Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 22, 1990 TAG: 9006230355
SECTION: SMITH MOUNTAIN TIMES PAGE: SMT-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Some 757 people responded. The respondants were composed of 43 percent full-time residents, 42 percent part-year residents and 15 percent occasional visitors or absent property owners.
Below are some of the issues raised:
Water safety
Boat operators should be licensed: 75 percent agreed; 25 percent disagreed.
Speed limits should be set for watercraft: 75 percent agreed; 25 percent disagreed.
Operators of jet skis should be subject to regulations beyond those for boaters: 82 percent agreed; 18 percent disagreed.
The association should seek legislation to control boat noise: 84 percent agreed; 16 percent disagreed.
Boating regulatons should become more strict during peak weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day: 30 percent agreed; 70 percent disagreed.
Safe-boating courses should be taught in local high schools along with driver education courses: 67 percent agreed; 33 percent disagreed.
Government services
The lake area should combine to form an independent town, which would mean increased taxes: 26 percent agreed; 74 present disagreed.
The association should request that local sheriff's deputies patrol the lake: 72 percent agreed; 28 pecent disagreed.
The association should ask surrounding counties to hire crews to clean up the lake: 90 percent agreed; 10 percent disagreed.
The U.S. Coast Guard should return to the lake as an adjunct to the state game wardens: 70 percent agreed; 30 percent disagreed.
Smith Mountain Lake State Park should have more facilities: 73 percent agreed; 27 percent disagreed. (Suggested improvements: horses, cottages, expanded marina and ampitheatre.)
Quality of life
Billboards should be removed or restricted in the lake area: 93 percent agreed; 7 percent disagreed.
Off-property real-estate signs should be removed or restricted: 92 percent agreed; 8 percent disagreed.
The association should place recycling bins around the lake: 89 percent agreed; 11 percent disagreed.
Dredging should be used as a means of removing silt from Smith Mountain Lake: 80 percent agreed; 20 percent disagreed.
The association should be concerned with water and boating safety (19 percent agreed); zoning (16 percent); environmental issues (15 percent); docks (14 percent); roads (14 percent); wells (12 percent) and all of the above (9 percent).
by CNB