Posted on October 15, 2026
By MARY ELIADES
The Lakes Committee of the Hot Springs Village Property Owners Association met Oct. 6 to discuss dredging, equipment purchases and maintenance.
Special guests Don Schuettenberg and Dean Winter from the POA’s Finance & Planning (F & P) Committee gave a presentation on committee roles in the budget planning process. They reviewed the Operations and Maintenance Table (OMT) and explained its use as a planning and decision tool, and how it is used in budget preparation.
The F & P Committee gets its direction from the controller, the general manager, and department directors; department heads receive input from the community, through the various committees.
Winter noted that committee involvement facilitates better decisions, especially during the budget process.
Board liaison Archie Frye told the committee that funding had been authorized for dredging equipment, which should arrive in December or January. Materials dredged will be taken to the Pit (behind Gasoline Alley). Frye said dredging can take place without draining the lakes, and the equipment will be able to get into hard-to-reach coves. In response to a question from the audience, Lakes supervisor Sam Scott said dredging will go all the way to property lines, where possible.
Scott also reported that the algae advisory on Lake Sophia was lifted on Sept. 29 and the lake is looking better.
Fourteen pallet structures for fish habitat were installed in Lake Coronado.
Drawdown on Lakes Granada and Estrella will begin Nov. 2, and Scott said a dive team inspected and cleaned out the drawdown valves. A letter about the drawdown was posted on the Lakes Committee website (hsvlakes.com), as well as the weekly Village Digest.
Lakes staff completed annual dam inspections on all Village lakes. Scott said his team walks the dams, looking for holes, erosion, structural damage, etc.
Committee member Bob Walker, representing the Anglers Club, discussed Military Fishing Day, which was scheduled for Oct. 8, and said donations are being sought for the 2027 event to continue the tradition.
The Anglers recently presented a seminar for 25 participants at Teen Challenge, which was well received.
The committee also discussed fountains (or aerators) that individuals have placed in some of the lakes, which require permits and approval by the Common Property Committee. Frye said he thought approval would be hard to obtain because of future maintenance issues with the equipment (i.e., once a resident moves or passes away, the new homeowner may not want to continue to maintain the devices).
The next meeting of the committee will be Nov. 3, in the Ouachita Room at the Ponce de Leon Center, at 9:30 a.m.
