Spring 2009 Program Announced

Bay Hill Marina Crape Myrtle Project

From left: Wilda Davis, Jayne Schmidt, Fritz Schmidt, Carroll Adams,

Debi Bradford, Linda Grinde, Marilyn Bachelor and Dick Bachelor

The Bay Hill Conservancy pruned Bay Hill Marina's crape myrtles Sunday, February 6th. The day was MUCH warmer than our two day stint doing the same for Rivers Edge Condominiums a year ago. Temperatures were in the mid-60's with a slight breeze coming off the water - perfect for outdoor activities. As with Rivers Edge, this Conservancy activity was scheduled to thank the marina in kind for donating their meeting room for our meetings. You'll note that Carroll isn't in any of these photos, but that's because she was taking them. Due to injury she was unable to prune but took photos, hauled limbs, and was an excellent morale booster!

The Conservancy first tackled the newer crape myrtles planted by the Tidwells along Bay Village Drive. This first task was easy, taking a minimum of time and effort.

Lined up like soldiers along Bay Village Drive Linda, Wilda, Marilyn, Dick and Fritz make short work of this task.

Dick and Marilyn Bachelor show off their pruning skills, above, while Fritz Schmidt, below, ponders the proper approach.

If we only knew what loomed before us we would have brought a case of beer. Hindsight is always 20/20.

The crape myrtles closer to the docks are an entirely different story. Wilda laughs while Jayne works. "Hey...these are bigger...and tougher!!! You've got to be kidding me!"

Debi puts her back into it. Not a very flattering pose but oh well.

Jayne and Wilda have this crape myrtle under control.

Linda and Dick concentrate on their pruning methods.

What do you think...this branch? Or this one?

Linda's working hard.

Lookin' good, Wilda.

It takes a Village...

How many more do we have to prune?

Oh, my aching back...

Remember that moment in "Jaws" when Roy Scheider saw the shark for the first time and he said "We need a bigger boat...?"

Well...we needed bigger tools...

Fritz hauls the debris...

Dick prunes yet one more crape myrtle...

Holy cow...where's the beer already? Carroll?

Thankfully, Dick brought a saw for some of the larger limbs.

Fritz takes action.

Is that the beer truck I see...?

Light at the end of the tunnel.

Good job, Dick.

The weary group stops to pose for a photo - thanks, Jim. And thanks to everyone who volunteered this lovely Sunday afternoon to help our community.

REMINDER

The Next Conservancy Program will be held

Sunday, March 1st

2:00pm

Bay Hill Marina Meeting Room

Topic: Recycling

(and maybe butterflies if we have time)

Bay Hill Marina brings Recycling to the Community

Bay Hill Marina has succeeded in bringing RECYCLING to Bay Hill Village! The new Athens-Limestone Recycling Center bin is located in the parking lot of Bay Hill Marina. It's new and it's beautiful!

As you see above, this bin accepts

Newspapers,

Glass,

Plastic &

Cans.

PLEASE do not leave your recyclables in plastic bags.

One plastic bag can contaminate a large amount of paper.

For more information click here: http://www.keepathenslimestonebeautiful.com/recyclingboard.html

What's Recyclable, click here: http://www.keepathenslimestonebeautiful.com/recyclables.html

Merry Christmas from the Sign Committee

Harry Wallace and his crew from Little Cypress Natives, Florence, put in the landscaping around our new entrance signs this morning! What a nice surprise!

The design is simple. Native plants are used as they are suited for this zone and these particular plants are drought tolerant and very hardy. Signature Redbud trees are planted behind each sign, lending a pretty backdrop highlighting the signage. Three pink muhly grass plants frame each side of both signs.

Most of you are familiar with redbuds but pink muhlys may be new to you. They grow up to 3 feet in height and in the fall will exhibit the most luscious deep pink flowers. It's a clump forming grass that does not need to be trimmed back like other grasses. It's leaves are very fine and a pretty dark forest green. Below is a photo in its autumnal glory.

