10-27-1997 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Request for Council Action continued page 2 of 4 October 23, 1997 Stubbs Bay Access to Lake Minnetonka We first became aware of a problem in this area earlier this summer when the Public Works Department proceeded to install the seasonal dock in the usual location. The property owner, Lisa Olson, immediately contacted the City about the dock being located on her property. The City Engineer surveyed the site to determine the location of the City land. The dock was then shifted further to the west to correspond with the City owned property. The City land to access the dock is wetland, so people continued crossing the Olson property to gain access to the dock. The property owner came to the October Park Commission meeting to express her concerns about this situation. My understanding is that she had contacted a Park Commissioner who lives in the area. The Park Commission listened to her comments and made several recommendations. Their recommendations were to investigate the possibility of restoring the driveway access to original conditions, install signs to direct people to the public acce'S, and to ir.vestigate the possibility of constructing a boardwalk across the wetland to provide access to the City seasonal dock. The property owner was directed to send a letter to the Council expressing her concerns, as the City Council would need to approve any actions regarding this situation. A letter from Lisa Olson was included in the Council packet for the October 13th meeting (See attached copy). We are presenting this topic for Council discussion to obtain direction and guidance from the Council on the resolution of this issue. The issue of lake access can be a very sensitive and complex issue, and City staff would like to obtain input from the Council before proceeding any further with this situation. Discussion of Possible Solutions The existing access, located on private property, is clearly a desirable access with a gravel surface and a gradual slope from the County Highway to the lake. The City dock in this location functioned very well, and the existing site also provided vehicle parking for dock users. This existing access also provided good access for snowmobiles because of the gradual slope. This location is aligned with the east side of Stubbs Bay Road. The preferred route for snowmobiles is along the east side of Stubbs Bay Road because of favorable topography. Use of the City owned land for access is problematic. On the City land, there is a steep bank from County Road 84 that drops down to a wetland area. Access across the wetland to the dock is vpry difficult. This wetland is protected by both City and other agency regulations. Also, there is no place for vehicle parking. The access for snowmobiles is less than desirable. There is a steep bank adjacent to the County Road. Unless there is a large amount of snow, this bank ccjld be hazardous. The snowmobiles will need to accelerate to climb the bank and upon reaching the crest will tend to shoot right out onto County Road 84. This creates a hazardous situation from a traffic safety perspective. This access also lines up with the west side of Stubbs Bay Road. The snowmobiles will either have to cross over to the east side of the road or will continue along the west side of the road Snowmobile travel along the west side of the Stubbs Bay Road is less desirable than along the east side.