ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 12, 1997 TAG: 9701140010
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C9 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: OUTDOORS
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
You put Bob Halstead and Tom Maynard into a boat on Smith Mountain Lake and you have two guys who want the same thing: a safer, more courteous place to operate a watercraft.
Where their opinions differ sharply is how that should be accomplished.
Halstead is a co-chairman of a Smith Mountain Lake Association task force on boat safety, which has called for a mandatory boat operator's license, a minimum age for boat operators, as well as speed limits and noise abatement.
Maynard, the president of the new Smith Mountain Lake Boating Association, believes education is the solution - not legislation, not more laws, not more game wardens.
The two opinions have stirred a lively debate, and there is an excellent chance that a safer, less stressful lake is going to be the result.
The do-it-by-legislation movement got a big boost this past week when the task force recommendations received surprisingly strong support from members of the Smith Mountain Lake Association. In a response to an association survey, 80 percent of the 850 participants favored a noise-abatement regulation; 77 percent agreed there should be a 5 mph limit for all watercraft operating within 50 feet of the shoreline or structures such as docks; 69 percent agreed with a speed limit of 65 mph; 63 percent want mandatory boater-safety education; 78 percent said operators of any boat powered by an engine of 10 horsepower or more should be 14 years of age or older; and 86 percent agreed boat owners should be required to have liability insurance.
Several participants who gave a negative response to one of the survey questions said they did so because they didn't think the proposals were tough enough.
Halstead's response was, ``Wow!'' The fact that 65 percent of the surveys were answered also was a pleasant surprise to Halstead.
``I think the statistics blew us away,'' he said. ``I think the board was overwhelmed with the response. We are going to take the next couple of weeks and look at what was said and just what this means, then develop implication.''
Maynard said he wasn't surprised with the outcome, considering the survey represented 850 Smith Mountain Lake Association members ``out of a community of maybe 15,000.
``I really didn't expect anything else, to tell you the truth,'' he said. ``However, there are a lot of people out there who don't agree with the results.''
While the two sides remain at odds on a number of issues, there has been a definite warming to the idea of cooperating toward the common goal of making Smith Mountain Lake a place where common sense, courtesy and dedication to safe boating are priorities.
``This is probably good for the community,'' Maynard said of the debate. ``I think the good is that the community will continue to focus on boating safety.''
Halstead agrees.
``Hopefully, we can work with this other group,'' he said, referring to the Smith Mountain Lake Boating Association. ``I think what everybody is saying is, `Let's make this lake safer and more enjoyable.'''
The lake association isn't about to back off from the idea of using legislation to project several of its proposals, although that likely won't be pursued during the current General Assembly, Halstead said.
``I think out of it, obviously, will come some type of legislative agenda,'' he said. ``We have a mandate from our membership. If we don't do something, they are going to remove us after seeing these figures. I think our membership said, `We want something done.' I think the end product is going to be something everyone can live with.''
What Maynard sees as being difficult to live with is ineffective, unenforceable laws, and that is what the task force has proposed, he said.
Education should be given a chance, and the 150-plus members of the new boating association are dedicated to making it work, Maynard said.
LENGTH: Medium: 74 linesby CNB