IN THE NEWS
Del Webb went to Southern California and turned Mission Viejo into a mecca for old people and a scourge against children. He did the same in Arizona. It could happen in Lake Geneva! On the very same night Lake Geneva’s development wizard, Brian Pollard, announced he could entice 420 new golfers to move to Lake Geneva, the Sear’s Man, Shorewest Realtor and former Mayor, Chuck Platts was busy turning the golf course into Lake Hillmoor. 
Pollard’s development plans for the old Lake Geneva Raceway near Bloomfield Road burst apart with the housing bubble back in 2007, but patient Plotting Pollard held on for a new wave of housing demand to roll in. However, this time Brainy Brian jumped on the “55 and older” community wave to ride… or Del Web comes to Lake Geneva. It could be a perfect match. Brian could offer retirees the prestigious Lake Geneva address, shopping just a short golf cart drive away, and the possibility of the Hillmoor Golf Course with a 40-acre water hazard. After all, what else can a community of retired men do other than play golf and whatever they do with their Bocce balls?
Of course, Lake Geneva needs this new ‘water hazard’ lake. That old Geneva Lake is congested with boats and younger people having too much fun for serious moneyed old people to be around. Lake Geneva might just as well start investing in some of those signs you’ve seen around in other bedroom communities: “Slow Children.” In Lake Geneva the intent of the signs might be a bit different.
Along comes Michael Ford and his Tempo Development Company to add to the mix of what’s fast becoming a cataclysmic change to Lake Geneva’s cultural foundations. Mike 
wants to build the Hillmoor Lake (or simply misstate that part of the plan!) and then supposedly develop around the new “mud pond” lake. Maybe he’s going to farm mosquitos. This farming thing is new, after all, with salmon, shrimp and even Dover Sole being so grown on farms. Why not mosquitos? He could breed special attack mosquitos for people to buy and go against their more placid easy-going vampire ones. After all, Mike’s company is a specialist in Chapter 13 trusteeship. Yes, Mike goes in and takes over existing businesses going out of business. First the Lake Geneva Theater pawnbrokers coming and doubling the price of that theater they knew intelligent citizens wanted to make a performing arts center of and now another forensic specialist in economic embalming.
If you happen to have a family with kids and teenagers, you can sneak over to Basso Builders’ new multi-family housing on ‘Curtis Street’. Word to the wise though, is to pick one of the second floor units, but if you get stuck with an apartment on the first floor, be sure to get good flood insurance. Wetland areas are cheap to buy in the rainy season and easy to re-demarcate in the dry periods, especially when it can be done without the knowledge or input from the neighbors who have experienced flood vagaries of the area.
Nevertheless, those problematic rainy seasons have a way of reappearing every so often, so where is that water going to go when it arrives in the nearly perfect old lake-bed Basso planning to build in? Flooding is an equal opportunity offender so it’s very likely that the expense of cleaning up will be shared by all. The city Public Works Department can recommend a storm-water management project for all the city taxpayers to fund. Dan Winkler opens the bid envelopes that come across his desk, the few he now receives that is. There is every likelihood that Mr. Winkler might open more envelopes containing other financial inducements for public assistance.
