Ritzy neighborhood at war over dam repair as locals turn on richer lakefront homeowners over staggering cost

A ritzy lakeside neighborhood in Georgia is at war over plans to fix a dam that will cost millions - with many residents feeling the check isnt theres to pay.

Lake Dow in Henry County needs repairs to its dam that will cost as much as $10million - leaving residents facing a $30,000 bill each.

But a bitter dispute has erupted between residents who live on the waterfront and those who live further away. The latter group argues that they should pay less as the lake has less impact on the value of their properties.

Lake Dow Estates has 300 lots around the lake, with 30 percent of them residing on the prime lakefront land. 

In a homeowners association (HOA) meeting on Tuesday, residents were set to vote on if they wanted to go ahead with plans to fix the dam. Instead, however, they tried to unseat the current HOA board who then voluntarily stepped down. 

In 2008 the state reevaluated the lake to be a category one, meaning it needed to be kept at a lower water level. Residents opted to drain seven feet of water instead of spending millions to improve the dam and now the cost has only increased

Those homeowners who live on the lake, their homes are gonna appraise much higher than someone who lives off the lake. So, in a sense its not fair that everyone pay the same amount when our homes are appraised differently, Travis Green, who had recently moved to the neighborhood, told Atlanta News First. 

Green said they had been shocked by the unexpected price tag that came with moving, and added: When we moved here, we got a "welcome to the neighborhood, and by the way you may [need] to pay between $15,000 and $30,000 in dam repairs. 

In 2008 the state reevaluated the lake to be a category one, meaning it needed to be kept at a lower water level. Residents opted to drain seven feet of water instead of spending millions to improve the dam. 

The reason they classified it as a category one is because they deemed it to be a potential if the dam would fail. It would cause loss of property and potentially loss of life downstream, resident Mark Rawlings told Atlanta News First. 

He said there had been plans over the years to fix the dam, and the price tag keeps getting higher and higher.

Both Green and Rawlings have said there is a proposed payment plan being offered if they do go ahead with the plan, which would be $250 a month over 18 years with an interest cost

Resident Travis Green recently moved into the neighborhood and was shocked by the hefty bill that he was greeted with. He said: In a sense its not fair that everyone pay the same amount when our homes are appraised differently

Rawlings also recalled a plan that was on the table in late 2022 which was shut down by the HOA board at the time. He said the last plan they came up with was roughly $5 million.

We want to be in compliance with the law. If I was off the lake, I would be very disturbed by the cost, but I should not be surprised, he added. 

Both Green and Rawlings have said there is a proposed payment plan being offered if they do go ahead with the plan, which would be $250 a month over 18 years with an interest cost. 

Green said that after waiting so long, the situation has only become that much worse and the cost that much higher. 

To now let it build up to an almost $10 million project when probably 16 years ago, it was half of that and expect someone who is 70 plus years old or someone who is on a fixed income, or someone who dont even know whats going on, who just got here, trying to start a new chapter of their life, to just be like, "Hey welcome to the neighborhood. Pay this," I think thats kind of wrong, Green said. 

Resident Becky Kennedy said: Theyve known its coming for so long, that if you didnt like it and didnt want to fix the lake, why didnt you sell and get out of this neighborhood.

Members of the community have echoed both Green and Rawlings concerns and have shared how the battle has affected the community. 

Homeowner Asya Richardson Green told WSBTV: Theres been a lot of tears. A lot of tears over these past couple of weeks, months, and days. You know people are scared. People are scared that theyre going to lose their homes. 

Another resident, Kristine Bobo, reiterated that many fellow community members dont know how to pay for it. 

The majority of us think that since [lakefront homeowners] reap the benefits of this lake, they should cover more of the cost, said resident Pkale Robinson. 

Another said that those who couldnt afford to pay for it should have planned accordingly, Becky Kennedy told the outlet: Theyve known its coming for so long, that if you didnt like it and didnt want to fix the lake, why didnt you sell and get out of this neighborhood. 

Once the new HOA board takes over, they will decide if the community will go ahead with the plans.