With more than 300 people (some say more than 400) in attendance at the special LPA meeting on Aug. 5, the topic was certainly the talk of the lake — and still is. The subject? A new condo and restaurant project that will replace the current hotel and restaurant. You may wonder why anyone would object to progress like this. The answers vary, but most deal directly with the safety concern of having more boats on the water. And, on a related note, some LPA members are concerned with the effects of wake boats, too.
Ultimately, the condo and hotel project has been approved and appears to be moving forward, as we write about in this month’s cover story. And, ultimately, the wake boat concern may be addressed by the state legislature. If not, the LPA board will certainly need to deal with it in some way at some point.
Change never seems to be easy, as some folks will like it and some won’t. The many issues that are related to change are more complicated than most of us realize, too. In the end, I trust our elected officials to make the decisions that are best for our association, our lake and, ultimately, each of us as members. I hope you will, too.
Small-town relations
I certainly realize that the Lake Panorama community is like a small town in many ways, and I like that. What continues to surprise me, though, is how so many people in the community are related to each other. I just learned about another set of family ties when I edited our story on Dwight Dinkla this month. In it, I learned that he and our just-named citizen of the year, JoAnn Johnson, are siblings. I have known them both for a few years and just learned this now.
Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised about so many family ties, as I also continue to meet people who know both my wife and me and tell us they didn’t realize we were married.
These stories remind me of a time in recent years when I asked a local person if she was related to another local person with the same name. She said they probably were and then shared with me what she told her son: “Check with me first before you start dating anyone just to make sure you are not related.” That’s a good idea.
Disc golf and the new dock near the south shore
My wife and I purchased some disc golf sets with good intentions of playing at various courses including the new course on the south shore here at Lake Panorama. We have played a few times on another course but have not here yet. The recent installation of the dock near the south shore may inspire us to make this happen, as it is now just a short boat ride away. We share the details on this $10,000 dock investment, which was paid for through funds raised at both the 2024 and 2025 Friends of Lake Panorama Beach Balls. The dock allows boaters to tie up and access the south shore trails and disc golf course from the water. Look inside this issue for details.
Have a great month, and, as always, thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Lake Panorama Times
641-332-2707
shane@gctimesnews.com