Location
El
Dorado Bay is located on the south side of Lake Cypress Springs
off FM 3007 about 1/4 mile from the junction with Hwy 115. After
traveling about .4 mi. on the entrance road, you reach the flagpole.
Here the road forks into East El Dorado Dr. and West El Dorado Dr.
which follow the shoreline on either side of El Dorado Bay.
Map
Aerial
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History
John
Preston Travis, a successful Dallas architect, developed El Dorado
Bay in the early 1970s. He had a clear vision of the type of community
he wanted to create.
Several small rustic chalets were built that exemplified the architectural
style and natural feel that he wanted to achieve. Unfortunately,
the oil embargo of 1973 and title disputes with neighboring farmers
over property in east El Dorado ultimately led to bankruptcy. After
many months of uncertainty, Ted Burgdorf acquired the property in
1978 and became the successor developer. Since that time,Ted and
Lois have enjoyed El Dorado as much as any of its other owners and
continue to make it their home. Ted's approach to developing El
Dorado seemed to be pretty simple... enjoy the lake and sell folks
a lot if they happen to accidentally drive by. Over the next several
years, Ted was able to sell all of the available lots. Ted's personal
involvement and hard work set the tone for neighbor-helping-neighbor
that characterizes El Dorado today. As of 2024 we have 93 owners
with a few folks owning multiple lots.
El
Dorado Property Owners Association
In
1993 Ted transferred responsibility for all El Dorado common areas,
including the roads, tennis court, trailer storage area, etc., to
the Property Owners Association (POA). The POA is governed by a
four-member Board of Directors: President, Vice President, Secretary
and Treasurer. The Board generally meets every quarter to address
any new issues and review the activities of the various standing
and ad hoc committees. An annual picnic/meeting is held every year
in early October to review the budget, elect officers, vote on regular
and special assessments, and conduct any other business of interest
to the POA members.
The
POA is essentially the city government for El Dorado. It collects
dues (taxes), enforces the rules (laws), and maintains the common
property (streets). The biggest difference is that our "city
employees" don't get paid. Fortunately, we have many talented
neighbors with diverse backgrounds that volunteer their time to
ensure that El Dorado continues to run smoothly and that we maintain
a community that we can be proud of. For this system to work optimally,
however, it is important that all of the property owners share the
load. We encourage everyone to help out in any way they can. There
are numerous opportunities to contribute, whether it be organizing
neighborhood functions (a tennis tournament, pot luck dinner, golf
cart parade, etc.), helping with community maintenance, assisting
the Board with various projects, chairing or serving on a committee,
providing content for the website, editing a POA newsletter, etc.
Board members are elected every two years and fresh faces are always
welcome. If you can help in any way, please don't be bashful. An
expression that you may often hear is "Many hands make light
work."
Governing
Documents
The
POA is a nonprofit corporation that is registered with the State
of Texas. Its two primary governing documents are the By-laws
and the Declaration of Restrictive Covenants (deed restrictions).
These two documents run with the property's deed and each owner
must agree to abide by their provisions. These, along with other
policy documents, are filed with Franklin County. They can be viewed
by clicking the "Governing Documents" tab on the left.
Facilities
Recreational
facilities include a tennis court and basketball goal. A fenced
trailer storage area is also provided. Being somewhat smaller than
some of the other developments around Lake Cypress, El Dorado does
not have a club house or swimming pool. On the other hand,
by keeping things simple, we are able to maintain a quality neighborhood
with quite modest annual fees.
Maintenance
The
roads are owned by El Dorado and therefore must be maintained by
the POA. Road maintenance represents about 2/3 of the POA budget.
Much of the other maintenance (mowing, tree service, landscape maintenance,
etc.) is performed by volunteers. The Board believes that community
service is an important factor in forming a cohesive, functional,
and compassionate neighborhood.
Annual
Community Events
Spring
Picnic
Once
a year, the POA sponsors a spring social devoted entirely to food
and fun. This is a pot luck affair that is typically hosted by one
of our neighbors and the POA provides brats and beverages. This
event is normally held on Memorial Day weekend and combined with
a golf cart parade.
Annual
Property Owners Meeting and Picnic
The
annual POA meeting is held in early October (preferably not on Texas/OU
weekend). This is also pot luck with brisket and beverages being
provided by the POA or a local sponsor.
Christmas
Hay Ride/Caroling/Party
A
hay ride and party are traditionally held on Saturday night a week
or two before Christmas. This is a family favorite enjoyed by all
ages. Jill and Richard Nail hosted in 2023. Volunteers for next
year and on are needed.
Clubs
There
are currently three clubs that welcome all El Dorado POA members:
The El Dorado Scotch Tasting Club, the El Dorado Garden Club and
the Camelot Book Club. Click on the "Clubs" tab on the
left for more information.
Annual
Fees
The
annual fee for each lot, with or without improvements, is currently
$295 (FY2024). Partial lots are prorated. Other than special assessments
(which are rare), no other fees are charged. We like to keep it
simple.
