The "Improvements/Projects" Page

This page provides a list of projects and improvements that have been done in the past (last year or beyond), as well as a list of items being worked on for the current year. There is aso a list of potential future projects that are being considered. 

We do welcome suggestions/ideas concerning any of these projects. To share an idea or concern, please contact our Adminstrator Directly.  

WMLCRID Administrator

Email: info@wmlcrid.org

Office #928-532-8099     

WMLCRID WORK PLAN

Last Updated on: 03/25/23

This written workplan allows you to see what staff is thinking about in regards to the various projects and improvements. It also allows you to see the current status of each item. At the bottom of this page, you will find links to the Completed Items for the previous years.

Scroll Down to see the following sections below:

Section A = 2023 IN-PROGESS IMPROVEMENTS & PROJECTS

Section B = 2023 POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS & PROJECTS

Section C = FUTURE "BIG-IDEA" PROJECTS

A) 2023 IN-PROGESS IMPROVEMENTS & PROJECTS:

Currently pursuing these Improvements & Projects & Tasks:

1. DISTRICT WORKPLAN - - All District staff regularly assess the District Processes. Additionally, public input is continually collected from our passionate residents, lake users, lake volunteers, and past board members. We have looked at how things have been done in the past, at how well they are working now, and how we might improve things going forward. This written list you are reading now is the ongoing fruits of that labor (although not in any particular order). This list is regularly updated with the most current info. Staff will be pursing the big ticket items, while at the same time getting after some of the "low hanging fruit" ideas that are easy and less expensive to accomplish.  ONGOING UPDATES
2. MANAGING NEW BOARD - - Now that the New Board (made up of local District Members) is in place, the first meetings started in March. Staff needs to establish for the board, some standards.  The meetings need a standard agenda format, minutes format, etc. Staff needs to manage the items that are included on the agendas as the summer progresses.  There should be a list of projects put together (include what's on this list, plus collect other ideas), and then staff needs to assign cost projections to each project, and then the Board needs to do a prioritization exercise to set up a prioritization list, so then staff can begin to work through the project list as funds allow. The board will need to consider some policy issues and then update the policy manual.  The board needs to hire/contract with a new administrator. The board needs to contract with an Attorney for the District. Each meeting the Board Members can add items to the agenda, but some items will need to find an agenda besides the next meeting due to circumstances at the time. Other items are added to the agenda by staff.  It is up to staff to manage which items are on which agenda, and then work the background documents for each of the items.  ONGOING 
3. CARR CIRCLE ADDITIONS - - Consider trimming up all the overgrown juniper trees at Carr Circle Park (East-Side Half).  Plus, set up a regular weed abatement program for the facility. Also, there are plants and rocks near the basketball court that probably need to be removed as they might represent a safety issue, or are at least a nusance when they pop basketballs.
4. GRAVEL ON PARKING LOT - - Its been a while since we added material to the parking lot, and we are starting to see a lot of thin spots. It looks like it may be time to refresh the parking lot gravel.  
5. PLACE LARGE ROCKS AT POINT OF SWIM COVE - - Occasionally, vehicles or ATV/UTVs access the lake property by coming through the "point of the swim cove."  This location is at the back of the swim cove, by the road, where the ground is fairly level... enough to drive on into the beach area. Staff would like to prevent folks from driving in this area. The best way to do this is to move some large rocks to block off this point of entry. Additionally, ATV/UTVs do occasionally drive on the beach by also coming in from the parking lot. Again the best way to prevent this is either with bollards or (more cheaply) by moving some big boulders into the way of this access point as well.   
6. CAMP HOST AGREEMENT - - A camp host would be a volunteer who, in exchange for their RV rental hookups, provides some measure of "eyes on" for the lake entrance in the evenings. Additionally, they would be asked to do some light duties, such as litter pickup, emptying trash cans, etc. This arrangement would be similar to what the state parks do. There will be limits put into place for the host to abide by (noise, dogs, decorations, etc.).   
7. COMMUNITY SERVICE VOLUNTEERS - - We will look into the possibility of receiving Court-Ordered Community Service "volunteers" to come do some easy maintenance (litter pickup, weeding, etc.). 
8. CONCESSIONAIRE AGREEMENTS - - There is a desire from many lake visitors to be able to purchase sandwiches and/or hot food. The best solution for the food type of concessions is to contract with a concessionaire for this service. The concessionaire would need to meet all county health department regulations, and would pay a small fee for the privilege of being here. It will be important to offer the opportunity to local neighborhood businesses first. It will also be important to not have an outside concessionaire competing with local neighborhood businesses.  
9. BOATER HANDOUT CARD - - We want to be able to hand a simple document to the drivers/owners/operators of boats. This document will be a half page, printed on cardstock (stiff paper), and perhaps laminated. It will carry all of our boating rules for our lake, plus a reminder of the standard Arizona Boating Laws, plus a reminder of the penalties for unsafe boating. This will help make the entry to the lake smoother, and will ensure that boat operators have, in their hands, what they need to know. This will go a long ways towards better communication with boat operators, and will help ensure safety on the lake.    
