Upcoming Association Events


The annual Earth Day Cleanup is on April 20, 2024! Stay tuned for details!


Latest Association News

Brought to you by our sponsor of the month:

Sholes ACE Hardware & Supply

Check out our sponsor page for more information!

Charity Night at the West Warwick VFW

It was a packed house at the West Warwick VFW for the Charity Fundraiser Bingo Night! The event was a great chance to spread information about our cause to a whole new group of people, and VP Tom Pendergast gave a short presentation of our Association’s mission to all in attendance. Thanks to all who attended and the all the volunteers and donations that made it possible! Check out the Events page for all the photos from the event.

Check out the announced list of upcoming events, some new experiences and some returning favorites. Keep checking back for more information as it arrives.

Upcoming Events

Earth Day Cleanup - April 20, 2024

Bingo Night - April 2024

Member Meeting & Picnic - May 2024

Comedy Night - June 2024

Fishing Tournament/Boat Race - August 3, 2024

Fall Appreciation Beach Party - September 2024

Cookies & Cocoa with Santa - December 2024

Please read the 2023 end of year message to the Association!

Quick look at condition of Breezy Lake Fall 2023

Gorgeous sunset shot courtesy of Gemma Riccio’s son, amazing!

Latest Association News


Message from the Association

To My Association Members and Friends,

Giving thanks for what we have

Thanksgiving is past us and 2023 is coming to an end. We have accomplished so much again this year. We have completed our lake reset and two years of lake maintenance. Hard to believe three years of treatment. The lake looks better than it has in many years. We enjoyed an abundance of water this summer. For us, the more water available the better. Certainly not like 2022. We have seen our association Mission Statement coming true before our eyes. The lake is being used by families and friends more than we have seen in many years. I look out at the lake now and it is beautiful, clear, full of water and full of hope for next season.

We have restored our lake to a state we can all be proud of and thankful for. But the work is not done. It will never be done. But what we have now is control over our destiny. My destiny is to enjoy the lake now and leave it in a better state for the next generation. When I see all our grandkids and the neighborhood swimming, boating and fishing, I know we are on the right track.  I am hopeful we have a very cold winter and that I can skate with my grandchildren on the ice that is free of frozen weeds.

 

What we have accomplished

We are now maintaining the lake. What does that mean? We have disrupted the growth cycle of the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in the lake. I will continue to remind the association members of what the lake looked like in 2017 - 2020. This year we controlled weeds as a maintenance project. This means we allowed some native weeds to grow back in the spots we want them to and keep other areas clear. We have had these discussions with our partners, Water & Wetlands (W&W) and RIDEM. They will guide us through this process again in 2024.

The association had a busy year as well. Comedy Night, Fall Fest, Fishing Tournament, Earth Day, and Santa, a successful year of fundraising, apparel and plant sales, new sponsors, new members, new association friends, lake survey, and water willow removal.

I wish to give a special thanks to the Board of Directors for their never-ending dedication to our association and the lake. I don't know what I would do without them. I also want to thank Don Antonelli for his foresight and vision of a restored lake. His vision from many years ago is now coming true.

Association Budget

In 2023 the association raised over $19,000 in revenue with over $16,000 in expenses. The lake treatment costs, insurance costs and security costs were the majority of our expenses. So, we are starting off 2024 in a slightly positive position again just like last year. However, this does NOT mean we can rest on our accomplishments. We have a full schedule of events for next year to continue raising funds for the maintenance of the lake. All the members need to work to make the events successful. The Board has decided to keep the membership dues at $40 per member for 2024. Your payment will be due in January. 

Sediment, Phosphorus and Muck

Now that the weeds are gone from the lake, three concerns are sediment, phosphorus and the mucky bottom.  

 

Sediment (TSS) and Total Phosphorus (TP): Stormwater running off Knotty Oak Rd (Rt 116), Gervais St Breezy Lake Dr and Pond View Dr is killing our lake. The State of Rhode Island and the Town of Coventry have been funneling stormwater into Upper Dam Pond since the 1960’s. This stormwater brings with it sediment, oil and grease, and phosphorus. The more sediment, the faster the lake will fill in. The more phosphorus, the more growth of AIS. Our association is currently enrolled in the SNEP Network Stormwater Planning Series. This planning series includes the Environmental Protection Agency, the Town of Coventry, and SNEP (Southern New England Program) to design and implement stormwater controls to remove TSS and TP from the stormwater BEFORE it enters the lake. Our first site to look at will be Pond View Dr. This site contains a visible reminder of what “not to do” in stormwater control. We will build plans to remediate this site where stormwater runs directly into the lake through an unfiltered pipe and has built a delta 100’ into the lake. We have a clear path forward with real funding opportunities to solve this stormwater problem.

Muck is a different issue. For muck control W&W is recommending SMR (Sludge and Muck Reducing) Pellets.  Right now, we are thinking the cost would be assumed by the lakefront owner. We are recommending using the professional grade SMR and NOT MuckAway found on Amazon. The association would like to manage what products are being used in the lake so we have a strong understanding of effectiveness. We will not move forward with any muck removal plans. The costs are too high.

What’s next for 2024

·  Treatment: We will assess and treat the lake monthly June through September 2024, land and water invasives will be assessed each month. Drone photos will continue to be used to engage lakefront owners (thank you Jay).

·  Events and Sponsors: Bingo, Earth Day Members Meeting & Picnic, Comedy Night, Fishing Tournament, Fall Appreciation Luncheon, Fall Fest & Vendor Fair, Fall Cleanup, and Cookies N Cocoa with Santa are all events planned for next year. This year we have added an event committee with great results (thank you Lori). The Town of Coventry has agreed to sponsor the association’s efforts for 2024 as they did this year. We will work with our State Senator and Representative for grants and of course gifts and donations will be encouraged.

Thank you for everything you are doing to “Save Breezy Lake”. Happy Holidays to all and we will be in touch again soon. As always, if you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out.

2023 Breezy Lake Fundraising Campaign

As of October 2023 we have reached our goal of $12,000!

Thank you to all our members, sponsors, and contributors for a successful fundraising campaign! We look forward to another great year in 2024!

Make a donation.

There are many benefits to cleaning Breezy Lake for the neighborhood and the Town of Coventry that include boating, swimming, fishing and wildlife. With those benefits comes a responsibility. The lake is in trouble and we need your help.

All contributions are tax deductible.

Please consider donating at the link below or via our online store.

Upper Dam Pond (know locally as Breezy Lake) is located on the eastern side of the Town of Coventry, RI

 

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Join us in making Breezy Lake a clean, safe, and fun place for community recreation. Enter your email below to join our mailing list and request our online application form and become a member.

Membership dues are $35 annually and are collected each January. Dues can be paid by check, through our online store, or using Paypal or Venmo via our website Donate page.

Proud partner of these organizations

Click on the logos below to learn more information

Town of Coventry

Town of Coventry Department of Public Works


Get in touch.

The Association’s greatest strength is the collaboration of it’s members to help make change. Most of the events held by the Association that come from ideas of our members. We welcome any suggestions or comments that our members feel could help improve the Association. Feel free to leave an anonymous suggestion in the box to the right.