But to hear members of the Friends of Golden Lake tell it, the real start may lie along a ditch near Lake Drive, where city and county leaders have invested in a new and improved iron-enhanced sand filter (to reduce the phosphorous in the lake water).
"There's a lot of great momentum going on around Golden Lake and a handful of our (steering) committee members who live in the area just felt like the timing was right to start a group that's looking out for the lake and building a sense of community around it," said Derrick Taylor.
Taylor is joined on the steering committee by retired hydro geologist Nancy Jannik, who retired to the neighborhood a few years ago.
Among the amenities on Golden Lake are a fishing pier, a beachfront, and rules outlawing gasoline engine-powered watercraft.
"It's very peaceful and serene," said Taylor. "It's fun to come across people that didn't even know Golden Lake existed here. You can drive right past it on Lake Drive and not every know it's tucked back here."
The group has regular meetings and is looking to organize more events aimed at its goals of promotion and preservation.
"I often say it takes a village to raise a lake and care for a lake," said Jannik. "I think we're seeing that watershed moment for the community really coming together because of interest, and people who have been here for so long and have the history and the new people that care about the lake."
Both agree that the different perspectives members and neighbors bring can lead to great things for the lake--and for the region.
"We draw from a pretty good radius around the lake," said Jannik. "(When) the ideas come out and you sort of discuss them creatively and we see how we complement each other, it (is) really neat to see different generations and different types of people come together. That's really special and I think that's why it's our time to really help improve this little gem."
For anyone interested in learning more, contact the group at the email address friendsofgoldenlake@gmail.com.