10. REGULAR NEWSLETTER - - We are interested in communicating better with our community. One way to do that, is to produce a regular newsletter. This document would be available in hard copy (@ strategic neighborhood locations), & also available digitally (website, Facebook, etc.).  RESULT - - District Staff produces a new newsletter every month and a half (or so), for a total of 6-8 newsletters per year.   DONE & ONGOING
11. REGULAR FACEBOOK POSTINGS - - We are interested in communicating better with our community. One way to do that, is to better utilize social media. Currently, our Facebook page is our strongest option. We can build up the page as a place to go for the latest info.  RESULT - - Staff is committed to posting district updates regularly. In addition to posts about the work being done at the lake, we would also like to highlight the History of the Lake (i.e. throwback Thursday), and perhaps include some punny lake humor (i.e. funny Fridays).    DONE & ONGOING
12. CONTRACT INSTRUCTOR RECREATION CLASSES (RG) - - Contract Instructors are paid a percentage of the student fee (typically 60%) for their expertise in delivering the class content. The more participants the more the instructor makes. Classes will not interfere with visitors enjoyment of the beach or of the lake. We will have a contract agreement with these instructors, as they are not employees. No cost incurred if class doesn't run. Available District facilities include: lake, beach, parking lot, creek access, and basketball court; however the District does not have an indoor space nor a grass area.  We will be seeking class options that might be enjoyed by the neighborhood, such as: photography, dog obedience, watercolor painting, fitness bootcamp, etc.  RESULT - - Staff had a fitness trainer ready to start in with a Beach Bootcamp, but then the Flash Flood Situation caused the water level to cover the beach. We will have to revisit with him, once there is some beach to work with. Meanwhile, we will continue to pursue instructors. We will also pursue community partnerships to perhaps gain use of some indoor facilities.  
13. SPORTS LEAGUES - - We may be able to introduce some sports leagues to the neighborhood, such as 3-on-3 Basketball, or even 4-person or 6-person Co-ed Sand Volleyball. Leagues would be a simple round-robin format with a four team playoff. League fees will include costs for a referee(s) to officiate each game.     
14. ADDITIONAL WEBSITE UPDATES - - We still need to add a page or two highlighting our non-lake amenities, such as: Carr Circle, Snider Circle Creek Access, Historical Landmarks (Duck Lake Diversion Dam, Generator Room, Etc.), and other Creek Access Points (Bourdon Ranch Road, Silver Lake Blvd, etc.).  Also, with the moving of the database to Constant Contact, the website will need to move to that platform as well, which will save the district money.   
15. DISTRICT BROCHURE - - It would be helpful to have a physical hand-out brochure that highlights all District Amenities, matching the website pages. This document could be combined with our existing Rules & Regulations document.  
16. SECURITY CAMERA ARRANGEMENTS - - Having our security cameras is a huge benefit, and we are grateful for them. One issue, is that they are not currently catching a car's license plate. We need to make some adjustments to a few camera locations or camera angles or both. We may even need to trim a branch or two for increased visibility. Additionally, we need to figure a method for waterproof containment of some loose wires up high on a couple of poles.   Additionally, some of our cameras are not showing the video currently (it is off and on), so that situation needs to be looked into.
17. LAKE CAM (WEBCAM) ON WEBSITE - - While we are talking cameras, it would be a nice amenity to add a "lake cam" and make it available on our website for folks to see the lake from the comfort of their homes. We could likely utilize the one camera that overlooks the lake.  
18. GRANT FUNDING - - We will continue to pursue Grant Funding for both the small & major recreation amenities and services. 
19. REALTOR CONVERSATION - - We often function as a visitor center for the neighborhood. Many times realtors bring potential buyers by the lake, or they come by on their own, and we talk up what the lake is all about. We regularly receive feedback from these realtors that folks have purchased a place in the neighborhood, due to their conversation with lake staff, or that their visit with lake staff "put the buyer over the top" in making a decision to buy. We would like to have a larger conversation with realtors (who benefit the most from our interactions with their clients) about supporting our efforts here at the lake with a small financial donation (perhaps a "sponsorship"). Perhaps there is a way for us to highlight certain realtors (website, community bulletin board, conversations) in exchange for a small "sponsorship". This is an idea worth pursuing.    
20. PATROL BOAT SOLUTIONS - - In assessing how the lake operates during summer months, we have observed that the District does indeed benefit from having a patrol boat, which is used to rescue stranded boaters whose motors have failed, or kayakers who have found themselves unable to paddle upwind to return to shore. While these boaters are in distress, they are not yet at the point of calling 911. It is a huge benefit to our community to be able to rescue wayward boats, and to avoid any potential loss of life on the lake. The District's current patrol boat is in fine condition but the motor has failed, so we are looking for a replacement motor. The cost of a new motor (or repairing the existing motor) turns out to be greater that just finding a suitable used boat.  RESULT - - Meanwhile, the "buoy tender" water craft that is owned by the District continues to be very usefull.    TABLED
21. GATEWAY CONVERSATION - - As the RV Park is moving along through it's permit process, we would like to speak with the Gateway Company about: what their expected usage of the lake will be, what amenities they will be bringing to our community, and what kind of mutual agreement might be had between the WMLCRID and Gateway for facility usage.  

