05-09-2011 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, May 9, 2011 7:00 o'clock p.m. (LMCD REPORT, Continued) In an attempt to prevent the introduction of new AIS, the LMCD has contracted for the inspection of incoming watercraft at public accesses to reduce the chances of introducing new AIS into Lake Minnetonka. Prior to the 2010 boating season, this contract was coordinated strictly with the Minnesota DNR. A secondary contract for watercraft inspections was initiated in 2010 as a pilot project to determine whether it would be a viable alternative to the MN DNR watercraft inspections. In 2010, watercraft inspections were conducted from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The goals of this project were to reduce the chances of a new AIS introduction in the lake, improve public knowledge of Minnesota AIS laws through education; and improve boater behavior on complying with Minnesota AIS laws. Approximately $44,000 was spent on this project in 2010. Funding sources included the LMCD, DNR, and Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. • In 2010, the LMCD partnered with the MN DNR to coordinate three training sessions for area lake service providers on the prevention and management of AIS. Lake service providers that attended these training sessions included commercial marinas, dock installers, yacht clubs, charter boat companies,. commercial transporters, and commercial boat clubs. The purpose of the first training session was to, one, provide a summary of MN AIS laws; two, provide a summary of MN AIS infested bodies of water; three, outline what precautions need to be done before launching watercraft and installing docks when they are brought from AIS infested waters; four, to identify who to contact when a watercraft or dock comes to Lake Minnetonka with a suspected AIS; and five, to address stakeholder questions and comments. • With the announcement by the MN DNR that zebra mussels were discovered in Lake Minnetonka, the last two training sessions were focused on, one, the extent of the zebra mussel infestation on Lake Minnetonka; two, to summarize MN AIS laws; three, to summarize what precautions lake service providers need to take to prevent the spread of zebra mussels to other bodies of water; four, what efforts were implemented by the MN DNR to assist lake service providers to comply with state laws; and five, to address stakeholder questions and comments. Continued lake service training is planned in 2011. A further objective of the LMCD is to ensure that LMCD ordinances and policies are relevant and enforceable and to identify problematic ordinances. In 2010, a petition was made to change an ordinance that prohibits the commercial sales of food, beverages, supplies, or other merchandise from any watercraft on Lake Minnetonka (excluding charter boats). No changes were recommended after the committee consulted with the Hennepin County Sheriffs Water Patrol and the Hennepin County Health Department. Two ordinance changes were recommended by the committee. First, an ordinance was adopted by the LMCD Board that further defines signage on Lake Minnetonka. Second, the committee has recommended changes to the "public amenities" section for special density licenses. The committee recommendations are currently being considered by the board. The LMCD is also active in enforcing ordinances. A proactive code enforcement program was established in 2006 to enforce LMCD watercraft storage ordinances at residential sites. The primary enforcement efforts established for this process are to: One, identify and/or re- inspect sites storing five or more restricted watercraft that do not have a multiple dock license; and two, identify and/or re- inspect sites storing three or four larger, restricted watercraft that do not comply with the 1:50' General Rule. The LMCD's philosophy on problematic dock sites is to bring sites into compliance with watercraft • storage ordinances through a three -phase communication process. The LMCD Board has expressed an Page 6 of 17