From the President

By Chuck Foster 

As I sit down to write this letter, I have two dominant thoughts: “Change” and “Community Spirit.”

Change

It is amazing to see the change going on around us. Consider some examples. The middle school kids are once again flocking to the shopping center after school. Rush hour traffic has returned to Sunrise Valley Drive. The Lake Thoreau pool is under renovation. The extension of the Metro Silver Line just opened. There is major new construction at the Wiehle Metro Station area. Trash trucks are entering Lakeport Cluster only one day per week. A drive-through fast-food restaurant plans to open in the old SunTrust Bank building. The South Lakes Village Center has taken on a new color scheme and is hosting a new haircut salon. High school sports returned to full schedules in crowded stadiums. For me, these changes mean progress and exciting times. 

Community Spirit

I am very grateful to live in a community that comprises so many people that volunteer their time to making Lakeport a great place to live. Think of all the community-supporting committees we have: Landscaping, Maintenance, Social, Neighborhood Watch, and Standards. And our communications team publishes our quarterly newsletter and maintains our website and electronic files. Also, don’t overlook our Book Club, which attracts the literary scholars of the neighborhood (as well as folks who just enjoy reading and socializing). 

Consider also that within the last two months, we enjoyed “I Love Lakeport Day,” a TGIF social, and the annual Halloween Parade (see articles about them elsewhere in this publication). In addition, we completed a major storm-water mitigation project, a significant landscaping makeover at the south end of Lakeport Way, and new trees and seedlings in natural areas. And, thankfully, some folks have stepped up to fill vacant seats on the Board of Directors. In my mind, Lakeport Cluster drips with community spirit, which has not been the case in the other places I have lived. One definition of the word “spirit” is “those qualities regarded as forming the definitive or typical elements in the character of a person,” or in our case, “of a community.” How appropriate!