
Observations
Most are aware of lots but
don't use them
185
239
45
39.4%
Over 1/3rd use access lots-good tally
70
339
60
14.9%
Some interest
53
336
80
11.3%
Lack’s Support
112
287
70
23.9%
Some interest
84
267
118
17.9%
Some interest
The primary observation is that most people know that Beaver Lake has lots for use by the
membership and that a lot of them are being used. As you will see later, there is particular
interest in fishing from the lakeside lots. There was some interest in using Reserve Lot #7 if
we keep and upgrade the playground equipment however most said they won’t use it. This
seems reasonable since there are so many retired people living at Beaver Lake. The same
rationale follows for the low number of people who want basketball hoops or who would
volunteer for self help projects around the lake; however, there is a substantial number,
quantity wise, of volunteers who want to help. Almost all of them left their name and
number.
2. Next, the members were asked to list the lots they used the past year and the results are
listed below.
Lot
SU 10
AL 1
AL 3
CL 14
AL 2
AL 4
AL 5
AL 6
AL 7
# Used
24
11
11
8
7
5
5
5
5
Lot
AL 11
AL 12
AL 8
AL 9
AL 1466
AL 1669
AL 1860
AL 453
AL 2100
# TIMES
5
4
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
Although the 18 lots listed were used only 119 times according to the surveys returned, that
number must be compared to the 39.4% who said they used an access lot for some purpose.
This tally is therefore only indicative of which lots are most popular in a rough way.
Obviously Special Use lot 10 in the southwest cove if the most popular according to the
survey.
3. The survey asked what the lots in general were used for so we could determine which
upgrades would be more favorable. The results are as followed:
LOTS USED FOR
Fishing
Resting
Picnics
Swimming
Play
Walking
boating
Wedding
Beach
Nature Study
# TIMES
119
41
38
10
12
6
5
3
2
1
It is obvious that the lots are mostly used for fishing or sitting. This emphasizes the
importance of benches and peers. Picnic tables are also important and most of the swimming
responses were for the clubhouse area. Boat docks are used but then again, there are only a
few access lots with boat docks.
4. The next question involved spending money for upkeep and upgrades on the lots and the
values of $0, $1000, $5000, $10000 were listed as possible amounts. The results are
indicated that some funds were needed but didn’t list an amount. Also, the dollar figures
were for all lots but the survey may have been misleading in that it was unclear that this
amount would come from the dues and not an assessment. Had it been clear, the results
may have been different. The left column shows the amount indicated on the returned
surveys or the comment made by the member. The right column indicated the number of
surveys that supported the left side amount or comment. Some comments were made on the
survey that applied to this area of the survey but written elsewhere.
FUNDS TO BE USED FOR LOT
UDATES (TOT) Dollars
$0
some
$100
$200
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$5,000
$10,000
$50,000
maintain
$100 for each lot to pay
Whatever it takes
0 (except for Clubhouse)
After Well Proj
depends on usefulness
Keep, but no basis to provide answer
to this question
same as past years
depends on value for money
Sell off
No Comment
Percent of those with comments that
want some money spent
Percent that had no comment
# TIMES
105
37
3
5
2
49
1
72
42
1
21
1
2
1
4
2
1
2
1
8
109
67.5%
23.2%
There were 280 members reporting a dollar amount from $0 to $50,000. Since there is no
way to know how much “some” or “maintain” etc. is, these numbers were left out of this
figure. The average dollar amount for the 280 members was $3152.86.
5. We looked if people used the access lots and how much money they would like to spend on them,
now the survey asked what improvements the membership would like to see on the lots in general.
The following table lists the ideas and accoutrements suggested and the number of times they came up
in the surveys returned. There were 404 suggestions or comments received and 180 surveys received
did not have any comment or recommendation. The table shows the top 4 items the membership
would like to see is bathrooms, tables, benches and grills; however, in most cases, the respective lot
was not specified. Please note that 8 members wanted to sell the lots, one of which said to sell some
and trash cans, a most affordable and useful item, was mentioned only twice.
