Correction! Correction!

I don’t know if correction is the proper terminology, but since I issued the report earlier this afternoon I’ve been assured by CEO Kevin Easley that no vote will be taking place on the habitable structure issue this Thursday. As stated, the board will be given a presentation on the results of the OU study and given an overview of possible options for dealing with this issue. Find the altered version of my column below.

Cheers

Habitable Structures Finally Surface

After delaying any decision regarding habitable structures on Grand Lake for over a year, the issue has finally made its way to the agenda of this month's GRDA board meeting. The issue has been scheduled previously, but has been scrubbed multiple times for what at the time appeared to be the avoidance of a sensitive issue. Now on Thursday, after this fine publication has already gone to press, the issue is conveniently scheduled to be addressed at a non Grand Lake location in Tulsa. I was initially alarmed it could possibly be voted on by a board which will have two new directors participating in their very first meeting, but I’ve since been assured by Chief Executive Officer Kevin Easley that no vote will take place. The vote will take place at a later meeting.

The last time this issue was presented to the board they were given multiple options for dealing with this issue. There was everything from anything goes to limiting these structures to commercial operators only. At the time, some estimated there were as many as a thousand of these enclosed dock structures around the lake, some which would meet the plumbing code and some which would not. Most of the options provided included the grandfathering of existing structures with the stipulation they be in compliance with current lake regulations regarding the handling of gray and black water. Handling can best be described as either disposing of it into an approved septic system or collecting it in a holding tank and being pumped out as required by septic service contractors. Rather than render a decision at the time, the authority decided a lake-wide environmental study to determine the impact of these structures on our water quality was in order and the University of Oklahoma was contracted to do just that.

On Thursday, as part of the agenda item dealing with this issue, Randall L. Kolar, PH.D., will be making a presentation on the results of the OU study. The results of the study have not been the best kept secret in the world and all indications are the presentation contents are not what those opposing these structures were hoping for. The "Fearless Fleming Forecast" is that it will tell us what we mostly already knew; the major contributors to the pollution of Grand Lake are based in agriculture with the chicken industry at the head of the pack and that habitable structures have virtually no impact on the over all condition of our water.

The sad truth is that no one gave a flip about habitable structures until Ugly John Mullen started constructing dockominiums at Thunder Bay Marina in Duck Creek. Since they were a commercial endeavor in nature, they immediately drew the wrath of the anti development crowd and some regular "Joe Six Pack” Grand Lakers, whose view would be reduced. The end result was, that due to the war on commercial development by a small minority of Grand Lakers and the fact Thunder Bay's project was of the second story variety, hundreds of others could end up being penalized. Furthermore, for the Grand River Dam Authority to plead ignorance to the fact these structures existed is almost comical.

Some of these structures have been on the lake for some fifty years and a majority of them can be found displaying a GRDA dock permit stickers. Many are as nice as any house you might find and are far cry from those sinking structures dumping raw sewage in to the lake depicted by their critics. For years, they have provided an affordable way to enjoy Oklahoma's premier lake and best kept secret. One thing which won't be classified a secret is the high cost of waterfront housing on Grand Lake. When completed, Grand Lake was dubbed a rich man's lake…do we really want to reserve this lake for the exclusive use of the rich and famous?

So, where do we go from here? First, let's hope this board doesn't rush to a decision with the deciding factor being whatever is least troublesome to the authority. For months, there has been a lot of discussion about how to insure these structures are in compliance with electrical and plumbing codes. There are concerns within the authority regarding the manpower for any required inspections and who might really be qualified to do them. Certainly these are all legitimate concerns, but is it out of the realm to possibly think outside of the GRDA box?

In the private sector, no doubt, any additional costs would be passed on to the customer. A special category of dock permitting specifically for habitable structures, with a higher fee, would not be asking too much for those who enjoy the benefits of these types of docks. These increased dock fees could be designed to offset any additional costs to the authority. I would suggest the lake patrol could be utilized to perform and schedule these inspections with the assistance of a licensed plumber and electrician in the off-season. There are any number of ways to approach the task at hand, but let's really get wild for a minute.

The authority is either in process or has already completed the task of identifying each and every dock on this lake, complete with a GPS defined location and a digital photograph. They know, or they soon will know, where every dock on this lake is located and which ones are potential habitable structures. The registration of each and every habitable structure is very well doable. And it would seem the recruitment of these very people to help in the process would also be a possibility.

Since, we've got an association for about everything else on this lake, one made up of dockominiums and live-on dock owners doesn't seem that far fetched. Since they can now be identified, recruitment of people to such a group with similar interests and investment in these structures shouldn't be that difficult. An advisory board made up of these like stakeholders could go a long way in developing a plan to insure their compliance. Who better than they to know what the real issues are and how to address them? Guys and gals, I just can't help but think there's a way.

I'm on record, both as the executive director of Grand Lakers United Enterprise and just as a regular Grand Laker, of favoring the allowance of these structures, both from a commercial and residential standpoint, as long they adequately address any associated water quality issues. If they are disallowed, it won't be because the technology isn't there to handle both sewage and waste water. If they are outlawed, I'll let you be the judge about the real reason.

See Ya' Around the Pond!