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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/17/05 1"""""- MINUTES OF THE LAKE ADVISORY COMMITTEE May 17, 2005 I. CALL TO ORDER The Lake Advisory Committee (LAC) Meeting was called to order at 6:00 P.M. Members present: Harry Alcorn, Marv Mirsch, Donna Mankowski, Brad Beneke, and Dan O'Keefe Members absent: None Others present: Scott Carlson; DNR, Brett Krick; Scott County Sheriff's Department, Larry Poppler; Assistant City Engineer II. CONSIDER APPROVAL MEETING MINUTES The minutes for April meeting minutes were approved as written ~ III. NEW BUSINESS a. Surface Water Regulations Poppler introduced Scott Carlson from the DNR and Brett Krick with the Scott County Sheriff's Department. Poppler stated that part of the goals of the LAC is to be familiar with lake issues. One of the lake issues is surface water use. When the LAC set up the yearly agenda, one of the meetings was devoted to reviewing surface water regulations. The LAC has invited the DNR and Scott County to tonight's meeting to get some perspective on surface water issues. Pop pier has prepared a brief agenda on surface water issues. 1. Speed on the Lake 2. Number of Lake Users 3. Lake Access Issues 4. No Wake 150' from shoreline restriction and above the 904 5. Enforcement Resources 6. Dock Issues 7. Other Lake Issues 1. Speed on the Lake - The Sheriff's Department enforces speed on the lake. The DNR does not enforce speed on the lake since it is a local ordinance. ,..,-. Krick stated that enforcing speed on the lake is difficult because the boats need to heading straight towards the County boat to get an accurate reading 1 - ,- on the radar. Many times the because of poor speed readings, a reckless boating ticket is issued. Carlson added that if a boat is running at an excessive speed, he would likely issue a ticket for reckless boating. Alcorn asked if planes are a speed problem on the lake. Carlson stated that planes are exempt and that boats must yield to lake planes. Krick stated that most tickets issued on the lake are for boating DUI, noise, or registration. 2. Number of Lake Users - During normal week days the lake is not overcrowded, but during peak summer weekends and holidays the lake is very crowded. Mankowski mentioned that on the last day of school the lake is crowded with teenagers. 3. Lake Access Issues - The DNR is planning to improve the DeWitte access and add more parking. They are also planning to add parking at the Sand Point access. ,- Alcorn mentioned that sand has built up at the end of the boat ramps. Carlson answered that the sand build up is due to power loading of boats. 4. No Wake 150' from shoreline restriction and above the 904 - Krick stated that enforcement of the 5 mph no wake zone is done visually and not by radar. Basically if the boat produces a wake over a few inches they are going too fast within the no wake zone. 5. Enforcement Resources - DNR and Scott County coordinate patrols to ensure lakes are getting some surface water presence. O'Keefe stated that enforcement resources comes up a lot. Carlson stated that certain people think that enforcement is too much, others think it is too little. During peak times there is never enough enforcement. Sometimes shoreline monitoring is performed so even if people don't see a presence on the lake, the lake is being monitored. L-cops are also used on the lake during peak times. .,-- Krick stated that the L-cops are there to provide a presence on the lake, but are not equipped to handle some of the issues that are encountered on the lake. 6. Dock Issues - The DNR no longer regulates docks 2 - ,,- Krick stated that he has been involved in a court case regarding dock placement. The courts ruled that a lakeshore owner needs to keep their dock a certain distance away from the property line. This has been an ugly case and suggested that the City not get involved in these issues. 7. Other Lake Issues Alcorn asked what the top three problems are on the lake. Krick and Carlson responded that overcrowding and boating DUI's are the top problems. Processing boating DUl's take approximately 2 hours. That means for those two hours enforcement personnel are not able to monitor the lake. O'Keefe asked if fishing tournaments have been a problem on the lake. Carlson responded that he hasn't seen any issues with fishing tournaments on Prior Lake. On other lakes he has received noise complaints. Alcorn asked if winter use has been a problem. Carlson responded that not being able to walk in on people in ice houses has hampered some enforcement actions. ,-- Mankowski suggested that the surface water regulations be laminated and distributed