YORK COUNTY, Pa. — One cottage on Silver Lake in Fairview Township near Lewisberry has been in Scott and Kathleen Webb's family since the 1930's.
“It’s part of the fabric of our social life," said Kathleen Webb. "We have gatherings here with extended family all the time because they’ve been doing it all their lives too.”
Now they, and other residents, are worried the lake could be in jeopardy.
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection notified the Silver Lake Community Association in 2013 that the lake's earthen dam is deficient and requires rehabilitation and upgrades.
According to DEP, the reservoir created by the dam "has very little freeboard above the normal operating level of the reservoir."
The department says the dam also "does not have a spillway system that is capable of safely passing the required 100-year design storm flows, and has been overtopped in past storm events, as was the case with Hurricane Ida last year."
If the dam is not fixed soon, residents say DEP will order it to be drained.
“This is a place that’s been built up through families and generations and in addition to it being special in that way, the wildlife and the preservation of the wildlife is important as well," said resident Elysa Boffo.
DEP also requires the reservoir level to remain partially drawn down as a risk reduction measure until the dam is appropriately rehabilitated.
Because it's a private lake, it's up to the Silver Lake Community Association to pay for the repairs -- which have an estimated six-figure price tag.
Both residents and the Association's board have the same goal -- saving the lake.
The problem is the two sides don't see eye-to-eye on how to do it.
“Our approach was to assemble a number of the homeowners who could afford it to make no-interest loans," said Scott Webb.
Webb says while homeowners would still have to pay the money back, it would be a smaller lump sum in the long run.
Board members tell FOX43 they haven't rejected that proposal, but they just aren't sure that it's the best way to go.
“It’s very nice they want to give us a loan but we don’t even know how much we need so as a board, how can we go to our residents and say ‘These people are going to give us money and we have to pay that back,'" said Scotty Roberge, vice president of the Silver Lake Community Association.
The Silver Lake Community is made up of families with diverse incomes.
Residents are worried if the board doesn't accept the interest-free loans, they'll decide on another form of payment -- which will end up costing homeowners more.
“Hospital bills, property taxes, this, that, I’m not going to be able to do it anymore," said resident Brenda Himes. "I can’t do their payments.”
While the lake may end up saved, it's the community they're more concerned about losing.
“Three people have already sold their homes because of this, and there’s going to be a lot more -- including myself, which is a disgrace," said Himes.
"We will lose friends that we’ve had for years if we don’t do this the right way," added Webb.
Residents of the Silver Lake community have scheduled an unofficial meeting for May 7 to discuss the matter.
Roberge says this is not an Association-sanctioned meeting and board members will not be attending.
The board has set a meeting for June 4 at 10 a.m. at Lewisberry Borough Park.
Roberge says residents can attend this meeting.
To learn more about efforts to save Silver Lake you can visit the SLCA official website and the "Save Silver Lake" website.