Hello Six Milers

It’s coming up to one month before we hold our regatta and fireworks show. As we write this letter, it is pouring rain outside. Funny enough, all the rain we have been experiencing hasn’t moved the needle on the fire rating sign. So, please be cautious regarding fires.

Ice Cream Giveaway

What better way to beat the heat than to munch on a free ice cream cone. This Saturday, July 1^st at 1:00 p.m. we will be having our Ice Cream Giveaway. Look for the pontoon boats with the SMLCA banners. One will be near the north east passage to Crooked Bay, one will be to the south of Cedar Nook, one will be to the east of Battle Ship Island, and one will be located near the flashing light on the way to SML Marina at Lumbers Island.

Township OPA meeting

On June 6^th, the township held a meeting regarding the SMLRA’s application for an official plan amendment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve5O15gfVOk see from 2:38 on. We spoke at this event and encouraged council not to simply vote the proposal down, but rather get involved in bringing both associations together to try and work out a solution we all could live with. Since then, we attended a meeting with the township planners and the SMLRA planner and we are looking forward to further discussions.

Donations for the fireworks

Our fireworks show will be on the evening of Saturday, August 5 (weather and fire ban permitting). In order for this to happen, we need to raise enough money to purchase the fireworks by July 20^th. All the money for this show comes through donations from our generous SML cottagers. If you enjoy watching the show please donate. Like everything, the cost of the fireworks has gone up, so any amount, small or large, will contribute to a fabulous show. The cut off is only 3 weeks away! Send your donations now through our website: https://sixmilelake.net/asp-products/fireworks-donation/

Volunteers needed for the Regatta

Our annual regatta will be held on Saturday, August 5.  Fun for everyone!  Swim and canoe races, kid’s games, tattoos and face painting, book sales, food and drinks, the legendary snake exhibit, as well as raffles and a 50-50 draw.  We are looking forward to a big turnout and we need volunteers to help out.  Please contact Ted Mackay at ted.mackay@sixmilelake.net . We need help with:

Friday (the day before)

• Loading a barge with regatta equipment and supplies (tables, tents, signs, sound system, generator, bins, etc.) at Wauwatosa Marina and unloading at the regatta site; prepping the site, setting up of the race lanes, tables, signs, etc.
• Loading the fireworks boxes onto a barge at the Government Landing beside Wauwatosa and unloading everything on Fire Island (note: the actual set-up of the fireworks on Fire Island is done by the fireworks experts, not us!)

Saturday:

• Finish setting up the regatta site: sound system, tables, etc.
• Working at the fish pond, sucker board, face painting
• Working on the food tables
• A second Lifeguard (we pay $100)
• Race crew: starter, “Bouncer” (keeping the starting dock in order), judges, record takers, canoe corral
• Cleaning up and re-packing everything after the regatta
• We are also looking for someone on the lake that is qualified to do first aid. We would be willing to pay for this service.

Both adults and kids are welcome to help! Please note that students needing to perform volunteer hours can claim this time.

We are also desperately seeking prize donations both for the regatta and golf tournament. Contact us at info@sixmilelake.net .

The SMLCA Golf Tournament

Come join us on Tuesday August 8th at noon at the Bonaire Golf and Country Club in Coldwater, Ontario for our 18^th annual Golf Tournament. There will be 18 holes of golf, shotgun format, with a putting contest. Afterward there will be a BBQ dinner and prizes awarded, as well as a silent auction. This is a great opportunity to come out and meet your lake neighbours. RSVP with your foursome at golf@sixmilelake.net .

SMLCA Annual Financial Review

Our by-laws require that there is an annual review of our finances. This is performed by an independent third-party CPA. Cost escalations seem to be everywhere these days and the work of a CPA is no different. This year, the review will cost $5,000, which consumes roughly a quarter of our overall membership revenue. This is a very high cost considering the very low number of transactions and risk profile we have. A typical year has 70 Deposits (40 automated, 20 cash, and 10 Interac), 25 cheques written, 25 invoices issued for advertising and one regatta deposit for raffle and food sales.

We are looking to substantially reduce this cost so the savings can be reinvested into lake activities. If there is a qualified accountant on the Lake that would be willing to do this work at a reduced rate, or ideally pro-bono, we would be very much interested in hearing from them in the next few weeks. The time required would be minimal as there are good records and our treasurer keeps the books summarized and up to date. Please contact our treasurer, Rick Jocsak at rick.jocsak@sixmilelake.net if you can help us.

Dock ramp and regatta outhouse

We still urgently need your help to raise funds for the replacement of the ramp for the new floating swim dock used for the children’s and young adult’s races at our annual regatta. Last year, the old ramp shattered and needs to be replaced. A suitable aluminum one can cost as much as $3,500. Also, one of the outhouses at the site is ready to fall over and will either need to be repaired or replaced. If you log onto our website at: https://sixmilelake.net/asp-products/dock-donation/ you can donate online. As little as $50 can make a big difference.

Floating Container Cottages

There has been a lot of news recently about the issue of floating container cottages. We understand that the province has passed legislation that bans sleeping overnight in them. We don’t think that goes far enough. The Gloucester Pool Cottagers Association believes the only way to properly close the loophole is to have Transport Canada designate them as floating homes rather than vessels. That way, they will have to conform to township building codes and sewage regulations, pay taxes, and be regulated with respect to where they can park. To that end we, have put petitions at both marinas to collect signatures which will be sent to the appropriate government contacts. Note the cut off for this is July 10^th.

Don’t forget to wave and be mindful of your wake.

It’s that time of year again. Boating season. Please remember when you are out in your boat that we all share the lake and our peaceful, wonderful environment. Follow the boater’s code https://safequiet.ca/our-initiatives/boaters-code/ . Have a safe, quiet summer. And don’t forget to wave!