Imagine lamps lining the
But making that dream come true costs money — roughly $4,000, in fact, for each lamp and its electrical wiring, says Jeannie Terilli, foundation president and founder.
The nonprofit, all-volunteer foundation has always relied heavily on the city to pay for the major improvements outlined in the
The park and recreation department spent roughly $556,000 on the lake during the last fiscal year, but that was for day-to-day upkeep, not the type of projects the foundation has in mind. The department also is finishing up $9 million worth of projects voters approved in a 1995 bond election.
But last time Terilli checked, the master plan’s yet-to-be-completed list was in the neighborhood of $32 million, and the next bond election (tentatively proposed for 2006) will designate only $5 million to $10 million for
So to make its lamp dream (and others) come true, the foundation decided to forge a new path. Taking their cues from the Friends of the
“Which means that anybody and his brother can join the White Rock Lake Foundation,” says Mel Cyrak, who will chair the membership committee.
Cyrak presented the idea to the board of directors after he learned of the 3.5-mile
“When I heard about it, I said, ‘This is for us.’ From our perspective,
Similar to
“I think enough people around
The foundation’s goal is to enlist 1,000 members within a year. If that happens, it would mean $100,000 to $150,000 in revenue, which “would buy a lot of those lamps,” and “accomplish a lot of things in that master plan,” Terilli says.
Not to mention, Cyrak says, that adding members could get more people involved in lake activities, such as nature walks or bird watching.
Much of the
If the White Rock Lake Foundation wants to see lighting, reforestation, shoreline enhancements or any of the other items on its multi-million dollar wish list become a reality, it needs the same sort of thrust, Cyrak says.
“We believe
Call 214-824-6150 or visit whiterocklakefoundation.org for further details about membership.