For a more complete copy of this newsletter, please see the PDF under ‘Older Shoreline Ramblings’.

Pleasant Faces - Our Community

Have you ever wondered who is behind some of the amenities in our community?

The Annandale Improvement Club (AIC) was founded in 1898 to improve the City of Annandale. Over the years they have donated objects of art, planted gardens, supported the library, awarded scholarships, and filled planters with flowers in summer and greens in the winter. Next time you are driving around the area, take a moment to notice Pelto Gardens, outside of In Hot Water, and the large seasonal planter rounds full of winter greens or beautiful flowers sprinkled throughout the community.

The Annandale Area Community Team (ACT), formed in 2002, is involved in supporting many popular events including the annual Feast of Friends dinner, the Annandale Farmers Market, and the ‘Concert in the Park’ series held in the Annandale City Park during the summer (see schedule on the Community Calendar on the pdf version of this newsletter.) These concerts are a favorite with lake residents who are seen floating in their boats off shore.

These are only two of the many volunteer organizations in our community. To learn more about these groups and others, visit www.annandaleonline.com. We are truly luck to have so many people working to make the Annandale area great - including many lake residents? Thank you to them all!

License Changes

The MN DNR is launching a new electronic license system sometime later in 2025 (delayed from March 2025.) The system will allow access to licenses, boat registrations, boater safety training, and harvest reporting electronically. If you choose, plain 8.5 x 11 inch paper licenses will still be available.

There is also a new boater safety training program that will begin implementation in July of 2025. The electronic licensing system will help boaters find, enroll in, and pay for safety courses, print certificates, and purchase licenses immediately upon certification.

From Minnesota Lake and Rivers Volume 4 Issue 2 2025 and dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/els.html

Welcome to Pleasant Lake

If you are new to the lake, you have probably met Dave Boie. He has filled the role of welcoming new people to Pleasant Lake for many years. Thank you, Dave and Toni for your time and effort.

Pleasant Lake Invasive Update

Glen Simons - AIS Director

This Summer up to 4 Starry Stonewort surveys will be conducted, with hand removal done as needed. A chemical treatment of SSW will be done up to 3 times, July, August, September, as needed pending the results of the lake surveys. There will also be an additional SSW survey done at the City access in August or September.

A late Summer AIS survey focusing on Eurasian Water Milfoil, SSW, and Flowering Rush will be done in the vegetated portion of the lake. Additional focus will be on the areas surrounding the public access sites. 19 acres of Curly Leaf Pondweed will receive a chemical treatment. All permits and grants have been applied for.

Thank you AIS Donors as of March 1st 2025

We Thank You

Jill Gruys is stepping down from her position of Director on the PLIA Board. We would like to thank her for her enthusiasm and work especially in the area of social events. We are sure to see her and her family having fun on the lake!

Dues and Donations - Jason Theis, Treasurer

Thank you to those who have sent in their 2025 dues and Water Quality Donations. We are only half way to our goal of 80% of member dues paid. Please send in your check or pay via PayPal soon and consider making a donation as well. Remember, we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We are only able to continue the Lake Association work thanks to you!

Welcome to the PLIA Board

Scott Halvorson - Director

My name is Scott Halvorson, and I am thrilled to be serving on the Pleasant Lake Improvement Association board. While I am new to the area, my wife Kathy and I began renting the lake home at 264 Basswood Street 5 years ago, which we now own as of June 10, 2024. Two places to the east of us resides Kathy’s sister, Karen Larson and her husband Ray. Kathy and I plan to sell our home in Faribault soon and build our retirement home at our current lake site the Fall of 2025. We have 5 adult children, Jessice (age 39), Blake (age 35), Jenna (age 33), Kayla (age 31), and Luke (age 21). We also have 8 grandchildren, with two additions coming in March and August 2025. Along with such a big family, we also have an adorable English Cocker Spaniel, Lucy (age 7) who loves swimming in Pleasant Lake.

I personally am empolyed with the MN Sex Offender Program as their Reintegration Director and Kathy oversees the MN Women’s Correctional Facility in Shakopee as their Prison Warden.

We enjoy all things lake related! We are excited and eager to make Annandale our permanent home, where the community is considered “The Heart of the Lakes”, as a popular destination for outdoor activities, and also known for its natural beauty, community events, and festivals.

Glen Simons - AIS Director

In September 2024, my wife Lisa and I purchased a property on the east side of Pleasant Lake. Lisa grew up in Eden Prairie and I in Chanhassen. We have been married for 40 years and are passionate about spending time on the lake, whether it’s cruising on our pontoon, Lisa pulling me barefoot water skiing, or teaching and pulling others in water sports. Before moving, we lived on Eagle Lake in Willmar since 1995. I spent many years on the Eagle Lake board and enjoyed contributing in any way I could. Our lake homes are an important asset, and the quality of the lake is very important for our enjoyment of it.

Lisa and I have two children and three grandchildren. Our daughter lives in Otsego with her husband and two children, while our son resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife and one child. Lisa and I retired in May 2024 and love spending time with the grandkids and spend part of our winters in Florida.

Before retirement, I worked for McDonald’s for 46 years and retired as a Director of Operations for a large franchise in West Central MN and North Dakota. Lisa spent 22 years working for the Willmart School District in food service, working in the kitchens and District Office as a food production coordinator. Prior to retirement, she spent seven years working for the same McDonald’s franchise as I did, handling payroll and accounting tasks.

I look forward to assisting the PLIA board in any capacity that is needed, and meeting our new neighbors on Pleasant Lake, whether it’s seeing you on the water or at Pleasant Lake social events.

Watercraft Info 2025

As of July 1st, operators 21 years old or younger must possess a valid watercraft permit for motorboats and personal watercraft.

PWC

- Age 12 and under CANNOT operate a PWC

- Everyone must wear a life jacket

- Operate only from 9:30 am to 1 hour before sunset

- Always have a ‘NO WAKE’ within 150 feet of shore, nonmotorized or anchored boats, docks, and swimmers

- No weaving through traffic or jumping wakes within 150 feet of any craft

LIFE JACKETS

- Children 10 and under must wear a properly fitted life jacket while boat is underway

- A readily available and wearable life jacket for each person on board a boat - this includes canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, paddleboats and waterfowl boats.

For complete information, visit Minnesota DNR to view the MN 2025 Boating Guide

Special Thank Yous

Thank you to our advertising businesses for their support, Oak Realty and Dingmann Marine for continuing the ‘Oak on the Water’ tradition, the Annandale Lions for their annual youth ice fishing contest on Pleasant, lake residents for sharing pictures, everyone who attended the Winter Happy Hour, Jill Gruys for all of her contributions to the Board, and Dave and Toni Boie for greeting new lake residents.

YOU can help your lake association by becoming a Director.