About Us
- Historical walk through Lake Tallavana
Writer: Beth Harrer, January 2001
In Them Early Days.....
"Lake Tallavana has
oftentimes been referred to as the Mountains in North Florida"
noted Virginia Glass of Noblin Realty, Inc., "because of is
uniqueness and natural beauty." From its
beginning, Lake Tallavana has grown dramatically, but quietly.
For some of us, it's just another place we call home. For
others, though, a deep-seated reverence and respect for its beauty
has transformed Lake Tallavana, over the years, into the treasure
that it is today. Preservation was not without its price,
however, and this preservation came in many forms. Lake
Tallavana's boundaries, privacy, and pristine shores were protected
through the vision, the dedication and the untold hours of sacrifice
made by its past presidents and a small but dedicated host of
volunteers. What we have in Lake Tallavana, is an evolution of
almost sacred proportions. The most common thread illustrated
again and again over the years, is the Board's (known hereinafter as
THA), quest for our continued privacy and serenity. As
residents we continue to benefit from the efforts of past and
present board members and other volunteers who have worked so hard
to bring Lake Tallavana where it is today.
Just Another Fishing Hole
During the late 1920's and into
1930, a logging community was established near the current site of
the gate. The community was serviced by a railroad which ran
through Pine Top Plantation. The long, straight stretch
of Tallavana Trail between the power line and Hickory Lane follows
the original roadbed of that railroad. When this tract was
purchased in 1971, Pine Top Lake was a 40-acre lake.
The Burt and the Harrell Families sold Pine Top Lake to a
group of five investors who set about expanding the 40-acre lake
into 160-acres and renamed it Lake Tallavana.
The first lots were made available for sale in March, 1972.
James Steel Construction Company undertook the road construction and
built the dam. The dam was designed by Wayne H. Coloney, with
the clay core of the dam coming from the power line easement on the
west side of Tallavana Trail. At that time lake-front property
sold for an average of $7,200-$7,500 and interior lots for
$3,000-$4,000.
The original tract of Lake Tallavana, surveyed
in 1969 by Broward P. Davis, and was 1043 acres. Additional
purchases to existing property such as the parcels on either side of
the gate and 30+acres on the east side of the property near the
power line have increased the overall size of Lake Tallavana to 1088
acres.
By 1974, there were three homesites.
Sightings of deer, wild turkey, and fox were commonplace.
During this time Tallavana Trail was extended, paralleling the lake
to its termination at the wet boundary of the Reston
subdivision. Home construction increased dramatically during
the 1980's. The property was developed in stages; Unit
1, lots 1-68 around the lake; Unit 2, lots 69-100 to the
end of the lake, Unit 3, interior lots, and Unit 4,
Hickory Lane and Deer Pass, Honeysuckle Lane, Audobon and Quail
Court were the final additions to the development during this
period. In 1983, the Mason Drive area and Tallavana Drive were
subdivided. Deer Pass has been subdivided into large lots in
recent years. During the late 1970's the pavilion and two
concrete boat ramps adjacent to the pavilion were constructed (yes,
there are two, one now completely grown over.) The Restrictive
Covenants were dated and recorded on October 29, 1975.
Environmental Concerns
Over the years, several attempts
were made to develop the area around Tallavana Trail by various
developers who cleared roads, later abandoning each project, leaving
loose dirt to be washed into the roads, streams and the lake by
subsequent rains. Each time that vegetation reclaimed the area
and slowed the erosion, attempts to develop the are would ensue by
the same or different developers, repeating the cycle.
Numerous attempts by THA to enlist the assistance of the state
Department of Natural Resources to halt the encroachment of runoff
from the development into the lake were unsuccessful. As a
result, a number of the coves have been severely compromised.
