DLPOA History
Deer Lake Property Owners Association Short History 1974-
This is a chronological outline of the major activities of DLPOA since its origin in 1974. This is not intended to include all of the hard work of the members. I reviewed the newsletters to obtain this information. Those committees doing routine work year after year is well documented in the newsletters available online at dlpoa.com. A few highlights were added during the years when no major events happened.
1974: DLPOA formed. Sewage, the major concern.
1975: Feasibility study of sewage system started.
1976: Study completed: more studies needed. Dues $12
1977: Petition for sewer project vote defeated.
1978: Concerns: sewer, boating ordinances, road conditions, security and shoreline management.
1979: Sewer project voted down again. Installation of speed signs around the lake.
1980: Looking at year around fishing and another way to get sewer. New dump transfer stion opens.
1981: Volunteer Lake patrol started. Fire Dept. improvements. Rapid response vehicle.
1982: Deer Lake fire Dept. has 15 volunteers. Zoning of lake being looked into. No shooting zone looked at. Comprehensive plan being put in place.
1983: Much discussion about second-class shoreline and the DNR. Water quality testing being conducted.
1984: Installation of directory signs at entrances to lake. Removal of derelict docks.
Sewer system studied again.
1985: Woodcutting is big. 144 cords cut on Boise land. Sewer plan submitted to DOE. Hearings underway.
1986: All Deer Lake owners getting newsletter. Water safety patrol doing well.
1987: Purchase of 22 acres at north end of narrows to protect lake from man and animals.
Water quality is the focus of most projects.
1988: An addition to the Deer Lake Fire Dept. P.U.D. proposes sewering of all of Deer Lake in next two years.
1989: Water and sewer projects underway. City of Deer Lake being considered. Zoning ordinance before board of commissioners.
1990: Roadside cleanup organized and started. 911 started county wide.
1991: Sewer and water systems being installed.
1992: Shoreline master plan nearing completion. Zoning plan, nearing completion.
Sewer completed. Most people hooked up.
1993: Attempting to get natural gas into this area. Introduction of guardrail idea.
New medical clinic opens.
1994: Shoreline management act adopted with county control over residential.
More guardrail discussion. Discussions with all parties re: cows in north narrows.
1995: Guardrails installed along most of Southwood Shore Road. Hyw. 395 improvements discussed. Final approval of Shoreline management act.
1996: Working to solve drainage problems around lake. Growth management being studied.
1997: Remember the big snow? 12 ft. total over that winter. Garden spot repaved. New fish pens. Milfoil found in Loon Lake: Flooding conditions on Deer Lake.
1998: county declining to do any roadwork. Looking for milfoil. PWC use being discussed.
1999: No milfoil found. Discussed no shooting zones. County hurdles in way. Flood control explored. Cleanup of outflow ditch accomplished with P.U.D. financial help.
2000: State continues to say counties have to implement state ordered mandates without any funding from state. No shooting zone still being looked into.
2001: Fireworks event started. Started website, dlpoa.com
2002: Started kiddie parade on 4th July with picnic following.
2003: Organization wanted to start large motorcycle track near lake. Did not happen.
2004: Oiling of roads addressed. No conclusion.
2005: Water quality study completed and combined data from previous studies. Lake is improving by comparison. Small property donated to DLPOA.
2006: Routine activities ongoing.
2007: Eurasian milfoil found at northern part of narrows. Applied for and was awarded 50k grant from DOE to control milfoil for 3 years. Growth management act approved for county. Only took 10 years to accomplish. Fishing season start moved to March 1 from end of April.
2008: East Deer Lake Road improved. Big concern about development around lake. P.U.D. said sewer is the limiting factor. Started recording lake levels monthly.
2009: Social hour started middle of lake. Wed. and Sat. Changed board meeting months. Removed Jan and Feb., added June. 2 fish pens added at Ken Rings.
2010: West sign moved to corner of NDLR and Bay St. DLPOA apparel available. Milfoil battle continues. Several internet provider companies moving into the lake area. Set up LMD for milfoil control. DLPOA calendar started. Cold water rescue gear for area lakes. New Year’s dance started at Deer Lake Resort. Pig Out at Pinelow Park started.
2011: Country western dance started in May at Deer Lake Resort. LMD formed for 2012-17. Sold small land parcel as surplus. Integrated aquatic vegetation plan developed. Started looking into no wake zone during flood conditions. Disabled vets fishing started at West Bay. Agreement with West Bay Park for use of dock for fireworks.
2112: Property assessments causing big stir. Meetings held to address situation. EZ dock donated loading dock at public ramp. DLPOA on Facebook. Light installed over west side sign. Fire Danger signs built and installed by boy scouts.
2013: Newsletter expanding types of articles. Problem with bees this year. All DLPOA activities successful. A community yard sale was started at Pinelow on the Chatauqua weekend, hoping to continue in the coming years. (free)
2014: First color newsletter, fall 2014. Lee Bailey, Gerry Block, Jim Santora and Mike Phillips were recognized for their years of service to DLPOA. Reader boards installed on Deer Lake signs, east and west side entrances. Rick Jarvis made and donated them. All the summer DLPOA sponsored activities were successful again this year. “Nextdoor” Deer Lake is a success and continues to grow.
2015: Donation to Deer Lake Fire Department to update indoor equipment. Activities include fishing derby, community yard sale, DLPOA annual meeting, dock demo, fireworks, children’s parade and picnic, New Year’s Eve dance, boat parade, fish pen operations, pancake feed, and roadside cleanups. Crime prevention meetings being held.
2016: Chipper Days available with Loon and Deer Lake in cooperation with Stevens County sponsoring them. All the usual activities from previous years went on with great success. The LMD vote was 87% positive.
2017: We lost Larry Nokes, a DLPOA president for 8 years and active for 10 years. DLPOA started working on a website. Looking into the flooding problem. Disabled veteran’s fishing day continues. “Firewise” promoted. All normal activities went on as usual.
2018: Nextdoor Deer Lake is thriving. Annual meeting date moved to August. Deer Lake Apparel well received. Turkeys are getting to be a problem. Southwood shore road is getting a lot of attention thanks to Mike Larsen. DLPOA membership staying in the 375 to 400 range. No new years dance this year. The colored photos of people and activities is a big success. All the usual DLPOA activities went on as usual.
2019: The Deer Lake fire station got a makeover with lots of volunteer hours. DLPOA continues to educate our lake people with great articles in our newsletter. Nothing unusual happened this year, just an accumulation of many jobs and activities well done by many DLPOA members and their friends.
2020: COVID created lots of challenges and opportunities for Deer Lake residents this year. Zoom meetings, cancelled activities and more people hanging out at the lake while quarantining. Our social media became more important. We were able to get a lot of cleanups done all around the lake with all the folks staying home. We still had fireworks and a boat parade. A remake of the County Shoreline Master Plan was finished after many years of work.
2021: New signs at the entrances to both sides of the lake, replacing old weather-beaten ones. Another great summer of the usual DLPOA activities. COVID cancelled the pancake feed. Wildfires and smoke were an unwelcome visitor again this year, but not as bad as some previous ones.
2022: All of our regular 4th of July activities were successful except the parade picnic got rained out. 60 boats in the boat parade. 750 pancake attendees. About 45 vehicles in the community parade. Great fireworks show. We dodged periods of rain throughout the weekend. Reconditioned the fire awareness sign on the west side. 4 new board members joined our board of directors. A few stepped away permanently but most are still active with the DLPOA activities, committees and attend meetings. We have 16 board members. Milfoil work continues. Dues still $20.