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CMP Part 4A. Transaortation Plan 'This court requires no proojthat Lake Minnetonku is a priceless heritage of the people of Minnesota,to be preserved and passed on to posterity. Judicia!notice wi[1 be taken of the fact that it is one ojthe most precious jewe[s in the string ojTen Thousand Lakes of which Minnesota is so justly proud.. Because of its wide expanse and proximity to our metropolitan areas,it is much frequented and used jor baating,fishing,picnicking and bathing-perhaps more than any other lake in the state. !ts shore line oJ nearly 100 miles is dotted with permanent homes and summer cottages,not only at its waters edge,but extending far back jrom the shore. But the use of the lake is not confined to dwellers on its shore or nearby. During the summer season especially,it is the mecca for thousands upon thousands oj urbanites,not so fortunate as to possess a[ake home,who-young and old alike-seek its shores and waters jo�diverse recreationa!purposes. To those who do not indulge in active recreation,it affords the opportunity of communing with nature at its best. With the increase in the permanent lake population,however,the extent ojlakeshore available to the public generally and the means of public access to the lake have diminished and therefore become increasingly valuable from yea�to year...we must not forget that the public includes persons other than those in the immediate vicinity. The genera!public has a t�ue concern in the recreationa!facilities ojfered by the lakes which nature has so freely given us in this state. Their generous sharing by al/will make fo�a healthier and happierpeop[e. The many not fortunate enough to be able to acquire the advantages ojownership of lake shore properties shou[d not be deprived of these benefits. This we would do ijwe pe�mitted streets leading to the lakeshore to be vacated.. The loss to the public of ISO jeet of shoreline out oja total ojapproximately 100 miles may to the Baldwins seem inconsequential or even infinitesima!and nothing to be disturbed about. But,ojthis 100 mi/es ofprecious shore/ine, only a smal!fraction has been reserved for thepub/ic;and ijthe courts should create aprecedent by permitting a single inroad,however small,upon the public�S share ojthe shoreline,other inroads wil!inevitably fo!low,until the aggregate becomes a real threat to the pub[ic�S jree access to the lake. To avoid any possibility of such a result,the courts should with equal vigor repulse the first,the second,and every other assault upon the public domain." Less than 1%of Orono's lake shoreline has been dedicated as public access corridors. Nearly all the rest is privately owned,and not available to the public for lake access purposes, save for the DNR Maxwell Bay Access, Hennepin County's North Arm Access and the City's Summit Park on Long Lake. Hennepin County's Noerenberg Gardens Memorial Park,while abutting Lake Minnetonka, has deed restrictions that disallow use for docking or launching boats.W ith shoreland abutting a dozen separate bays in Lake Minnetonka, Orono has a commitment to maintaining access via the dedicated access corridors. Orono's lake accesses are enumerated in Table 4A-8. Lake Access Policies It is the City's intent to permanently retain for public use all existing lake access corridors and fire lanes,regardless of the current level of use or maintenance. To this end, the City will follow these policies: 1. Requests for vacation of dedicated lake access right-of-ways will be denied in all cases except where equal or better lake access will be granted nearby in return. 2. The City will identify and take necessary action to preserve the public's right to use of any such accesses which exist but which may not have been formally dedicated. 3. The City will endeavor to work with property owners adjacent to lake access corridors to ensure that both the rights of the public and the rights of the private landowner are upheld. City of Orono Community Management Plan 2008-2030 Page 4A-32