The workshop sessions will begin at 5:00PM. The annual meeting will begin at 6:00PM. The meeting will be held at the Conference Center of the Forsyth campus of Lanier Technical College, 7745 Majors Road, Cumming. It is open to members and non-members. Appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks will be served.

Thursday, May 19th at 6:00PM at the Lanier Tech Conference Center. The address for the conference center is 7745 Majors Road, Cumming, GA  30041.

Directions going North:
• 400 North
• Take Exit 13, Route 141
• Right onto Route 141
• Right onto Ronald Reagan Boulevard
• Entrance to Forsyth Conference Center is before intersection of Majors Road on the right

Directions going South:
• 400 Sorth
• Take Exit 13, Route 141
• Left onto Route 141
• Right onto Ronald Reagan Boulevard
• Entrance to Forsyth Conference Center is before intersection of Majors Road on the right
View Larger Map

Candidates for U.S. Senate and Congressional Districts seven and nine will address their views on lake issues in response to a Lake Lanier Association questionnaire. Also invited are candidates for County Commission seats in the counties surrounding Lake Lanier.

The meeting began at 5:30 pm with a light refreshments generously provided by Kroger in Dawsonville, followed by the program from 6:00 pm until 8:30 pm. Veterans Alliance presented the colors and the Dawson Community Chorale sang patriotic songs before the program began.  The association’s Board of Directors updated the membership on the association’s current activities and events.

Major General Todd T. Semonite, Commander, South Atlantic Division, US Army Corps of Engineers, (Download Major General Semonite’s Bio HERE) was the guest speaker addressing issues related to the Apalachicola Chattahoochee Flint River basin (ACF) and to Lake Lanier’s levels.

Candidates for federal office addressed their views on specific issues regarding Lake Lanier.  Attending were candidates and/or representatives for Senator Johnny Isakson’s US Senate seat and candidates for congressional districts 7 and 9, both of which border on Lake Lanier.

The Lake Lanier Association sent a questionnaire (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD) to all candidates for the special election and primary. 

For more information on candidates, please visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s web site

Both candidates who are now in June 8′s runoff election for District 9 were present.

• Lee Hawkins – Read Lee Hawkins position statement. Read about SR123.
• Tom Graves – Read Tom Graves position statement.

Candidates for District 9 Qualified for the General Primary on July 20

• Chris Cates, MD
• Tom Graves (see above)
• Lee Hawkins (see above)
• Bobby Reese, Republican  Read Booby Reese’s postion statement
• Bill Stephens Read Bill Stephens position statement
• Steve Tarvin

Candidates for Congressional District 7

• Clay Cox – Read Clay Cox’s position statement
• Chuck Efstration
• Jeff Fincher
• Ronnie Grist
• Jody Hice
• Tom Kirby – Read Tom Kirby’s position statement
• Tom Parrot – Read Tom Parrot’s position statement
• Rob Woodall – Read Rob Woodall position statement

The Lake Lanier Association also invited county commission candidates in the counties surrounding Lake Lanier to attend the meeting and submit a statement of their support of the Lake Lanier Association. The following candidates submitted statements:

Dawson County District 3

• Lionel Graves Read Lionel Graves Position Statement
• Jimmy Hamby Read Jimmy Hamby’s Position Statement
• Bill Minor Read Bill Minor’s Position Statement

Gwinnett County, District 4

• John Heard Read John Heard’s Position Statement

Forsyth County, District 1

• Brant Meadows Read Brant Meadow’s Position Statement

Forsyth County, District 3

• Josh Shorr Read Josh Shorr’s Position Statement

Over 225 members attended the Lake Lanier Association’s annual membership meeting on May 5 at the Lakeview Center in Dawsonville. After updates on the association’s activities and programs for the previous year, members of the board reported to the membership on current initiatives.  Val Perry, Executive Vice President, gave the treasurer’s report and also conducted the business meeting.  He additionally provided an overview of the 2008 Golf Tournament and the Adopt A Lake program, and Vicki Barnhorst, Executive Director, reported on all Shore Sweep programs.

The board recognized the following members for their contributions to the association:

• Individual volunteer of the year:  Captain Rick Marton and his crew, Bonny Putney and Dick Boyd, for their tireless efforts in removing Styrofoam and large debris from the lake using the trash barge.
• Corporate volunteer of the year:  Tom Child, Marine Specialties, for his donation of four trash barges each with four staff members to aid volunteer boaters with large trash and for the removal of abandoned boats during the 20th Annual Shore Sweep.
• Special acknowledgement:  Tommy Bagwell, American Proteins, for his monthly testing of Adopt A Lake water samples at his laboratories and for his generous support of Shore Sweep and the Lake Lanier Association’s golf tournaments.

Special reports included a 2009 legislative overview provided by Senator Jack Murphy, Forsyth County, and Senator Lee Hawkins from Hall County.  Wilton Rook, Vice President , Technology, reported on his participation in stakeholder groups and his presentation at the National Academy of Science ACF workshop.  Clyde Morris, the association’s attorney, reported on the association’s intervention in six of the Tri-States cases being heard this year in a Jacksonville federal court.