B) 2023 POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS & PROJECTS:

Considering the following potential Improvements & Projects. These items are not in any particular order:

1. SAND ON BEACH - - Each year, we lose a little bit of sand on swimming beach. It may be time to refresh the sand that is there. Prior to doing that, we need to consider extending the beach another 50 feet or so along the shore line around the cove. To do that, we would need to remove the plant material (i.e. weeds) by either pulling them or perhaps scraping the area.  DOWN
2. BOAT RAMP CEMENT REPAIR - - The ramp is our most utilized amenity at the lake. Unfortunately, it has a lot of cracks. We will be looking to fill the cracks so that we can keep water from freezing in them, and expanding the crack. This solution should keep the ramp in use for a while longer, until we are able to do a complete ramp replacement.     
3. BENCH SWINGS ALONG LAKE - - It would be a nice touch to have more seating along the lake front, were folks could rest and enjoy the pretty lake view. Even better, would be some adult bench swings (with shade). This simple idea would make lake visits that much better.   PENDING
4. OTHER LAKE FRONT FUN AMENITIES - - In observing how folks utilize the lake, we see the BOATERS (active on the water), the BEACHERS (active on the sand & swim area), the BANK'RS (active along the shore with strolling and dog walking), and the BEHOLDERS (folks who like to sit, rest, watch the lake, and see the activity there). All of these folks would benefit from some additional amenities or "things to do" at the lake. One idea is to install simple self-directed amenities along the lake front such as: cement ping pong, cement corn hole, cement checker tables. One such provider is concretetabletennis.com/products.  Another idea is to carve out some space at the lake for a volleyball court.   PENDING
5. BOAT DOCK REARRANGEMENT - - "Seasonal" or "Yearly" rentals come with the "first-right-of-refusal" for that same slip next year. whereas the "short-term" slips are for the daily, weekend, or weekly rentals. Currently, we have a total of 12 slips. 10 of these are designated as "Seasonal", and 2 are designated as "short-term."  Staff has determined that it would be beneficial to keep 2 "short-term" slips, and 14 "Seasonal" slips. This is 4 more total slips than we currently have on the rental dock. We might have the ability to create the new slips, while at the same time, improve the Daily Dock. By removing some of the fingers off of the Daily Dock, we should be able to create the proper straight line dock that is needed when next to a boat ramp. Then, we can take those fingers and create one more "Tee" on the rental dock, thus adding 4 more slips to the rental dock. 
6. REMOTE SECURITY CAMERAS - - In addition to the cameras at the lake, the District could benefit from having cameras in some remote locations, such as: Carr Circle, Snider Creek Access, Duck Lake, etc. These remote cameras would need to be solar powered, and hopefully internet connected.  
7. DAILY DOCK CEMENT RAMP EXTENSION - - This is regarding the access to the dock, not the actual boat launching ramp. When the lake level gets low, the cement "daily dock" ramp for this particular dock becomes an issue, because it is not as long as the other ramps for the other two docks (Rental Dock &  Fishing Dock). If lake levels get really low, we may have an opportunity to extend this particular ramp.  
8. POLICY CHANGES - - On a regular basis, the WMLCRID Rules, Regulations, Fees, & Guest Pass Policies are reviewed.  At the conclusion of this review, it is usually necessary to go through the process to approve the new policies.  On one hand, the current policies are working well enough.  On the other hand, there are a few areas that will need to be addressed: (1) what happens when/if the new RV Park puts a ton of guests at our lake? (2) what is the true capacity of the lake as far as motor boats go?     TABLED UNTIL NEEDED
9. PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS - - There are community groups that are very active in our community. We have worked with the Community Association in the past to provide a location for their activities. Additionally the WM Bass Club has held their tournaments at the lake, in exchange for providing and upkeeping a dozen fish habitats in the lake. There may be other mutually beneficial agreements to be worked out with these other organizations, such as: AZ Game & Fish, Juniper Ridge, Gateway, Water's Edge, Silver Creek Golf Course, Etc.  AS NEEDED
10. WML HISTORY COLLECTION - - There is a tremendous amount of history with the White Mountain Lakes area.  We would like to collect pictures to be displayed in a physical location, and also posted on our website. Additionally, it would be amazing to have a marker at several of the physical historical sites around the neighborhood. 
11. GRANT FUNDING SEARCH - - We will continue to pursue Grant Funding for these major recreation amenities listed above. 