In January of 1980, Tallavana Properties and
Leisure Properties (the developers at the time), began negotiating
with THA for the legal transfer of Lake Tallavana's roads, lake and
common areas. By June, 1982, each developer with part
ownership of Lake Tallavana agreed (after much disagreement), to
make payment to THA for repairs from road runoff, drainage and
sediment. It wasn't until April of 1986 that a settlement
agreement was reached, requiring one of the developers to pave one
of our roads (Tallavana Drive), clean sediment, replace culverts and
dredge the lake within ninety days. The Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) commenced legal action against the
developer for negligence. Unfortunately, it took another five
years for DEP to enforce its original consent order, and it wasn't
until 1990, that the mandates of the consent order were carried out
and the work completed.
The first draw down of the lake was initiated
in the early 1980's. The lake was allowed to drain until the
remaining water was only slightly higher than the original creek
beds from which the lake was formed. A canoe tour of the area
gave an eerie impression of a pre-historic landscape with skeletons
of old trees exposed and great blue herons flying and wading around
the muddy edges of the water.
A week before Thanksgiving in 1985, the eye of
Hurricane Kate passed between Havana and Quincy and caused extensive
destruction in Lake Tallavana. Several homes were damaged,
trees uprooted, and many residents were without power for a week or
longer. Early in the morning following the storm, emergency
crews had to clear a path from Highway 12 to the end of the paved
portion of Tallavana Trail to allow an ambulance to rescue a
neighbor with a medical emergency unrelated to the storm.
A Growth Undertaking
In March of 1983, Tallavana
Homeowners Association bought two parcels near the gate along
Highway 12 to prohibit undesirable commercial development.
This would be the first of several real estate transactions.
In 1988, THA was able to acquire a 20
foot-wide buffer of property, in lieu of past due assessments
situated along the backside of lots adjacent to Reston on what was
previously known as Tallavana Drive. Although no money changed
hands, the residual savings to THA in averting potential lawsuits is
incalculable, as a large acreage tract adjacent to Tallavana
boundary line could have claimed rights to our amenities had the
property owner bought one of our lots contiguous to the acreage.
A plan for 30-acres of green space was
developed and presented to the general membership in January
1990. The membership concurred that nature trails, maybe even
a campsite, would be a good purchase decision. The deal was
closed in May, 1990. Early in 1992, plans for a nature trail
were made, however, Hurricane Creek cut through the largest piece of
the property which would require construction of a bridge, for which
there were no funds. After long federal negotiations for
funding, and endless hours and months of investigations into options
for enhancing fish and wildlife habitat, esthetics and recreational
opportunities for the newly acquired nature preserve, the rules for
applying to the USDA changed, and as a result of lost time and
insufficient funds, the USDA manager was unable to assist.
Consequently, green space and trails are visions yet to be realized.
In May of 1990, THA purchased 30-acres at the
north end of the lake to restrict the development of 160-acre parcel
and to deny public access through Reston to Highway 12. The
rightful jurisdiction of Lake Tallavana's boundaries would have been
sorely compromised if future owners of lots in this 160-acres had
complete freedom to the lake and without the payment of assessments.
During 1988, THA agreed to a transaction,
thanks to the creativity of Bill Oswald, past president. In
lieu of payment for past due assessments, developer Gene Brown,
owner of Tallavana Drive, conceded in good faith to deed 4.5 acres
to THA. The property remains untouched today and is named Oswald
Point, in recognition of Bill Oswald's dedicated efforts.
During 1994-1996, THA bought three lots in
Reston that border Beaver Creek, one of the primary creeks feeding
Lake Tallavana. These lots were pivotal to the protection of
the lake from residual development runoff and the added risk of
septic tanks housed on a major feeder creek. Ownership of
these lots preclude outside interests from using one of the lots to
access Lake Tallavana.
