Within two years, there may be a new City of Lake Lanier if a woman from from Flowery Branch has her way.

Robin Carlisle is heading up the effort to incorporate the area into a new city. She believes area residents are underrepresented by local government. The success of new cities such as Sandy Springs and Johns Creek has given the project hope of success.

Organizers hope to have a charter proposed in the General Assembly next summer. "If that passes by majority vote next summer, next fall we would be electing the new mayor of the City of Lake Lanier and the city council," Carlisle says.

Vision 2030 has unveiled its final report which lays out ambitious plans for improving Gainseville and Hall County during the next 23 years. The group outlined 15 major ideas to push the region into the forefront of Georgia's economy. Among the groups recommendations is a major development on Lake Lanier, which sounds similar to Atlantic Station in downtown Atlanta:

A major mixed-use community on Lake Lanier, with restaurants, an amphitheater and commercial, retail and residential space. The community is a tourist attraction and considered a model for the creative blending of residential and commercial development. 

 

Governor Sonny Perdue has announced a program called “Go Fish Georgia” that would set aside $19 million to:  

 
• Develop a bass trail along 15 sites on Georgia’s major rivers and reservoirs
 
• Lure visitors from fishing havens in other states   
  
 
• Grow the fishing industry in Georgia that currently employs 9,000 people and add a billion dollars to the economy annually.
 
• Land more lucrative fishing tournaments.
 
• Build “mega ramps” will help the state compete for the mammoth televised competitions that can generate as much as $20 million each.   
  

The Lake Lanier Association has proposed adding an extra 2 feet of water to Lake Lanier.

Their reasoning is that the extra water will help solve the ongoing water disputes and encourage future growth.

Currently the lake's full pool is 1,071 feet. Adding two extra feet would mean an extra 25 billion gallons of water in Lake Lanier and would mean that an extra reservoir on the Chattahoochee River would not be needed.

In 1964 the lake rose an extra six feet, and theoretically it can rise as high as 1,085 feet without causing downstream flooding.

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The Duluth Weekly is running a story about Karyn Mullins of Braselton who landed a 33 pound trophy striped bass from the waters of Lake Lanier last week.

She was fishing with her husband, Ron, on Sunday, January 14th. The Weekly quotes Ms. Mullins as saying "I am so excited about my big fish I can hardly stand it!"

The current Lake Lanier record for striped bass stands at 46 pounds.

Click here to read more about Bass Fishing on Lake Lanier.