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CMP Part 4A. Transportation Plan • <br /> � <br /> `This court requires no proof tl:atLake Minnetonka is a priceless heritage of the people ofMinnesota,to bepreserved { ) <br /> and passed on to posterity. .Tudicial notice will be taken of the fact that it is one of the most precious jewels in the <br /> string of Ten Thousand Lakes of which Minnesota is so justlyproud..Because of its wide expanse anilproximity to <br /> our metropolitan areas,it is much frequented and used for boating,fishing,picnicking and bathing-perhaps more <br /> than any other lake in the state. Its shore line of nearly I00 miles is dotted with permanent homes and summer <br /> cottages,not only at its waters edge,but extending far back from the shore. But the use of the lake is not confined to <br /> dwellers on its shore or nearby. During the summer season especial[y,it is the mecca for thousands upon thousands of <br /> urbanites,not so fortunate as to possess a lake home,who-young and o[d alike-seek its shores and waters for diverse <br /> recreational purposes. To those who do not indulge in active recreation,it affords the opportunity of communing with <br /> nature at its besz With the increase in the permanent lake population,however,the eztent of lakeshore available to the <br /> public generally and the means ofpublic access to the lake have diminished and therefore become increasingly <br /> valuable from year to year...we must not forget that thepub[ic includespersons other than those in the immediate <br /> viciniry. The general pu6lic has a true concern in the recreational facilities offered by the lakes which nature has so <br /> freely given us in this state. Theirgenerous sharing by all will make for a healthier and happierpeople. The many not <br /> fortunate enough to be ab[e to acquire the advantages of ownership of lake shoreproperties should not be deprived of <br /> these benefits. This we would do if we permitted streets[eading to the lakeshore to be vacated... <br /> `Tl:e loss to the public of ISO feet of shoreline out of a total of approximately l00 miles may to tlte Baldwins seem <br /> inconsequential or even infinitesima[and nothing to be disturbed abouL Bu�of this I00 miles ofprecious shoreline, <br /> only a smal[fraction has been reserved for the pub[ic; and if the courts should create a precedent by permitting a <br /> single inroad,however small,upon the public's share of the shoreline,other inroads will inevitably follow,until the <br /> aggregate becomes a real threat to the public's free access to the lake. To avoid any possibi[ity of such a result,the <br /> courts should with equal vigor repulse the firs�the second,and every other assault upon the public domain.° <br /> Less than 1%of Orono's lake shoreline has been dedicated as public access corridors. <br /> Nearly all the rest is privately owned, and not available to the public for lake access �'�"1 <br /> purposes, save for the DNR Maxwell Bay Access, Hennepin County's North Arm _..� <br /> • Access and the City's Summit Park on Long Lake. Hennepin County's Noerenberg <br /> Gardens Memorial Park,while abutting Lake Minnetonka,has deed restxictions that <br /> disallow use for docking or launching boats.With shoreland abutting a dozen separate <br /> bays in Lake Minnetonka, Orono has a commitment to maintaining access via the <br /> dedicated access comdors. Orono's lake accesses are enumerated in Table 4A-8. <br /> Lake Access Policies <br /> It is the City's intent to permanently retain for public use all existing lalce access <br /> � corridors and fire lanes,regardless of the current level of use or maintenance. To this <br /> end, the City will follow these policies: <br /> 1. Requests for vacation of dedicated lake access right-of-ways will be denied in all <br /> cases except where equal or better lake access will be granted nearby in return. <br /> 2. The City will identify aiid take necessary action to preserve the public's right to <br /> use of any such accesses which exist but which may not have been formally <br /> dedicated. <br /> 3. The City will endeavor to work with property owners adjacent to lake access <br /> corridors to ensure that both the rights of the public and the rights of the private � <br /> landowner are upheld. � -� <br /> City of Orono Community Management Plan 2008-2030 Page 4A-32 <br />