We have been notified by Bruce Campbell, the Cass County Drain commissioner, that our outlet dam is in need of repair- here is the letter he has sent to us in reference to it. This is all we know at this time, and we will keep you appraised of the particulars of the repair as soon as Bruce informs us..
08.28.09 Subject: Information for the Shavehead Lake Association Newsletters
The Cass County Circuit Court set a lake level for Shavehead Lake on February 29, 1959. The court’s decree set the summer level at 793.5’ and the winter level at 793.0’ and ordered the Drain Commissioner to maintain these levels to the best of his/her ability. To maintain these levels a control structure (dam) was installed. Structures like these are inspected every three years under regulations from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). Last October the dam was inspected and the report showed that erosion was taking place on the sidewalls and maintenance was required. The repairs to the dam are scheduled to take place in early September of 2009. Everyone in the Shavehead Lake District will be noticed for a Public Hearing at which time residents can come in and discuss the project and review the assessment roll. At this time the hearing date and location has not been set.
Would this dog bite you, or someone in your family?
Unfortunately, as friendly as our dog "Dusti" looks, and as friendly as she was to our family, (you should've seen how she played with our nieces and nephews), she did, unfortunately, bite our neighbor in the knee, and we had to say "goodbye" to Dusti, and put her down..
Dogs are very "unpredictable", and this year we have received numerous complaints about dogs from many different locations around the lake..
So much so, that one of our residents has sent in a letter to the SLA Association expressing their concern, which follows.
Cass County does have a "Dog Ordinance" in place, which does state that your pets must be in your "total control" at all times, and a "shock collar" is not considered at to be in your total control.. You can, and will be fined, if your pet is found to be in violation of the ordinance and/or causes harm to another person..
The phone number for animal control is: (269) 445-3701- they will keep your name in confidence if you report an animal that is a problem.
The letter that we have received follows, and once again, this complaint is not isolated - we've received numerous complaints from many folks, from numerous locations around the lake..
Here is the letter we've received from a family on our lake, and once again, they are not the only family voicing their concern..
Dear Board Members of Shavehead Lake Association,
We are a family that owns a home on the lake. We always enjoy our time on Shavehead. While we are not currently full-time residents, it is our hope to spend a considerable more amount of time there in future years. We enjoy the beautiful wildlife, the activities on the lake, and our early morning canoe paddles. We also used to enjoy walking around the lake roads. However, it has become increasingly difficult to manage a quiet, non-threatening walk because of dogs whose owners do not heed the current county leash law.
Both my husband and my son, while enjoying a run, have encountered dogs that have chased them, bared their teeth, and acted in a menacing and vicious manner. Now this past week, our 6 year old grand-nephew, while walking with his mother in the early evening, was bitten by an unleashed dog on North Drive. We are angry, disappointed and tired of owners who repeatedly use careless judgment when it concerns their dogs.
Dogs cannot be allowed to run freely off their owner’s property. This clearly violates the county’s leash law and turns an otherwise idyllic setting into a dangerous place. We respect the rights of everyone to enjoy the Shavehead Lake environment and would never dream of infringing in any manner on those rights by purposefully ignoring an important law. It is not enough for dog-owners to believe their dogs won’t hurt anyone, when we know from experience that that is NOT the case.
We respectfully request that you inform all homeowners and renters to be vigilant with regards to their pets. Informing people of the leash law would be a start. We also request that you publish the Animal Control number in future Shavehead Newsletters and on the current website.
August 30, 2009 - Shavehead Lake Water Levels after significant rainfall
As well as the unrestrained dogs complaints, we have also received numerous complaints from our residents about folks water-skiing / wake-boarding on the lake after heavy rainfalls, which is causing a lot of concerns about shore-line erosion. This concern is well-founded, and a letter from our drain commissioner, that was published in the local newspapers, is attached.
Please folks, use some common sense after a heavy rainfall in your boating!
The wakes that are created by high-speed boating, after a heavy rainfall, do affect your neighbors shorelines..
Both lake associations have received numerous complaints about this, (as well as the "unrestrained dog problem").. We'll be looking into a way to establish a "no-wake" ordinance on our lake when our water level exceeds a certain height, and a way in which to inform our residents that our lake is in a "no-wake" state..
This is in the interest of protecting the shoreline of our lake, and is by request of many residents of the lake.
..
The letter from the drain commissioner follows, and we ask everyone once again to please be considerate of your neighbors in your boating activities.
Press Release
Bruce Campbell
Cass County Water Resources Commissioner
269.445.4428
brucec@cassco.org
On Monday, August 17th, 2009 areas in Southwest Michigan and Northern Indian experienced another heavy rain event that dumped considerable amounts of rain in Cass County, MI. A lot of Cass county received 1-2” of rain in a two hour period but there were some areas in the county that received considerably more. It was reported that in Cassopolis at Community Mills the rain gauge read over 4”. Reports around Union and Edwardsburg were from 4-5”. Campbell reports “I heard from a number of residents on Shavehead Lake in Porter Township that their rain gauges registered 7” of rain water.
Cass County Water Resources Commissioner Bruce Campbell urges boaters to use good judgment until the waters return to normal levels. Water levels on most of the county lakes are very high and wakes can cause damage to seawalls, lawns, piers, boats, docks, and in some cases even homes. Cass County has 20 lakes that have a legally established lake levels and on the majority of those lakes the level exceeds those set elevations.
December 31, 2007 - Community Emergency Response Team
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
The Cass County Sheriff and the Dowagiac Police and Fire Departments will hold training of volunteers in a new Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) beginning January 8, 2008 and each Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 9:30 pm culminating in a simulated disaster situation and graduation on Feb.26. Classes are free and held in Dowagiac City Hall council chambers. There is a need for ten more volunteers. This program was spearheaded by the Department of Homeland Security as a means of preparing citizens for disaster relief assistance during tornadoes, wildfires, search and rescue efforts and various other emergency situations. If you are interested in being trained please contact Marilyn McLane at Shavehead59@aol.com or call Sheri at the Dowagiac Police Department 782-9743.
October 23, 2007 - Shoreline Rip - Rap Protection Project
SHORELINE RIP-RAP Project
The Schutt family, JoAnn, Ken and Barbara, decided it was time to upgrade the shoreline bulkhead on the lake front. The railroad ties, installed more than 20 years ago, were tilting and settling in an uneven fashion.
We selected 8"-12" limestone because the rough edges would lock together to form a more stable wall. The railroad ties were leveled where needed and a 6" trench filled with gravel was made on the land side. The filter fabric was placed in the rock wall in a manner to prevent washout beneath the rock wall.
The Department of Environmental Quality was most supportive of the use of limestone because it is a friendly material to the lake and benefits the fish and plants therein.
Rumor was that processing a permit might take two months; we took our Permit Request to the Kalamazoo office on a Friday and received our Permit Approval the following Tuesday. No on-site inspection was made because we had an adequate plan drawn and pictures.
After hauling and building our 170' seawall with 35 tons of rock, we thank Dussel's Landscaping crew, Cassopolis, for their expertise and services. We are happy to have been able to contribute to the environmental quality of our beautiful lake.
This website is for the benefit of all of the residents of our Shavehead Lake community. Courtesy of Mike Bosela -resident, board member and treasurer - Enjoy!
This website is for the benefit of all of the residents of our Shavehead Lake community. Courtesy of Mike Bosela -resident, board member and treasurer - Enjoy!
