The Lake Lanier Association recently appointed its new executive director, who will help the organization advance its “Clean Lake” initiative.
Amy McGuire stepped into the role and spoke on WDUN’s Newsroom about her goals and background.
Lake Lanier has always been an important place for McGuire. She has supported the lake’s interest for 25 years and formerly worked for Aqualand and Hideaway Bay Marinas in member services and sales.
She said the Lake Lanier Association will continue its “Shore Sweep” program which removes trash from the lake. It also identifies and eliminates the lake’s abandoned docks and boats.
“Our biggest challenge is, I think, encapsulated foam,” McGuire said. “So we're having to get creative there.”
McGuire’s goal is to recruit more environmental engineers and real estate professionals into the organization. She said the insight and perspective that these individuals can offer is invaluable.
“They bring a lot of expertise and knowledge and experience to the table in what they can do and how they can channel that,” McGuire said. “In the ways through the Association, we have to figure out the best market to have each one of those concentrations.”
According to McGuire, the Lake Lanier Association will have to focus its marketing to find and capture public interest. The Association will also focus on Lake Lanier homeowners to ensure that the lake’s cleanliness boosts property values.
“The more we can attract that attention and get that involvement and interaction, I think would just be huge,” McGuire said. “So that's kind of thinking in concentric circles. Reach the lake dwellers, and then the lakegoers and the businesses and [I’ll] just kind of work my way out.”
The Lake Lanier Association is working to improve nighttime safety on the lake with new solar lights. These lights eliminate the need for navigational beacons.
“If you've ever had the opportunity to cruise on Lake Lanier at night, it's really one of my favorite times,” McGuire said. “So the fact that the Association puts those lights out there to make that navigation a little safer is incredible.”
As Hall County continues to experience booming commercial and residential growth, the Lake Lanier Association will have to balance economic interests with the lake’s welfare.
“Every time you grow, there's always the potential for a threat,” McGuire said. “We want to make sure that we're educating developers and being involved to make sure that the development is always positive and in the interest of both the community and lake.”
