CLHS grad passes community lifesaving project to next generation

(Above) Lainey Arians shows Mikara Devine how life ring stations at beaches around Clear Lake should be equipped.  Both State Park beaches, as well as City Beach, have life rings thanks to a community project started by Arians in 2012.

A soon-to-be graduate of Clear Lake High School is passing a lake safety program she initiated on to the next generation.

Lainey Arians was in middle school when an assignment challenged her to come up with ideas to make a difference in her community. While vacationing in Michigan, Arians said she had seen life rings placed at the end of public docks.   With the memory of a local teen drowning in Clear Lake in 2011, Arians thought the life ring idea should be used here.  She made a presentation to members of the Clear Lake City Council, which endorsed the idea and encouraged her to make contact with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources which oversees the lake.  The community fully backed the idea and more than $2,000 was raised to place life rings at city and state beaches.

This month Arians, now 18, is handing upkeep of the life buoys on to third-grader Mikara Devine, daughter of Langdon and Laura Devine of Clear Lake.

Thanks to the overwhelming support of the life ring project, Arians said her idea of having two rings placed at City Beach, as well as the beaches at Clear Lake State Park Beach and Macintosh Woods State Park, was expanded to a total of eight life buoys.  Since their installation, Arians has continued to check on the buoy locations to be sure the life rings are in place and their cases are in good shape.  Decals which first identified the life rings have been replaced by stenciled signage to make the public aware of their presence.  The set-up also included an alarm which sounds when the life rings are pulled into action, sending an alert that help is needed.

“Only one life ring was stolen and we were able to replace that,” she said.  Other than some reports of the alarms being sounded early on by vandals, the rings have remained in place and unharmed.  “I think that once the newness wore off and people knew what they were for, they were left alone and are ready for use if needed,” added Arians.

“The project escalated a lot faster than I thought it would.  There was such support that the rings and ropes were donated.  We used the money we raised for cases, upkeep and replacement when needed,” she said.   Funds also allowed for extra buoys to be purchased, as well as posts and hooks for the cases.

Arians said she is not aware that the life rings have been needed in any rescue, but she says she feels good about helping to make the equipment available if needed.

“Mikara goes to my church (First Congregational Church in Clear Lake) and they are a very community oriented family.  I see her at the beach a lot and thought they would do a good job continuing the project.  They said yes to the idea,” said Arians.

Nine-year-old Mikara will be responsible for maintaining the life rings, keeping them clean and replacing them when needed.