Surprising Stuff
The building of a residential pool behind one of the houses located in The Manor of Lake Geneva is causing neighbors to not be neighborly.
The Manor neighborhood is located on the west side of Lake Geneva and has been discussed at several meetings throughout the years. Most recently, the talk has been over a swimming pool. A family living there wants to create a backyard worthy of family gatherings and years of memory making, so they want to build a pool. The Garrels family has been in front of the finance, licensing, and regulation committee, as well as the plan commission to attempt to get a conditional use permit approved in order to install a backyard swimming pool. The Garrels have neighbors who’ve been fighting the approval every step of the way, causing them to spend extra money and time to accommodate these neighbor’s requests and to keep the peace. The issues raised by neighbors were all about elevation and drainage concerns that could possibly affect them directly, and then there’s the 80 to 150-year-old tree nearby that may or may not be affected by the installation of the pool. The Garrels have an engineer and contractor on the job. Elevation and drainage including a rain garden and they are following all code and conditional use requirements. An arborist was also brought into the mix, in order to keep everyone happy. The Garrels have done all they can do, and although the neighbors are still unhappy, the committee members on the plan commission decided to approve the permit. The backyard oasis the Garrels have been planning can finally begin.
Finishing touches are being looked at for the Riviera.
Nancy Buske with MSI Corp presented some wonderful ideas and renderings on the finishes at the Riviera. The historic value of the Riviera and the overall theme was to keep with as many historic touches possible. The upstairs ballroom is getting some wonderful new upgrades. The ballroom will have a new chandelier, recessed light fixtures, and wall sconces, and so much more. The AV equipment will all be upgraded, the elevator is new, and the bathrooms will be completely redone with some finer touches than the first-floor bathrooms will get. The idea is to get it back to being a grand ballroom that is felt by all that gather for an event. The first floor was also discussed and the renderings of what it will look like when done, hopefully in spring of 2021, were shared. Of course, the commercial spaces have been decided as well as who will be renting them. The main concourse is much the same just a lot cleaned up. The drop ceiling has been removed adding some additional height to the area. The glazed bricks have been cleaned up and repaired. The bathrooms have also been completely redone with convenience in mind for the large crowds that venture to the Riviera. The first floor was the most difficult to make a decision on as council members and city officials all had different ideas of what it should look like when done. One of the most consistent thoughts shared was the idea of bringing in more light and giving it a less tunnel-like feel. Not everyone agrees that was accomplished. The Riviera is a wonderful part of Lake Geneva that creates nostalgic feelings for so many and it is sure to continue.
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