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1992 LMCD Lake Minnetonka Access Task Force Report <br />HISTORY AND BACKGROUND <br />Launch ramps and car -trailer parking at Lake Minnetonka have been under discussion for many years. <br />The Minnesota State Constitution states that the waters of the state will be free and open to the public. <br />The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in response to the Outdoor Recreation Act 1975 <br />(Minnesota Statue 86A.01-11) established a policy to "provide free and adequate public access to all of <br />Minnesota's lakes consistent with demand and resource capabilities". This policy has been carried out <br />throughout the state, usually with the cooperation of the local community which usually sees a launch <br />ramp with free car/trailer parking as a benefit. To obtain this free access, the DNR set policies for what <br />constitutes reliable, free car/trailer parking. The DNR attempts to utilize the following guidelines: <br />1. One car/trailer parking space for every 20 acres of lake surface Lake Minnetonka's 14,000 acres <br />requires a minimum of 700 spaces: <br />2. Ramps with remote lots must have signs showing where to park the car/trailer. <br />3. There must be street signs on major roads near the ramp showing the direction to the ramp. <br />4. Car/trailer parking spaces must be in sight and less than 1500 feet from the launch ramp. <br />5. Street or remote lot parking doesn't count. <br />6. Car/trailer parking spaces must be available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. <br />7. Car only spots for car -top boats don't count. <br />8. Parking must be free except in parks where the same fee is charged all park users. <br />Because the DNR did not recognize existing car/trailer parking spaces that did not meet their standards <br />they determined that there were only 143 car/trailer parking spaces on Lake Minnetonka. They published <br />information and testified before various bodies that there were only 143 car/trailer parking spaces for <br />Lake Minnetonka when there should be 700 minimum according to their standard of one per twenty <br />acres. People outside the lake area communities got the impression that the Lake area was trying to keep <br />people off "their lake" so they could keep it for themselves. The DNR continued to pursue a policy of <br />trying to obtain launch ramps and car/trailer parking on Lake Minnetonka. <br />On the other hand, the local lake area communities believed counts showing 1,000 to 1,200 empty trailers <br />attached to cars parked around the lake on the busiest days. They claimed there were substantially more <br />than the 700 car/trailer parking spaces and the lake didn't need any more car/trailer parking. In fact, they <br />claimed that the boats off the trailers were the major cause of the increased crowding on the lake. What <br />followed was more than a decade of struggles between the DNR and the local Lake Minnetonka <br />communities over launch ramps and free car/trailer parking. <br />In 1982, the DNR announced plans to purchase property at King's Point to develop a launch ramp with <br />free car/trailer parking that met their standards. The local communities claimed 1,200 car/trailer spaces <br />existed and vigorously objected to the DNR plan. In 1983, an appeal to the governor resulted in the <br />launch ramp project being canceled and a Governor's Access Study Commission being appointed to study <br />access on Lake Minnetonka. (The King's Point launch ramp was built in 1987). <br />The commission issued a report that: <br />1. Public parking availability is a crucial component of adequate boat launch facilities. <br />2. 700 car/trailer parking spaces is fair and reasonable for Lake Minnetonka. <br />3. Equitable distribution of car/trailer parking around the lake is desirable. <br />Page 3 <br />254 <br />