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1 <br /> <br />Francis Kulacki and Jane Davidson <br />1020 Old Long Lake Road <br />Wayzata, Minnesota 55391 <br /> <br />November 16, 2019 <br /> <br />Orono Park Board <br /> <br />RE: Summit Beach Park <br /> <br />Dear Orono Park Board members: <br /> <br />We are residents of Long Lake and have owned a home on Long Lake near Summit Beach Park <br />since 2011. We are writing to provide our observations on how this park is used and of its <br />benefits to the community, as well as input on the proposal to build multiple docks and a large <br />boat house structure for the benefit of the Long Lake Rowing Club. <br />Summit beach is a jewel among parks because of its natural setting and access to the lake for <br />swimmers. It is most heavily used in the summer by families, young and old, who swim and <br />float from the beach out into the lake, paddleboard, sunbathe and picnic. The swimming beach <br />access is in a calm bay and the natural setting offers places to sit under the trees and sunbathe <br />with a view of the surrounding lake shore. It is used in the winter months for hiking, fishing and <br />access to the lake for skating and biking. These natural amenities are the draw. There is no other <br />park or public area on the lake which offers open access to the lake without boat and rowing <br />traffic or rough water. Motorized boats and rowing skulls are inherently unsafe for swimmers <br />and thus Summit Beach Park is an oasis. The closing of East Long Lake Road to vehicular <br />traffic has drawn many people to walk or bike with their kids along the lake, fish along the shore <br />and hike into Wood Rill. The renovation of this linear extension of the park will expand the <br />park for bird watching, biking, and safer fishing and access to Wood Rill. It also provides an <br />opportunity to reduce the rate at which storm water enters the lake. <br />We enjoy being neighbors of the park and contrary to a comment made in a recent meeting by <br />the chair of the the Park Board, we have never observed unruly or inappropriate use of the park. <br />The park is quiet after 10 pm and the users are respectful of each other and the neighbors. I am <br />aware of an isolated vandalism event several years ago but this problem appears to be solved. <br />We have never had any concern for safety or complaints about noise or improper behavior. <br />There is no problem to be fixed in this regard. <br />I urge the Park Board to preserve Summit beach for the broad use that it enjoys today while <br />improving it to enhance its natural beauty, lessen its environmental impact on wildlife, wetlands, <br />and water quality, and to provide improvements consistent with the use and uniqueness of the <br />property. This is a park where less is more. Upgrading the parking lot with a permeable hard <br />surface, adding a small covered pavilion for multiple picnic tables, enhancing the facilities to <br />include bathrooms and potable water, and providing safe and environmentally sensitive areas for <br />fishing would be beneficial. In addition, a natural play area that mimics nature for play would be <br />a great asset and a draw for families. There are excellent examples of natural play areas in the <br />area (see https://www.familyfuntwincities.com/twin-cities-nature-playgrounds/)