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Highlands Today

Lake Jackson

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James J. Dean

Published: July 3, 2008

As I ride along U.S. 27, I look out on Lake Jackson. As I look past the weeds, where there is sand, I notice people out there with chairs, coolers and some of them who can get their boats afloat, boats. Where there is sand and water people tend to go to the beach, have fun, swim, relax and just have a good time. I further notice that none of them choose to sit in the weeds.

It's still unimaginable that we spent over $70,000 to remove some of the weeds from the dry lake bed, and maintain the so called "native" weeds. Weeds are unsightly. Weeds are weeds. A weed by any other name is still a weed. We pick them from our lawns and flower beds. We poison them to get rid of them. But then along comes someone with a grant to grow them. Who decides that we should have weeds growing where there will again someday be a lake? We don't need to cultivate weeds where there should, and eventually will be, water. Something for boat props to get tangled in.

Now I've noticed that we are maintaining the weeds. We are mowing weeds in a lake bed. I wonder how much that is costing and who is paying that bill?

As I look out I keep thinking what a great place, and what a time to make a nice beach and parking lot, right there along U.S. 27. It would certainly look a lot nicer and be a tourist draw, along with many locals who enjoy the beach.

I am still wondering what is going on with the project of filling the dredge hole in Lake Jackson. The last I heard was the FDOT couldn't get to it because they were working on the bridge on Route 301. The day after that was announced in the paper, the bridge was completed. It turns out that according to TV news, the job was done by a contractor from Fort Myers. Kind of makes me wonder about that story. We know where to get the sand and we know where to put it. We know it would solve several problems, so are we going to wait for the water to come back and make it a major project, or just blow it off like has been the norm?

As I turn off U.S. 27 onto Tubbs Road, I notice people fishing in the creek, east of the Spillway Dam. I wonder how can there be water in the creek, as the lake is down and the canals are dry. There is no water spilling over the dam. I stopped and saw plenty of water past the dam. I have heard that the last time Little Lake Jackson was very low, there was a leak in the dam. It appears that it may have been patched with sand bags. I'm wondering if we don't have another leak. I have no idea who would be responsible for maintenance of the dam but it appears we might have to find out.

James J. Dean
Sebring

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