ACCESS LOT IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Bathrooms
Tables
Benches
Grills
Pavilion
Docks
Maintain
Trees
Playground
Do nothing
Parking
porta potties
Trash cans
Handicap access
Dog park
Horseshoes
Marking signs
Sell the Lots
Beaches
Grading
OTHER COMMENTS
A door on the woman's bathroom by boat ramp (only one has a door)
AL3: fix dock and level ground. AL9: replace dock to middle of lot and
put in table, trashcan and sand.
AL4-DEEPER, AL8-CLEAN WEEDS
Decent Dock/Platform
Fire Extinguisher
keep natural
make permanent
members bring own items
one time assessment
SEA WALLS
Signs for rock throwing
Take the top 3 or 4 and START taking care of them. Eliminate the
others because you do not have resources to take care of them. The
trash, dead trees and abuse enforcement never keeps up!
any and all
Better answer next year, haven’t used any garbage container?
Cove H smells, literally, from the trash dumpster.
none - not until economy recovers
nothing
remove poison ivy
Resand Beach area, more tables at beach
Review needs after the well project is completed.
RL 13= tennis/B.B. comb courts double; RL10=sand volleyball court &
horseshoe; SL1=tennis/B.B. comb courts double.
No comment/recommendations
# TIMES
71
74
62
45
24
23
24
21
21
7
7
3
2
2
2
2
2
8
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
180
6. The survey requested recommendations for the entryway for the clubhouse and most of the north
side of the lake, i.e. the intersection of Clubhouse Circle and Rock Bluff Road. This is the area where
the sign is and flagpole was. Some suggestions were: a new sign, mulch, rocks, more bushes,
plants (which type) etc. The resulting suggestions are as follows along with the number of members
responding who suggested them: The most support was for a new sign with rocks and shrubs, much
like it is today. A new flagpole is needed even though only 6 suggested it.
ENTRYWAY IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
New Sign
Rocks
Shrubs
Leave as is
mulch
nothing
maintain
Flowers
flagpole
Lighting
Plants
Low Maint Stuff
landscaping
Widen
Bench
fountain
Paint sign
Boulders
Gate/keyed entry
Great Now
improve looks
directions
trees
Improved & upscale sign with more prominent
landscaping. Evening lighting on sign. Should give a
sense of an upscale community. Landscaping should
allow minimal needs to manage.
indicate clubhouse location
Keep clean
Lit brick wall
looks cheap
message board
MINIMAL
Mr. landscape
Nautical sign
no ideas
No improvement required since Beaver Lake is private and
that is not the only entry point to the lake.
no maintenance
nothing
# TIMES
62
33
30
22
17
14
13
8
6
6
5
5
3
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
ornamental grass
Parking
pay off debt
perennials
Professional landscape with perennials only
Remove sign
restore divided road
SOMETHING
status quo
SURVEY
update
water feature
no comment
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
222
7. The members were asked for recommendations for the shrub island in front of the clubhouse and
whether or not we should expend funds to hire a professional landscaper to design and/or do the work.
The suggestion offered in the survey for a rock garden with a flagstone path through the middle was
widely accepted as the results below show. Some other ideas presented that would enhance this idea
were for benches where a member could leave a meeting for a break etc. Also, as shown in paragraph
1, there was little support (11%) to hire a professional landscaper. The surveys showed a bias towards
using volunteer and staff help to do the work.
CLUBHOUSE ISLAND IMPROVEMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS
Rocks
Shrubs
Path
Remove
Flagstone
Rock Garden
Smaller Shrubs
Maintain
low maintenance plants
Nothing
Remove for parking
Garden
Benches
Mulch
Patio
Good Idea
Plants
Remove gnats
Tables
Fountain
Whatever you have funds for!
use money to mow
# TIMES
75
76
70
66
56
23
20
22
4
5
6
4
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Update
Steps
Replant
remove, plant grass
Read Survey!!