Merry Christmas from the Bay Hill Sign Committee!

Tony & Carolyn Green Address the Conservancy

A large crowd listens intently to Tony & Carolyn Green's visions

for Bay Hill Marina

The Bay Hill Conservancy’s autumn program was enthusiastically embraced by the community. Tony and Carolyn Green, new owners of the Bay Hill Marina and Resort, Captain’s Table Restaurant and Safe Harbor Yacht Sales were overjoyed at the crowd who came to hear about their visions for the marina’s future.

Tony began by thanking attendees for their patience this summer as the purchasing process went on longer than anticipated. However, delay turned into opportunity as Tony and Carolyn were able to observe daily operations and plan changes to implement immediately upon closing. Tony emphasized that this is a village and is advertised as such and they intend to be a part of the village.

Carolyn & Tony Green

Their motto is “Service, Service and More Service,” and they are big believers in FREE. Small things make a difference. One example Tony gave is that when boaters are filling up at the marina pump the children are given free Popsicles, and boaters are given free bags of ice. This seemingly small kindness in turn creates repeat business from happy customers. The Greens believe kindness, generosity and quality service goes full circle.

Fritz & Jayne Schmidt, Bob Rolf talk to Tony before the meeting while Ed Alexander is intent on getting some of the excellent hot wings before they were all gone!

The crowd listens as Tony & Carolyn list their visions, as follows:

New computer system, including a customer card system. These cards can be used for purchases and will allow them to track sales and offer discounts at various levels of use.

WiFi is now available at the restaurant and they will be expanding it marina wide.

They plan to change one fuel pump to diesel.

Electrical currents of boaters have been inspected. Boat owners must comply with safety standards.

Captain’s Table restaurant will remain open until the end of the year, closing January & February. They are accepting orders for smoked ham or turkey for Thanksgiving, and they WILL BE OPEN and serving Thanksgiving meals. They also provide event catering.

The store on the dock will become a convenience store, ship store and boutique.

First Order of Business is to clean up the overall site. This will take some time.

Their goal is a clean EPA Certificate.

They will become a TVA Certified Green Marina.

A recycling program at the marina and a recycling system for boaters.

Marina sewer and pump-out system are currently undergoing renovations.

Replace the barrier barges with enough rip rap to create a much larger harbor.

Expand the harbor 300 feet, adding more docks that will include a golf cart accessible convenience store and restaurant.

Talk to the Village HOAs about creating a Community District, which will allow the restaurants to have a private club license.

Employing a grant writer to help them find funding for the many opportunities they envision.

Possibly leasing Limestone Park, east of the bay from the marina, acquiring a 30 year lease and convert it to a high-end RV park and add a dock at the boat ramp.

Planning “floating cottages.” These cottages will be rentals where boaters can pull up, park and stay overnight

Planning more efficient use of boat slips and dry stack, including pull up ramps for jet skis and PWC’s.

New, well-equipped pontoons and cruisers available for rental in Spring 2009.

The pool/fitness meeting room will set up as a meeting room for the Coast Guard Auxiliary and as a boater’s lounge.

Why is it people don't like to sit on the front row?

(...except brave Jim & Sue Starke)

Must go back to our school daze.

In closing, Tony and Carolyn emphasized how happy they are to be here, and how much they love the community. They looked at many marinas but kept coming back to Bay Hill Marina because of the tremendous potential they saw. Tony opened the floor for questions, which were addressed as follows:

They will offer jet ski winterizing, and other boat services.

The pool & fitness area will be secured and security cameras installed for surveillance. The HOA at Rivers Edge is also working with Tony on security issues.

A handrail will be installed at the steps leading up to the swimming pool.

Tony proposed working with the HOA’s to keep the area attractive and to maintain the roads.

When asked if the marina plans to install a boat launch ramp Tony responded that they would like to but don’t have the space to accommodate one.

Tony wants to enforce the one way street from the marina office to the restaurant.

