A lot of people were hoping it wouldn’t happen, but last week the sale of Lake Jeanette and Buffalo Lake closed and now JW Demolition is the new owner of the two lakes.
At the Lake Jeanette Homeowners Association meeting on June 26 to announce that the lakes were under contract, the homeowners were united in their desire that Lake Jeannette not be changed, and it appears they will get most of what they wished for.
According to Dixon Johnston, the president of the Lake Jeanette Homeowners Association board of directors, the new owners signed the lease that restricts the use of the lake, and specifically outlaws jet skis and swimming.
Will Dellinger, the president of JW Demolition, sent the homeowners’ association a letter in June stating that they had no plans to make drastic changes to the lake, but one change they were considering was allowing some private docks on the lake. Private docks were prohibited under the previous owner, International Textile Group (ITG), which acquired the lakes when it bought Cone Mills.
Johnston said that the homeowners’ association board would be meeting with the new owners in about two weeks and his understanding was that private docks were still being considered.
Johnston said he had been told that the owners planned to concentrate on Buffalo Lake first.
Currently, Buffalo Lake is pretty to look at but no type of recreational activity has been allowed by ITG. Both fishing and boating were prohibited and there are no docks on the lake.
It is expected that both fishing and boating will be allowed but boating will be restricted to boats without motors, or perhaps electric motors will be allowed, and the lake will be open only to the residents of the area.
It is also expected that docks will be allowed on the lake.
It is expected that at the next meeting of the Lake Jeanette Homeowners Association board more complete plans of what the new owners have in mind for the lakes will be revealed.
