BY JOHN A. NAGY, Insider Reporter
Plans for significant improvements to cope with population growth and demand for amenities in Seven Lakes West are coming together and will soon go out for property owners review.
The Seven Lakes West Landowners Association’s Board of Directors received updates on several major projects at its March 22 meeting, the biggest of which is an expansion of the mail house.
The central mail house, located at the corner of Lakeway and Longleaf drives, has 1,120 mail boxes but is nearly full, leaving no room for those building new homes in the growing community. The board of directors has budgeted $200,000 for an expansion project that would add a wing to the building.
The L-shaped expansion would add new space for mail boxes as well as packages being delivered to the community. The expansion would have two entrances and a centralized sorting space connected to the existing mail-sorting space.
Board member Tim Niewald, who serves as liaison to the community’s Infrastructure Committee, told fellow board members that final plans had been drawn up and soon would be circulated to residents for review.
Construction is expected to start on the project later this year.
The board is also looking to cope with growth in Seven Lakes West by trying to make better use of its back gate. Right now, the unstaffed gate is for residents only, and access is controlled by RFID windshield tag readers.
In his written monthly report to the board, Safety and Security Committee chairman Erik Stromberg said his group is looking at expanding use of the community’s recent Tekwave smartphone app technology features that allow residents to admit guests through the front gate.
“We have arranged to have someone fromTekWave come out next month to discuss the options, possibilities, and functions of the ‘All Box,’” Stromberg wrote.
That feature, located at the back gate, would allow a guard at the front gate or a resident to remotely lift the gate for guests. Also, a code scanner could be added, so residents could send guests a QR code that would allow entry as well.
These features, board members say, would take some pressure off the staffed front gate, which can back up during busy times of the day with visitors and contractors.
“After the committee receives more information, we will release it to the community for review and feedback on whether this is something the community thinks would benefit everyone as a whole,” Stromberg wrote.
The final big improvement within Seven Lakes West includes changes at Johnson Point, the lone put-in point for boaters getting on Lake Auman. Another dock is being added to allow for additional flow of launching boats and retrieving them from the water.
The new dock will be intended for individuals who have to tie off their boats and then go retrieve their vehicle and boat trailer. Boats dropping off passengers would also be able to access this dock, freeing up space at the main boat launch. Work on this project is ongoing.
Planning is also underway to expand boat and recreational vehicle storage in Seven Lakes West. Approximately four or five acres are going to be cleared and used for storage. That work is not expected to occur until next year.
In other action during its March 22 meeting, the board voted unanimously to reduce the boat registration fee for residents who renew their registrations in the off-season between Nov. 1 and April 30. That fee is currently $100, so boat owners would only pay $50 during the off-season renewal period.
Contact John Nagy at (910) 693-2507 or john@thepilot.com.
