Still No Answers on Lake Swannanoa Assessments

A large crowd gathered for Wednesday night's Jefferson Township council meeting, seemingly because the words Lake Swannanoa appeared on the council's agenda. However, at the meeting's end, the participants left without the one answer they were seeking.

The dumped 14 inches of rain in a 12-hour period. Current repairs are estimated to be approximately $250,000. The questions that the council must decide on are two-fold: first, will it co-sign a loan with the homeowners association for the dam repair. Secondly, who will be assessed to pay off the loan; will it be the homeowners association, all residents of Lake Swannanoa, or all residents of the township?

What happened on Wednesday night, however, did not answer those questions. Instead, the council discussed a 14-16 page agreement document between themselves and the Lake Swannanoa Property Owners Association.

“We have this agreement that we think fairly represents the decisions we've both come to,” said council president Richard Yocum. “What we will do tonight is agree to hand the document over to the homeowners' association to read and sign. Then it will come back to us for signature.”

Several residents wanted to be sure they were clear on the process, and that no assessments were being made to their properties. Yocum assured the crowd that no monetary decisions were being made on Wednesday.

“We understand what an important issue this is, and we will continue to have public meetings on this topic so that everyone's opinions are heard,” he said.