The guest speaker was Pete Taylor, formerly head of the Mobile District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Mr. Taylor is now the chief of staff for the Mobile District and is overseeing the revision of the Water Control Manual (WCM).  He indicated that the update of the manual, which was last updated in the late 1950’s, is a four year process.

He explained that the process started last year with public scoping meetings throughout the basin.  The public input has been compiled and ranks stakeholder concerns with water management, and economic impact and recreation of the most concern to stakeholders.  The Corps will next do modeling based on the system and incorporate drought contingency plans.  Additional  public comment meetings will take place in June 2011 with completion of the manual in February 2012. Mr. Taylor did indicate during his presentation that the Corps will not be considering raising Lake Lanier’s full pool to 1073 during this WCM update.

The Lake Lanier Association will hold its annual membership meeting on May 5 at the Lakeview Center in Dawsonville.  The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with refreshments, and the program will start at 6:30 pm.

Our guest speaker will be Pete Taylor, who is chief of staff at the Mobile Corps office, and he will address the updates on the Water Control Manuals for the ACF River Basin.
The Secretary of the Army directed that the Corps update its water control manuals (WCMs) for the ACT and ACF basins in Oct 2007 and Jan 2008.  The updates will focus on current system operations including drought contingency plans. As part of the effort, the Corps will develop Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) to assess the impacts of the proposed actions (eg. the
updated water control manuals).  The Corps recently completed Scoping activities to determine the range of issues to be considered under this process and to identify significant issues to be analyzed in depth.  In the coming months, the district will develop and evaluate several alternatives for system operations.

Mr. Pete Taylor serves as Chief of Staff for the Mobile District.  In this capacity, he helps orchestrate execution of the District’s diverse military construction and civil works programs.  In particular, he’s helping lead district efforts to update water control manuals for the ACT and ACF river basins.  Mr. Taylor retired from the Army in 2007 as a colonel after more than 25 years of service including command tours with the Corps’ Nashville and Mobile Districts.

The Lake Lanier Association board will update you on its activities and programs including the Tri-States litigation. The meeting is open to all association members, and to non-members interested in Lake Lanier’s water quantity and quality. We look forward to seeing you on May 5.

More than 250 Members and Guests Attended our June 14 Meeting

• Brigadier General Joseph Schroedel spoke at Lake Lanier Association Annual Membership Meeting
• More than 250 LLA members and guests attended the association’s annual membership meeting at the Lakeside Center in Dawsonville on June 14.

The guest speaker was Brigadier General Joseph Schroedel, commander of the Corps’ South Atlantic Division. He said he hopes to convene a ‘drought summit’ to include state officials, power company executives and others to research how to better manage water levels in the event of a multiyear drought. He also addressed the LLA’s proposal of raising the full pool of Lake Lanier from 1,071 to 1,073 and stated he could not say if the proposal could ever be carried out, but the Corps has not rejected the idea which would need congressional approval and appropriation. The Mobile Corps district is working on a new Environmental Impact Statement and will include studying the feasibility of raising the full pool of Lake Lanier to 1073. General Schroedel also commented on the ongoing Tri-States mediations and said he would not let more water than mandated out of the lake without going through a mediator. He also answered questions from the audience concerning dock permits, property lines, recreation issues and security for Buford Dam.

Jackie Joseph, Val Perry and Vicki Barnhorst updated the audience on the association events and topics including Shore Sweep, the golf tournament, and legal issues.

The board thanks Longhorns Steakhouse in Dawsonville for generously providing a complimentary buffet at the meeting. Please show your appreciation for their support by dining at the restaurant at 795 Hwy 400 S, Dawsonville, 706-265-2007.

275 Members and Guests Attended our 2006 Meeting

Two hundred and seventy-five members and guests packed the Lakeview Center in Dawsonville for the LLA’s annual membership meeting. Attendees were treated to a catered buffet generously provided by Sheila Davis with Re/Max Horizons in Gainesville.

Guests at the meeting included Wynne Fuller, Chief of Operations in the Corps’ Mobile District office who introduced Jonathan Davis to the membership. As the Corps’ new Operations Project Manager for Lake Lanier, Mr. Davis said during his comments to the audience that he was happy about the positive and productive relationship between the LLA and the Corps of Engineers and that the LLA and Corps have the same goals and objectives in being good environmental stewards of the lake.

Val Perry, the LLA’s Executive Vice President, summarized the association’s achievements over the last year and presented appreciation gifts to Tommy Bagwell for his contributions to the association’s Adopt A Lake program and to Nick Martin for his assistance in removing Styrofoam during Shore Sweep. LLA Treasurer, Paul Flood, addressed the treasurer’s report and officiated over the election of directors and officers to the board of directors.

Eleven candidates for state and federal offices had the opportunity to share their views of lake issues in a forum. Present were congressional candidates, Allan Burns and John Bradbury, gubernatorial candidates John Dashler and Garrett Hayes, candidates for Lieutenant Governor, Al Bartell, Allen Buckley, Griffin Lotson’s representative and Ralph Reed, candidates for Secretary of State, Karen Handel and Angela Moore, and candidate for Agriculture Secretary, Bob Greer.

The association thanks all the members who attended the meeting with a special thanks to members Tim Singleton and Brent Troncalli for providing door prize gift certificates to Longhorn Steakhouse and The Outside World.