C) FUTURE "BIG IDEA" PROJECTS:

This list represents Projects or District Needs that the District most likely would not be able to accomplish without the help of Grant Funding and/or another Partner (i.e. Commercial or Non-Profit) who would then share in use the amenity. Additionally, a few of the items on this list are here because there is currently not a strong community support (or staff interest) for the project.  Generally speaking, this list is a "Placeholder" for "Tabled" possible future projects. These items are not in any particular order:

1. LARGE PICNIC CANOPY - - The 3 smaller shade structures located by the beach are nice to have, and are used daily. Unfortunately, they only cover one picnic table (maybe two).  There is definitely, a need for a much larger Picnic Canopy, one that could contain around 40 people. Such a canopy would be in high demand, even with a substantial rental fee involved. It would best be located away from the current beach, perhaps all the way down to the south, after the fishing dock. This location would require substantial earth moving and retaining.   
2. DOG PARK - - We currently do not have a good handle on whether or not there is truly a need for a dog park. It does often seem like folks just let their dogs run free around the neighborhood. We need to do more insight gathering on this topic, to see if there is even a need. If so, we would then have to determine the proper location (and if it is even feasible). It would be a nice amenity by the lake, but there is not a lot of space there. Or it could be done at Carr Circle, but that location is so far removed. We need to obtain more input on this.    
3. WALKING TRAILS - - With Silver Creek being a part of the district (from Bourdon Ranch Rd to the Lake Inlet), it would be an amazing amenity to have a trail that runs the length of the creek. Perhaps, it could be accomplished in sections. The first section to recommend would be from Boudon Ranch Rd up to Duck Lake or even around the corner to Snider Circle (another District Facility).  Another place for a potential trail would be around the lake itself. A lake trail would have to be contained on the SCID land (bowl) that the lake sits in, but how amazing would it be to bike/run/walk around (or part way around) the lake.    WILL NEED GRANT FUNDING AND/OR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
4. COMMUNITY CENTER - - The WMLCRID is truly in need of an indoor facility, a place where the community could gather. This could be used for party rentals as well as recreational programs.  One idea that has been floated, is "what if" we could find a way to purchase or lease the house next to the lake entrance? That facility is perfectly set up, with the garages being a rentable space for parties and recreation programs (like a small karate class), and its living room has big windows with lake views which would make a wonderfull rental space, plus one of the rooms would make an excellent executive office.     WILL NEED GRANT FUNDING AND/OR COMMUNITY PARTNERS (or CREATVIE LEASING IDEAS)
5. BETTER FLUSHING RESTROOMS - - The restrooms have been the subject of much discussion. There was even a plan to build a simple structure across from where the current porta-potties are located, so that there is only a short trench for the sewer to run. Recently, the County had a community meeting (end of 2019 or early 2020) regarding the idea of permanent restrooms, however, at that meeting with 40 or so attendees there was an overwhelming and vehement disapproval of the idea. The concerns raised are as follows: A) Keeping public restrooms OPEN after-hours will invite gross messes, vandals, homeless sleeping, and possibly the use of the facilities for in-appropriate sexual activity, B) Keeping public restrooms CLOSED after-hours often results in the public who came expecting a restroom to then leave their fecal deposits next to the closed building, C) When the below freezing weather hits, the pipes would have to be drained to prevent damage (as we would not be heating the building), which means that the restrooms would be then CLOSED throughout the winter and thus defeating the purpose of the restrooms to begin with, D) Installing a non-flushing cinderblock pit toilets (like the forest service does) might be a very small step "better" than what we currently have, but then they are not really worth the costs. As a result of this conversation, it was determined that flushing restrooms would be a big expense, would add a multitude of additional problems, and add a multitude of additional and ongoing costs to the district.  
6. FISH CLEANING STATION - - We have received requests, from multiple lake visitors, for a fish cleaning station located over by the Fishing Dock. That location should put it far enough away so that there won't be any "chum" making it to the swimming area. A cleaning station will require us to run a water line down to the location. On the other hand, most fishermen do their cleaning at home, but that may just be because we do not have a place to do it here. There does not seem to be a large demand for this project.  However, we did receive a donation of a 3-compartment sink that would be usefull for this project.     
