Lake Geneva is expected to be a little bigger after Monday night’s special plan commission and city council meetings.
The developer Brian Pollard with Bloomfield Holdings LLC filed a pre-annexation agreement for the property located at 875 Townline Road. The Lake Geneva Plan Commission has had many discussions regarding this property known as Symphony Bay. The Symphony Bay development has a substantial presence existing in this area with phases one through seven already developed. The developer has possession of the Townline property which is in the town of Bloomfield which is to be the final phase in the Symphony Bay development.
All previous meetings, including Monday night’s meetings, heard many public comments coming directly from residents of the existing neighborhood all in favor of the annexation. Some Lake Geneva City Council members were a little more hesitant about the annexation. The developer has stated numerous times that the property would be developed with or without annexation. The property has the potential for four hundred homes but only wants to build an additional one hundred and forty. If the property remains in Bloomfield the less dense option could change. Annexation gives the City of Lake Geneva more control over what the development would include.
After a lot of back and forth between the developer, the council members, and the public the approval was finally made. The annexation is not the final approval for Phase Eight. All steps in the development including the GDP and PPI need to be seen by the Lake Geneva Plan Commission and City Council for final approval. Now it’s up to Brian Pollard to stick to his word and work with the city to create a less dense development that will work for all involved.
Gage Marine will hold its annual Mailboat tryouts on Tuesday, June 11th to choose this year’s mail delivery jumpers aboard the U.S. Mailboat Walworth.
2024 marks the 108th year that the U.S. Mail will be delivered by boat on Geneva Lake. Local teens are jumping their way into one of the coolest summer jobs in Lake Geneva. Interested applicants are Lake Geneva Cruise Line employees with at least one year of work experience. There are only four coveted mailboat jumper jobs, so it is a very competitive position. Jumpers will be hopping from the U.S. Mailboat Walworth to piers on Geneva Lake, delivering the daily mail to mailboxes and then back on the boat with any outgoing mail before it pulls away. The boat never stops.
During tryouts, potential jumpers test their athletic abilities, often ending up in the lake when they don’t get the timing just right. Mailboat jumpers also act as tour guides during the Mailboat Tour, so those trying out are also asked to narrate a portion of the historical guided tour for judges to evaluate their speaking and tour guide skills. Their athletic abilities may be top-notch, but if they cannot narrate a great tour, they may not get the job. Passengers on Lake Geneva Cruise Line’s U.S. Mailboat Tour go along for the ride as jumpers make the rounds. Mailboat tours open for the season to the public on Saturday, June 15, beginning at 10 a.m. and run daily through September 15.
