Then and now. What our lake was, and what it could be.

The image above shows pictures of what the lake looked like years ago (kids swimming) super-imposed on top of the lake in its current state (algae blooming).

Below are some relevant educational links related the situation of our lake:

Diet for a Small Lake

Algae and Other Undesirables: Getting Rid of Yuck
Magna Metals EPA Superfund Site
Wallace Pond / Westchester Lake Proposal
Town of Cortlandt Property Card for Lake Rose

BBQ TIME! LHA SPRING LAKE CELEBRATION IS JUNE 15th

THE LHA WILL PROVIDE THE BBQ & DRINKS PLEASE CONSIDER BRINGING A DISH!

A Message from Our LHA President, Scott Halfmann

Thanks to the great turnout of volunteers, the barley treatment of the lake has begun. For only a few hundred dollars, we’ve anchored 80 bags of algae-fighting barley straw in the lake this season. You can see them floating out there! By mid-summer, if the lake is not completely overgrown with floating and filamentous algae, then we will measure our success and consider whether to make this an annual ritual.  Just remember, it was our membership dues AND great volunteer energy that made this happen.

Special thanks to Mark Hargrove for adding the grass-eating carp this year. We still have to finish the screen work to keep those carp in, and make much needed dam valve repairs, so your continued support is always necessary! It’s up to every existing member to help reach out to those who haven’t paid their dues and tell them this message: Your dues are not wasted on the LHA! We are working hard to improve and restore our lake to its former beauty and beyond!

LHA Annual $100 Dues are now due (payable to LHA, Inc.).

Feel free to pay via PayPal (https://lakeviewha.wordpress.com/pay-membership-dues/) or drop-off with our Treasurer, Rita Ruotolo at 50 Lakeview Ave W. 

Thanks!!

LHA – Summer 2018 Newsletter

Summer is here and it’s a HOT one! Not only is the weather heating up but so is our LHA Membership Drive! If you haven’t yet joined, please consider doing so. Dues are still $100 annually and payable to LHA, Inc. and can be dropped off in Rita Ruotolos’, Treasurer, mailbox at 50 Lakeview Ave West. LHA, Inc. has a new website: lakviewha.com and dues and/or donations to help clean the lake can be paid via PayPal on the website for your convenience.

Our Spring Celebration on June 9th was an enjoyable event with many of our neighbors, especially our young families, taking part of the festivities and enjoying the pleasant weather. Elections were held and we have a new board with Scott Halfmann as our President. Our 50/50 raffle was successful taking in $160 with 50% going to our Lake fund. Congratulations to Laura Trusler in holding the winning ticket.

On Friday, August 24th, there is a Family Campout at the Lake beginning at 6 p.m. All members are welcome to come on down, pitch your tent and enjoy an evening of cook out and roasting marshmallows and some good ole camp out fun! Please contact Suzanne Anderson at 917-447-7557 with any questions. On Saturday, August 25th, there will be an “open-house” pancake breakfast open to the entire Lakeview community (members and non-members alike). Please RSVP by Aug 18 to Suzanne: 917-447-7557.

So far, we have received visits from three different Lake/Pond management companies and two have given their first-year treatment bids. The first company, “The Pond and Lake Connection”, submitted a bid by email for $7,901 for a “bare bones” algaecide and herbicide treatment. The second company to visit, Solitude Lake Management, has not submitted a quote as of yet. Judging from people’s reactions, the third company, Life, Inc., led by Mark Roland seemed to give the best impression in terms of competence, level of experience, friendliness and overall sensitivity to our Lake’s particular issues, but his quote came in higher at $10,500.

In short, his treatment plan involves everything from maintaining proper oxygen levels (our Lake’s levels are low due to competing vegetation), applying herbicides and containing outflow during treatment, to preparing hydrological studies and a “downstream model” wherein everyone affected by our lake’s outflow is notified of the treatment so as to avoid potential problems with well water and irrigation. It’s quite a bit of work and, in order to get the treatment done in 2019, we have to give our answer (and $$) by November 15th, 2018. This is quite a challenge, seeing as how our lake fund has but the promise of a few donations so far.

Whatever plan we go with, we will be posting our progress toward our financial goal so that folks can spread the word, raise awareness and most importantly, raise funds. The bottom line is that our lake is currently “spiking” in aquatic vegetation (Coontail, Milfoil, Duckweed, Watermeal, Lilies, and different algaes) and we need to treat it or we may have what Mark Roland referred to as a large die-off of animal life in the lake. Not only would this be tragic for the animals, but it would be very unpleasant for all who live by the lake. Your membership, your donations and your love for our lake community are all required to get Lake Rose back to health!

We applaud the support from our 2018 LHA Families:

Anderson; Badding; Benedict; Bentivenga; Bentley; Blish/Millspaugh; Bove; Brown/Turner; Burchman; Carrig; Choudury; Creiner; Dorer; Falk; Foody; Gale; Goodman; Grady; Gray; Guerrero/Bates; Halfmann; Hansen; Hargrove; Honohan; Loschiavo; Male; Matik; McMann; Myerson; Olstrom; O’Hanley; Quaid; Rosenberg; Rosenthal; Rowland; Ruotolo; Safhey; Schwadron; Sekhri; Skoski; Smith; Spath; Spiro/Granville; Szostak; Theodore; Torres; Trusler; Weissman; Willinger; Wright

LHA Board: 
President: Scott Halfmann 
Vice President: Collin Bentley 
Secretary: Greg Willinger 
Treasurer: Rita Ruotolo 

Members at Large:

Joel Benedict; Michelle Bove; Michael Bove; Preston Trusler

Maintenance:

Steve Ruotolo

Save-Our-Lake Membership Drive

Your membership will help us reach our goal!

The four main plants identified by our lake management specialists are:  Duckweed, Watermeal, Spatterdock (aka, Lily Pads), Milfoil, and Filamentous Algae.

The LHA is entertaining specific proposals for water treatment to reduce this problem and restore our clear waters, but without proper funding, all proposals remain out of reach. What’s the bottom line? Algae & plant reduction reduction due to unusually high nutrient levels caused most likely by fertilizer & septic runoff must be addressed or our lake will become a swamp, filled with duckweed, bulbous and filamentous algae. The prospect of rowing a boat will become an impossible task, much less fishing or swimming. This is a fact which we, as a residential community who enjoys the lake, must embrace. Even if your only concern with the lake is how it affects your property value, we should all accept a minimal responsibility to maintain the lake’s ecosystem, which can be fulfilled by paying the LHA annual membership fee. If we can significantly increase membership, then this costly treatment will no longer be out of reach.

PLEASE JOIN THE LHA IF YOU ARE ELEGIBILE, AND HELP US REACH OUR GOAL!

Become a Member