proof input
pay off debt
Ornaments
ornamental grasses
NATURALIZING PLANTS
Mr. landscape
More Friendly
match west landscaping
just redo it - smaller shrubs, etc. - but, leave it there and
maintain regularly
I think the area should just be addressed and then
maintained. I don't feel a lot should be spent on an area
that isn't used by many members. If the association
organized some events at the clubhouse we might feel
different.
ground cover
get bids/get cost/determine upkeep
No comment
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
179
8. On the north side of the clubhouse parking lot is an area which could accommodate basketball
hoops. The survey asked the membership whether we should use this area for such items. The table
in paragraph 1 shows that just under 24% of the members would want them. This definitely shows
interest in that only 15% of the surveys returned had no comment. Since there are a lot of senior
citizens living at Beaver Lake, it follows that they would probably not want basketball hoops, but the
younger members would.
9. There were a number of general comments provided. These are summarized as follows: One
member volunteered to donate a picnic table so special kudos and appreciation to the family who
offered this to the Association.
GENERAL REMARKS
You must plan this with guaranteed resources, not volunteers. You cannot keep up with
Volunteers that MAY or MAY NOT be there! Example trash pickup! A. If you want to
really make the place beautiful reduce our common areas to a a number we can truly
keep up beautiful. 1. Clubhouse. 1. Boat ramp. 3. Dam. 2 or 3 access areas! Get rid
of the rest of the taxes we pay on them! B. enforce laws on property owners that have
junk all over their lots and cars that do not move!
Would Univ or state offer free or low cost consulting for a water friendly landscaping plan
we still need another Loading Ramp & Parking area, Keep ATV's off Nature Trail
volunteer insurance?
USE VOLUNTEERS
Use summer help
There was such a fuss a while back about our debt, now seems to be the wrong time to
be spending extra on beautification vs maintenance.
# TIMES
1
1
1
1
2
3
1
The thing I would most like to see for improvement is street lights. (Just a suggestions)
(around the whole lake)
The dock on AL9 is not the property owners adjacent to it. That dock was put in by a B lot
owner 18 or so years ago for B&C lot owners to park their boats to run to their houses etc.
Not for overnight parking or hoarding of the access lot! If a small dock was put in the
middle of lot it would get used a lot I think but no overnight parking should be allowed.
Also a lot of the other lots have so much large chunks of concrete they cannot be utilized.
street lights
sex, alc, drugs AL7
SELL LOTS FOR WELL PROJECT
sell access lots
Recommend Matt Boice with Mulhuls 402-616-2023 for Island design
provide beer!
PICKUP LITTER
Only docks
mow lots better
MENTION PRIVATE COMMUNITY
MAINTENANCE, OBEY RULES
Let ladies do it
Keep Lake Full
I would like to make a comment about Karen Killian's Beach Party that was held over at
the Clubhouse/beach area. It was a very good turnout, but experienced some bad
weather. I was shocked that the upstairs of the clubhouse was not opened up to the
members who attended and donated to Murray Fire Dept. Instead everyone was forced to
get soaked or go home which I found to be quite disappointing. I though for sure it would
be opened up especially because there were a lot of kids there.
I have reviewed the lots on the website. In my opinion there are too many access lots and
the cost to upkeep is expensive. Unless I am missing something, my thought would be to
sell some lots which would create revenue in a lump sum, utility hook up, and on going
association fees. A few of these lots are prime water locations which would generate
much money. Not sure if this will be viewed, but I will list the lots and aa short opinion. If
further information is needed, please contact me @ 235-2291. AL1=sell; AL2-AL7=fishing
pond I always see people, but not sure I would update. AL8=sell, maybe give opportunity
to owner to north or south, may want to dig out for their boat; AL9=sell,
AL335=keep/improve clean up; AL 453,454,462 = sell; AL 635 keep/improve clean up;
AL719=sell;AL906=sell; AL968=not sure on this one; AL1030B=keep & maintain silt pond;
AL1059=sell; AL1229=keep/maintain. Always fishing happening here. Al1446=nice
lot/keep maintain; AL1523=sell; AL1669=keep/maintain; AL1860=sell or keep & maintain,
nice lot; AL2100, 2101=boat launch; Block C=sell; Block F=Keep/maintain; Block G=
keep/maintain/ Silt Pond. CL14=keep/maintain, nice lot. CL15=sell; RL3=keep/maintain;
RL6=keep/maintain; RL7=Great for park; RL8=keep maintain; RL10=keep maintain;
RL11=keep maintain, lots of fishing; RL12=keep maintain; SU7=keep maintain.