Tony and Carolyn thanked everyone for coming and encouraged us to stay, mingle and feast upon the ample snacks and soft drinks provided by Captain’s Table Restaurant. Bottled water was provided by Carroll Adams and Debi Bradford. Beautiful autumn decorations were provided by Patty Atha.

November Program

Tony & Carolyn Green, Owners

Bay Hill Marina

and

Captain's Table Restaurant

The Bay Hill Conservancy is proud to announce the autumn program. Tony and Carolyn Green, the new owners of Bay Hill Marina and the Captain's Table Restaurant will give a presentation to the Bay Hill Conservancy. The entire neighborhood, including the Ledges, boat owners and the media are invited. Come on down and bring a friend!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

2:00pm

Marina meeting room (next to marina pool)

Tony and Carolyn will tell us how they discovered Bay Hill Marina, where they hail from and what their plans are for the marina's future. Please join us in welcoming the Greens to our beautiful Village.

Snacks provided by Captain's Table Restaurant

Bottled water will be provided.

For more information, contact:

Carroll Adams or Debi Bradford

Autumn's Coming to Bay Hill Village

Members of the Bay Hill Conservancy and Bay Hill Village overall have enjoyed a lovely summer of vacations and staycations, and many are looking forward to the autumnal bliss filled with color and that special "fall light."

Carroll and Debi are planning a Very Special Program for October - date TBA. Watch your e-mails and this blog for details. In the meantime, enjoy excerpts from an article Debi found in the August-September 2006 issue of Cabin Life Magazine.

Loving Your Lake

10 Tips for keeping your water clean and healthy - forever

By Steve McComas

"How can you ensure that the lake you love remains beautiful and healthy for generations to come? You can show your love for your lake by incorporating these 10 tips into your lake life.

1. Buff up the buffer: A lakeside buffer is a growth of unmowed native vegetation from the shoreline extending to upland areas. Grass mowed down to the edge of the water is not a true buffer. Although it provides groundcover, it is not effective for filtering pollutants in runoff water, and it's poor wildlife habitat.

2. Let a fallen tree lie: Shallow water near the shores of lakes are vital nurseries for all fish species as well as a variety of birds and animals. Practically all fish species rely on nearshore habitat at some point in their life cycle. Deadfall - such as a fallen tree in the water - provides great habitat

3. Control exotics: If exotic species are present in your lake, they will be nearly impossible to eradicate. Is there a prevention program in your lake? Does your lake association mail out information on spotting and controlling exotics plants such as Eurasian watermilfoil?

4. Minimize mowed lawns: Rainwater and snowmelt runoff can deliver clean and pure water to a lake - and that's a good thing - or it can deliver fertilizer components and sediments - and those are bad things. Mimic Mother Nature's work if you can.

5. Avoid fertilizing: A native groundcover should thrive without fertilizer. However, if you do use fertilizer consider using phosphorus-free varieties.

6. Balance plants and algae: A battle is always raging in lakes between plants and algae. When plants win, the result is usually clear lake water. You can help the plants win.

7. Maintain that septic system: A malfunctioning septic tank system can contaminate nearby drinking water wells and deliver unwanted materials to the lake.

8. Catch and release: Why is fishing fun? One of the reasons is fish taste good. Releasing most large fish back to the lake helps maintain balance through the fish community.

9. Keep things in check: Sometimes just a simple visual checkup can help point you in the right direction. Example - check the runoff patterns on your lot (is it eroding, is there sheet flow, any problems?), check water running off roofs and gutters, check detergents and use non-phosphorous detergents if possible; properly store hazardous chemicals.

10. Monitor the lake health: Several benchmark tests can be used to gauge lake status and some things can be monitored just for fun. Daily journals of wildlife observations and lake phenomena can be handy references.

So keep a journal, let your shoreline grow au natural, release the lunkers and fertilize your garden with leftover bait minnows. All these activities can make your lake a little bit better. And if you and our neighbors all take care of your lake, it can be enjoyed by many, many generations to come."

To read the complete article click on this link: "Loving Your Lake"