Fall and winter at Lake of the Ozarks usually means a lull in activity and a break on the roads. That's not so this year. In the next few weeks, new roads will open to traffic, detours will reroute vehicles and fresh projects will get underway. Combined, more than $200 million has been spent by the Missouri Department of Transportation in the lake area. The projects have transformed the landscaped, redefined how residents and tourists get from one destination to another and even made it a little safer to travel.

Four Camdenton Laker football team members scarfed a victory Saturday, Aug. 21 over three Osage Indian football players and one very brave dance team member at the Ozark Bar-B-Que in Sunrise Beach. The Laker and Indian booster clubs held a pork eating contest, “Packin’ in the Pigskin,” at the restaurant to raise funds. 

For Matt and Melissa Sutcliffe, it’s a work and play relationship they have with their seven children who are an integral part of Bear Bottom Resort just off Highway 5 in Sunrise Beach. Ranging in age from 6 to 20, Marc, Megan, Amanda, Cortney, Kelsey, Shawn and MacKenzi can be seen scurrying around the complex undertaking a variety of chores.

Originally built in 1959 by Eddie Bryant, the resort opened as The Holly Air Resort, boasting such “lavish” amenities as air conditioned rooms, electricity and a pool. The Sutcliffe family bought the resort on Aug. 1, 2008, and immediately started to renovate, repair and re-invent a classic lakefront resort.

On the horizon as part of a 10-year plan is expansion of the campground area, the addition of 32 individual cabins and a retain development of 400 feet of Highway 5 frontage in Sunrise Beach. If the economy strengthens, another water feature might be added along with improvements and expansion of the boat docks.

Educators and school psychologists agree that getting a child’s school year off to a good start can influence children’s attitude, confidence and performance both socially and academically.  And, what better way to contribute to a positive and productive school experience for a child than to express encouragement in a letter, suggests Postmaster Angela Hunter.

Hunter is asking parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends to write a letter to a student to let him/her know you are proud of him for going to school and participating in school activities.

Lake West Christian Academy is trying to build up a sports program in hopes of soon fielding high school teams. This week's Eagles Basketball Camp is a start to that. The camp also has a special meaning for LWCA athletics director Dan Noyes.

Sunrise Beach local Rebecca Bays, a native of Camdenton, has joined Teach For America, the national corps of top college graduates who commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools in low-income communities.

“The achievement gap in education is one of the most pressing civil rights problems facing our nation today. I am so blessed to be part of a national movement that makes a direct impact on our educational system and allows all students an opportunity for equal education,” Bays said.

Bays is a 2006 graduate of Camdenton High School, 2010 graduate of Washington University, and will teach in Miami beginning this fall.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has referred the case against a Camden County homeowners association to the Missouri Attorney General's Office alleging violations of the Missouri Clean Water Law.

The department referred the case against Shamrock Point Homeowners' Association Inc. to the attorney general alleging numerous clean water law violations at its wastewater treatment facility, located off Lake Road 5-48, in Sunrise Beach.

The Route 5 widening project through Sunrise Beach continues to be a point of contention.

With the original deadline on the project being Memorial weekend in May, the Missouri Department of Transportation has been criticized for still not being done, though it was estimated last week that the project would finish up this week.

But after a semi truck got hung up in the access to Laurie Motors II Saturday, July 10, business owner Don Silva said he wants his driveway fixed.

Lake West Christian Academy will host its first “Eagles Basketball Camp” August 2-6 at the school, located on Highway 5 in Sunrise Beach. Sessions are currently planned for girls and boys in grades 3-6, 7-8, and 9-12. Some of these sessions could be combined, dependent upon the number of campers registering.

If you walked in the front door of Rich and Linda Stewart's home on the Lake's west side, you would have no clue of Rich's ambition to become a top-rate football blogger. Head downstairs, and the picture becomes much clearer.
Four 20" televisions surround a 52" high-definition behemoth. The entire "man cave" is decorated with Kansas City Chiefs, Missouri Tigers, and football memorabilia.

While Lloyd Anderson of Gravois Mills was born in Iowa, he and his family were living out West when the United States entered World War II in 1941 after the Dec. 7 attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor.

After Lloyd enlisted in the Navy, he was destined for a ship being built nearby at a shipyard in Portland, Ore. The U.S.S. La Porte was commissioned in Astoria the summer that Lloyd joined the service. He and his parents attended the service, and Lloyd would also be there years later for her decommissioning.

* Inside, there's a summary of a timeline from Harold F. Cain EM 3/C, who served on the USS La Porte. The timeline was provided by Lloyd Anderson.

Roger Corbin: Bridge used most by westsiders

With a petition in Camden County Circuit Court to form a Transportation Development District (TDD) for the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge, a proposal to offer an electronic discount pass to frequent users of the toll bridge has been made by Sunrise Beach resident Roger Corbin.
“I believe most trips across the bridge are made by westsiders,” he said. “Based on the survey we did along the Route 5 corridor in Sunrise Beach (for a Community Development Block Grant), the low and moderate income index on the west side is extremely high. Raising the tolls would adversely affect a lot of people here.”

Meeting set for July 6
The Sunrise Beach planning commission will be holding a meeting Tuesday, July 6 at which the public will be invited to comment on and ask questions about the Transportation Development District being proposed for the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District Headquarters behind Station 1 on Porters Mills Spring Road off Route 5.
 

All 51 water samples taken during the latest round of E. coli testing have passed the federal standard for public swimming beaches.

Village board meets in closed session, then  decides not to comment in favor or against the proposed TDD at this time

Members of the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge Corporation board of directors attended a Sunrise Beach village hall meeting Monday, June 14 to seek support from the village board of trustees for a petition for a Transportation Development District that has been filed in Camden County Circuit Court.
After hearing from bridge board members and citizens in attendance, the trustees decided to move the issue into closed session. The trustees ultimately decided not to comment in favor or against the proposed TDD at this time.
The Sunrise Beach board of trustees have until September, however, to come down on one side or another of the issue.

Board of directors temporarily re-instates a small portion of its property tax on district

Relay For Life event at Big Surf Water Park; 32nd HK's Hospital Golf Tournament; Join the Elks for a  benefit breakfast; Take a stroll in the  annual Garden Walk; Benefit yard sales

With the sale of the roadside park along Route 5 in Sunrise Beach by the Missouri Department of Transportation, American Legion Post 624 moved its memorial monument for Zachariah D. Wheat from the park to the Post, located on Lake Road 5-33.
Clary Construction and Scott's Concrete helped the Legion pour a new concrete slab for the monument.

The concrete was donated by Sons of the Legion and the American Legion Riders. Rush Dock & Crane helped move the estimated 8,000 pound memorial marker to its new home May 26.