The highest water level recorded at Lake
Tallavana occurred after a scheduled draw down of the lake when two
successive hurricanes passed near the panhandle giving us little
wind, but great amounts of rain. It rained for three days
without a break and when it finally stopped, the lake was
approximately six feet above its normal level. The problem was
compounded by debris which accumulated at the entry to the spillway
pipes under the road adjacent to the dame, caused by sections of
chain-link fencing placed there to avoid the loss of fish during
periods of high water. Once the fencing was cut away, the
water level began to recede. We hope that the new drainage
system installed last year will prevent excessive high water in the
future.
Lakewatch
Lakewatch is a state program sponsored
by the University of Florida, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic
Sciences. Its purpose is to monitor selected lakes throughout
Florida for drastic changes in the water quality. Florida
Lakewatch enables the public to be involved in a cooperative
teamwork approach to solving lake quality problems, with data
generated from this program made available to a host of
organizations, schools and government and regulatory agencies.
Resident Don McEwen lobbied the Florida
Legislature for funding. His hard work and long hours proved
rewarding, as Lake Tallavana was selected to participate in this
critical program. Florida Lakewatch is currently the only
research program to gather data on lakes in Florida. It is
important to note that without the dedication of volunteers, untold
thousands of dollars would be expended to sufficiently monitor Lake
Tallavana and its ecosystem. The information compiled from
lake samplings are used to create long-term data serving as a guide
of current water chemistry conditions for later comparisons for lake
management decisions.
A Residential Community
Over the years as Lake Tallavana
flourished, so did the formality by which THA's business was
conducted. THA published its first newsletter, to inform
residents of issues and activities occurring in our community.
A creative 10-year savings plan which allows for available money to
cover large maintenance projects ('sinking fund') was
established. The gate was refitted so that it could be opened
by dialing a number provided by THA. The first Annual Picnic
was held May 2, 1977. Board meetings became structured and
regular, with minutes recorded each month. By the end of the
80's our first uniformed security officer was on duty. A new
state "bag limit" on the number of fish caught was
enforced and spot-checks of decals, permits and ownership were
made. Approval for construction of a playground at the
pavilion was granted and the smokehouse was officially readied for
use. Bathrooms were constructed in 1984. It wasn't until
the fall of 1991 that THA saw it's first glimpse of significant road
repairs. During spring of 1993, dredging started but was cut
short by 10" of rain. Drain pipes under the dame needed
repair. The Emergency Support Organization (ESO), became a
reality in 1998. This volunteer unit's mission is to provide
cooperative assistance and support during a natural emergency and
when necessary, first response/relief to our community's emergency
services. Coordination with Gadsden County of THA's addresses,
first aid training, informational newsletters, four call-outs and
the addition of fire hydrants are some of the enhancements driven by
the ESO.
Today, Lake Tallavana is home to over 226
residents and 373 lots. With all of the growth and changes
Lake Tallavana has seen over the last thirty years, it's hard to
imagine what is yet to come. The determination and efforts of
THA's past Presidents and other core volunteers have paved the way
for a strong trail to follow.
The writer thanks Ms Virginia Glass, of Coldwell Banker
Hurtung and Noblin, Inc., Martha McCaskill for her editing
skills, Pat and Jim Powell for Lakewatch data, past Presidents Lee
Dowling, Bill Oswald and Pete Everett, as contributing authors who
through their years of volunteerism to THA and unselfish dedication
to Lake Tallavana and its waters have lead the way for assurances of
future safekeeping.
A Very Special Thanks to Diane Sheffield, a leader
determined to keep Lake Tallavana an enviable piece of real estate
for each of us. Diane's perseverance, determination and
unceasing love for Lake Tallavana has been instrumental in making
Lake Tallavana as treasured and pristine as it is today.
The information contained herein is based on
data provided by many sources and illustrated to the best knowledge
of THA past Presidents and the writer. To allow for brevity,
many facts and milestones have been omitted. The writer and
individuals above shall not be held responsible for inaccuracies,
omissions, or misinformation given to them and provides this for
information purposes only.
Reprinted courtesy of Beth Harrer.
|
|
