Amy McGuire, standing outside the Publix shopping center points to their new location.

Lake Lanier Association’s Executive Director Amy McGuire points to the group’s new location in Gainesville

After more than 25 years, the Lake Lanier Association has its own office space: 1,600 square feet in the Village Shoppes of Gainesville at 821 Dawsonville Highway, Suite 110. The organization is currently building out the space; staff is working remotely.

“We are so thrilled to have this new space to better serve our constituents and members,” said Amy McGuire, executive director of the 3,200-member lake advocacy organization. “Designed to meet our ever-broadening mission and services, the space gives us a place for furthering member relationships, community partnerships and environmental programs.”

The office’s modular design allows for a dedicated lab dop-off area to support the Adopt-a-Lake monthly testing, a meeting area that can seat up to 50, a kitchen and offices for staff.

“We recently received a $3,000 grant from the recently disbanded Georgia Lakes Society, and it will be used to build out our water-testing drop-off station,” she said. “It will certainly be put to good use.”

The space, being built out now, will include a podcast and webinar studio.

“As we further improve our communications and programming, our new podcast and webinar studio will allow us to offer more outreach and to maximize technology,” she said. “It will also enhance our community outreach.”

Last summer, the association purchased a 24-foot pontoon boat, renaming it “Miss Jackie” in honor of the group’s founder Jackie Joseph.

“Having a dedicated vessel allows LLA to bring new plans to fruition, as well as expand on existing programs and on-lake initiatives,” McGuire said. “It will be on display at our member celebration in April and in the past eight months, it has helped us further promote our missions to the community.”

Preview of April 22 Membership Celebration

The group’s annual Member Celebration will take place on Saturday, April 22, at Lanier Islands’ Peachtree Pointe. It will include vendor booths with marine and lake-related items.

“We will be sending details about the event to our members soon, and we’re requesting advanced reservations,” McGuire said. “Admission will be free, but it’s only going to be open to members, so if you want to attend, I encourage you to join or renew by going online to lakelanier.org.”

Individual membership at $50 per person includes one ticket to the celebration; a family level membership at $100 includes two tickets. The Admiral ($500)  and Flagship ($1,000) levels each include four tickets.

For more information, visit www.lakelanier.org.

Photo: courtesy Lake Lanier Association