I couldn’t stand peace and tranquility so I threw my favorite dog in the car and went on a field trip to Silver Lake. In the first place, if I didn’t know there was a Silver Lake, I could never find it. There is no signage until you actually get to Antioch Road and it is a cheap, worn out looking sign. I know that it is on the same turn off as the winery so I look for the LaGrange sign. If you drive until you see the Silver Lake sign, you can’t make the turn. The road pops out from nowhere. We need adequate signage.
Turning off onto the area where Silver Lake is, you immediately get into rough road territory. Ok, its a lake. Nearly all the property going down to the lake is posted–both sides of the road. If I am a county resident, and I am on county property, why can’t I be there? Something is being built on the left, between the riding arena and Antioch Road. What is back in there? Why can no one tell me? The area is blocked off and there has been heavy equipment back there a year. What is being hidden back there? Again, posted signs.
Onward to Rainbow riding. They had an open door on the left hand side that looked mighty inviting to vandals. Again, posted signs so I didn’t dare get out and poke around. More county property I cannot go on. The huge field across the gravel road that had been graded and is now grassed over is also posted.
The road to Silver lake needs to have the pot holes filled or patches of the road need to be regraded. Some of them are deep enough to break an axle. This is an ongoing problem back there. Fix the road.
Turning in to the first picnic area is just sad. There is just the most wonderful view of the new middle school. Gag! How can the highlight of a lake area, reserved for passive recreation, be a middle school? Middle schools are not passive recreation. There needs to be a barrier between that lake and the school. I don’t care what is placed there as long as something is. What moron came up with a plan to put a middle school right on top of a lake designed for passive recreation, or any lake at all for that matter? Who will do bush patrol to keep the kids from sneaking off to the lake? What person wants to fish while a bunch of kids are around. The school is probably 100 yards tops from the road. A barrier wall needs to be put up and a row of fast-growing trees needs to be planted to preserve the integrity of the lake. The fumes from the buses will probably kill the trees, especially the locusts back in there.
Erect a barrier. Plant a tree fence.
Driving along past the school side, one can look a few feet in the woods and see discarded picnic tables trashing the area. They appear to be the old tables from Silver Lake but who knows. The park visitors have moved the existing tables around so that many are very close to the waters edge and nearly all are inaccessible to the handicapped. What limited handicapped parking there is goes no where except up an earth berm. Most handicapped people cannot get to the tables or the beach.
Make Silver Lake handicapped accessible.
And now for the main event. Put some bear cans in the park. There is a need for cans in the upper area before circling around Silver Lake and there is a need for cans down on the beach and over by the fishing lagoon. There needs to be a can near the bath house and from what Censored says, there should be to be containers in the bathrooms. I expect there also needs to be toilet paper.
It is human nature to litter when there aren’t adequate trash recepticles. Let’s avoid human nature.
Provide adequate trash containers, ones that wild animals cannot get in to.
Supervisors, you insisted on taking this park over and you are not being good stewards. Bull Run Conservancy offered to take it over, keep it maintained, and allow full access to the public. but ohhhhh no. You just had to take it. Well take care of it. You are neglecting the park. It will become an eye sore. In fact, it already has all the signs. How long will it take to become plain old undesirable?
There was an abandoned car back there also. A ranger was taking down all the vitals there. Nice car but it didn’t belong abandoned back there.
Treat Silver Lake like it is something to be proud of. Get it cleaned up and TAKE DOWN THAT SIGN KISSING TOLL BROTHERS’ ASS. I don’t need to see that sign when I drive back there. Put it out front of the school, don’t put it back where all the people who might like to pretend to enjoy nature back there have to look at it. Enough is enough.
Clean up the picnic tables out of the woods and get rid of that Ass-Kissing sign that blemishes the lake area.
The biggest sin of all was taking 3 years to decide to keep the property, insisting on keeping it and then cheaping on it. If you aren’t going to take care of it and at least put in trash cans and keep the road in drivable repair, give it to Bull Run Conservancy, if they will even have it now, so that people who care about the environment will have some control over what happens.
Supervisors, vote no to giving away $100,000 of our money to a private organization. We don’t have it to give. If there is a penny extra, do the right thing with what is left of Silver Lake, before you all completely destroy it. I put recommendations in red. These aren’t novel ideas.
Great post Moon! Amen to all of it.
So let me understand your point. You are advocating that 100 grand be used to benefit ALL residents.
Absolutely. County funds, especially sizeable county funds like oh…100 grand, need to stay in the county and subject to county transparency. Once money is given to an private organization, you no longer have any sunshine on how the money is being used.
Everyone can use Silver Lake. It needs to have things done to make it enjoyable. (see red highlights) These are just common sense things. I believe that Dominion Power employees even took their time and donated the work on the picnic tables and weeding, bush cutting etc. The county didn’t even do that much.
How many supervisors have even been out to Silver Lake? What if one of us shows up down there on Tuesday and asks the following questions:
How many of you all have been to Silver Lake since it reopened?
How many of you could even find Silver Lake right this minute?
How many of you all know how close that school is to that lake?
(I would like to ask the school board members the same question, from a liabililty stand point)
How many supervisors have seen that freaking monstrosity riding arena first hand?
I bet I couldn’t find more than 2 out off the 8 who could answer any of my questions.
And since I am in a question asking mood…how long before that riding arena becomess an in-door facility to be rented out for horse shows etc? How soon will the area have all sorts of traffic because it is THE arena for the PWC horse set rather than just a ‘barn’ (wink wink nudge nudge) so handicap kids can ride when the weather is bad.
Yea, I just bet. I come from a long line of horse folks. I know how the thinking goes.
Which takes us back to the Dominion Valley proffers which offered a riding park at James Long Park along with an indoor pool.
Raise your hand if EITHER one of those proffers occured. Yep, there would be no show of hands as neither came to fruition.
I need to read slower.
I could have sworn at first reading that you wrote:
“I couldn’t stand peace and tranquility so I threw my favorite dog in the lake….”
Had to go back and read it again.
But, if you can’t stand peace and tranquility…THAT will get rid of it.
So cargo, what do you think of the $100,000 donation using govt. funds? You are a conservative and you are from out of town and don’t know any of the players. How does this situation hit you?
Donations by gov’t funds to a private enterprise…..nope. Shouldn’t happen. Too much opportunity for corruption AND isn’t there some PUBLIC policy that needs that money…like….filling a pot hole or hiring one cop?
I did too!!!! LOL!! 😉
“I need to read slower.
I could have sworn at first reading that you wrote:
“I couldn’t stand peace and tranquility so I threw my favorite dog in the lake….”
Had to go back and read it again.” (Cargosquid )
I think the idea of the government putting a foot over my throat and pushing down to squeeze me for more taxes to give away to anyone is repulsive.
I agree with all of this. I have been to Silver Lake several times and observed all the things mentioned above. It is too bad, it is a really beautiful place but the county needs to step up and do the right thing by it. I won’t even touch the monstrosity of a horse stable that was built there! The county really screwed up the whole Silver Lake deal from the start when it was debated several years ago how to run that property!
@GainesvilleResident
What do you want the county to “step up” and do? This is supposed to be a private, non-profit organization. Are you suggesting that the county “step up” and provide funding? Or should it be that the county zoning people “step up” and enforce some of the things Moon has suggested?