7. SECURITY GATE - - Currently, the lake entrance does not have a gate. District Members are allowed to access the lake anytime they want. This may mean the a non-district member does gain access to the lake when staff is not there (generally 9a-7p). Occasionally, there is some talk, from District Members, who are interested in seeing the District have some kind of security gate at the lake entrance. Staff would love the idea, as it would give us a record of who is coming in and when... But the idea is simply not feasible, nor is it necessary.  >>>>> NOTE: The concept behind the security gate idea is to prevent non-residents from accessing the lake and causing "damage", however these concerns do not represent the reality of the situation.  A) Currently, there has not been any damage or vandalism to the lake or lake amenities in several year.  B) If there were to be some kind of damage, staff would get to the bottom of it through the video cameras.  C) In the past, any vandalism that had occurred, was done by actual District Members.  D) Should there be a rash of damage and vandalism, staff would involve the sheriff, and perhaps station staff there in the evenings (this is where the camp host would help), in order to put a stop to it.  >>>> NOTE: Security gates are not cost effective especially for a small district like ours. A) The security gate itself is very expensive not to mention the cost of the fencing.  B) The gate would regularly be damaged by people trying to access the lake, when their code didn't work, or when they were trying to get their guests in, thus causing an expensive fix.  >>>> NOTE: A Security gates at the lake would not be effective. A) In theory the gate should only let District Members in, but in reality, people will give their code to the Non-District friends, thus defeating the purpose of the gate altogether.  B) While a gate might keep cars out, but it won't keep people out, as the fence line is only the 3ft shorty fence and people can hop over or just cut through on private property.  C)The gate and code system will cause much frustration for District Members who just want to keep it simple, and who can't make the gate work when code doesn't open the gate.   >>>> BOTTOM LINE: This idea represents a very expensive solution to a non-problem. 
8. CARR CIRCLE ADDITIONS #2 - - There is currently a volleyball court in place at Carr Circle, however, the sand is now overgrown with weeds. We are working to determine if it is unused due to a lack of interest, or just because of the weedy sand. Additionally, we may have an opportunity to put a volleyball court at the lake front, which would get a lot more use due to location. Another idea for a Carr Circle amenity is to do a Pump Track where dirt bike & mountain bikes can enjoy. To see what this looks like, click here. Fun for all ages.  TABLED - - NOT CURRENTLY PURSUING
9. KIOSK AT LAKE ENTRANCE - - We have conducted an assessment of how well the entrance process to the lake is functioning, and found a few issues that we would like to address. We found that when the "Gate Staff" is inside the office, doing the work of the Lake, it takes a few seconds for staff to recognize that a car has pulled in, to get up out of the desk, to grab the clipboard on the way out the side door, to make their way quickly to the front of the driveway. In this short timespan, very often cars will pull on through, or even skip the stop sign all together, which requires staff to now walk down to where they have parked. We also found that when the evening "gate staff" is waiting in the driveway, all cars will stop to talk to staff. Unfortunately, waiting in the driveway is a very hot proposition in the summer. One solution, would be to purchase (or build) a narrow shed-like structure to function as a kiosk, and place it to the right of the driveway when entering (A second location possibility, would be to put the kiosk adjacent to the existing office). The kiosk would be outfitted with Pass-Through Windows on the car sides, and also windows looking forward and back. The kiosk would be outfitted with  electricity, computer, and air conditioning. Such a setup would allow "Gate Staff" to work on office business, and then have cars come directly to them. The kiosk would have a little space for visitors who would need to park and come in to take care of getting new passes, etc.   TABLED - - NOT CURRENTLY PURSUING

PAST IMPROVEMENTS & PROJECTS:

2022 - - Click here to see completed tasks in 2022

2021 - - Click here to see completed tasks in 2021

2020 - - Click here to see completed tasks in 2020

2019 - - All three docks are now safely anchored in place - MANY MANY thanks to everyone in the community that participated and assisted from planning to implementation!!