Grills/picnic tables & trashcans should be sufficient on most lots. On a couple I would
recommend another bathroom or portapotty for summer usage, many of the people who
use lake with no access to facilities will either go in lake or who knows where. By making
some of these lots more enjoyable should increase lots sales off the water and would or
should increase utility fee hookups (possibly).
Hoops on S side
Golf Cart/ATV Access, Need civic committee
Golf Cart/ATV Access
Get Estimates for all and get vote
fence far from roadway
Do Well Project
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
design contest
Clubhouse needs better cooling
CL14 would be a great spot for playground equipment
2nd Boat Ramp
1
1
1
1
*I would volunteer to check IDs and lot names of people who use our facilities. There are
TOO many kids just being dropped off at the clubhouse that don't even belong to B.Lake.
Too many parents aren't supervising. My husband and I don't even like to go to the pool
because it's unsupervised, kids are unruly, and there's too many "visitors." It's a disaster
just waiting to happen.
*We have an 8' treated picnic table that I will donate if it can be placed on AL335. It would
also be great if we had a place to tie up our boat w/out bothering our neighbors - This A/lot
is great for us & new neighbors but the rip-rap makes it hard to use. Allen Tegtmeier,
360
1
1
10. Surprisingly, there were 84 people volunteering to help with Beaver Lake beautification.
This shows a lot of self help interest and the Property Committee will take advantage of this
when it comes time.
11. Recommendations to the Board based on this survey are as follows:
a. Put a portable toilet on RL 10 and perhaps CL 14 during the spring, summer, and fall. Plan
for bathrooms on one of these lots. There was a lot of support for bathrooms.
b. Do a better job of what we do now such as mowing, shoreline brush removal, removal of dead
trees and poison ivy.
c. Trim the overgrown trees on some of the lots to provide better access to the lots.
d. Better off-street parking for high use access lots.
e. Ask a volunteer to design a new island in front of the clubhouse using a rock garden, benches,
pathway, and some low maintenance, drought resistant shrubs. Have the staff prepare the site
and query the local landscaping vendors for ideas and support—perhaps a discount for the plants
etc. in exchange for a sign in the office area and free website advertising.
f. Update the Beaver Lake sign at the entryway. i.e. new paint, perhaps a cutout of a boat etc.
g. Install benches on the access lots for the most used lots outlined in paragraph 2 above. Place
close to the lake for fishing.
i. Add/update/replace docks, seawalls, and landings on most used lots (para 2). Maintain those
already in existence on other lots around the lake according to the Access Lot Summary.
h. Clean up and replace as necessary new picnic tables and grills. Consider adding new tables
on lots outlined in paragraph 2.
i. Keep RL7 as a playground type area. Fix and maintain the equipment already there and
perhaps add a few items as funds permit. Prepare a small area for parking and remove the signs
restricting vehicles.
j. Hold a fund raiser of some sort to get funds for access lot improvements, playground
equipment etc. (not indicated in the survey but a good idea just the same).
k. Add signs identifying the access lot on both the lake and road sides of the lot if not already
there.
l. Coordinate with the volunteers to see if they could do self help projects this year and authorize
the Property Committee, Ladies’ Auxiliary, and Nature Club to organize and plan to get them
done.
m. Add more trashcans to the most used lots.
n. Install or fix a basketball hoop at the north side of the clubhouse parking area. Just sink a
power pole with a backboard and hoop. Keep it cheap. Could paint court markings on the
asphalt as needed.
o. Install a new, lighted, flagpole and flag. Not much mention in the survey, but still needed.
Property Committee