to lake users. Carlson added that the new law regarding personal floatation devices will go into effect next year and will require that children under the age of 10 wear PFDs at all times while on the water. Alcorn asked Carlson at what elevation does the DNR begins enforcement. Carlson responded that he would look into that issue and respond to the LAC. b. Lake Access I Docks Poppler printed out property line information around Prior Lake for review. Pop pier stated that the majority of lots are perpendicular to the lake shore. Alcorn suggested that the LAC wait to hear back from the DNR on the elevation in which the DNR begins enforcement. Alcorn also suggested that the people from White Bear Lake and/or Minnetonka be invited to the next meeting to discuss the dock issues. Poppler will extend an invitation to people from both Conservation Districts. - ."" O'Keefe will draft a letter responding to Maria Keeney on the dock issue stating that the LAC is still considering the issues. 3 - ,,- c. Specialized Sanitation (Portable Toilets near the lake) Poppler stated that the Planning Department has received a request to review the use of portable toilets near the lake shore. The Planning Department is asking the LAC for some feedback on the use of these toilets. The LAC recommends that if the portable toilets are allowed on Prior Lake that they be kept away from the shoreline. The LAC is concerned that portable toilets on the lakeshore may be unsightly, may be vandalized, and the chemicals may be harmful to the lake. The LAC believes this may be a good idea on the islands away from the shoreline. IV. OLD BUSINESS V. ANNOUNCEMENTS Poppler will attempt to arrange for the presence of White Bear Lake and / or Minnetonka personnel to be present at the next LAC meeting. If they are unable to attend, the LAC will discuss summer lake usage and the web cam at the next meeting. VI. ADJOURNMENT THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 8:15 P.M. ~ Respectfully submitted, Larry Poppler Assistant City Engineer "....- 4 DOCKS: RULES & REGULA liONS .--, DNR RESTRICTIONS WHICH APPLY TO PRIOR LAKE ~ASlAnnSlI nnr.kA SInd FlnSlting ~trllr.tllrAA Mmd' . be removed from water on a seasonal basis (before winter freeze-up). . have components which are removable from lake or streambed by non-mechanical means. . not be a hazard to navigation or endanger public health and safety. . not be placed where site is a posted fish spawning area. . not include fuel handling or sewage facilities. . not be used or intended to be used for human habitation, as a boathouse or as a marina. . allow for free flow of water beneath it. NOTE: Temporary structures which do not extend from the shore, such as: swim rafts, slalom courses, ski jumps or buoys of any kind, may not be placed in waters of the state between sunset and sunrise without a permit from the county sheriff. Those structures not left I the water overnight are still required to be placed so that they do not create a hazard on the water body or obstruvaVigation. Contact the Scott County Sheriff's department for permit information..... III> "" ... .f.' ~.,. - ~ ",.--. '- PArmSlnAnt nnr.kA (nn ISlkAA nnly) Mmd' . be a single linear structure not more than 6 feet wide. . not exceed 50 feet in length, or extend into water that is more than 4 feet deep, whichever is less. . be no more than one dock per waterfront lot. . not obstruct navigation or create a water safety hazard. . Site is not a posted fish spawning area. . not include fuel handling or sewage facilities. . not be used or intended to be used for human habitation, as a boathouse, or as a marina. . allow for free flow of water beneath it. . be on a lake 500 acres or larger if dock is built on wood pilings. . be on a lake 2,500 acres or larger, and site must preclude the use of a dock on wood pilings if dock is built on rock cribs. Sometimes disputes regarding the installation of docks in front of adjacent properties occur. Such disputes are best settled by first discussing your concerns with your neighbor. If your ~- neighbor is uncooperative, you may have to contact an attorney about the legalities of your neighbor's actions. For additional information visit the DNR web site at: http'/Iwww dnr statp mn IIs/hoating html or call the DNR Boat and Water Safety Section at 651-296-3336. Page 1 of2 ,- , Larry Poppler From: Nathan Oster Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 8:44 AM To: Larry Poppler Subject: FW: Web Cam Update Hi Larry. This email is FYI... in case the Lakecam gets brought up tonight by Harry. Nathan Oster Communications Coordinator CITY OF PRIOR LAKE 16200 Eagle Creek Ave. SE Prior Lake. MN 55372 Direct Dial: 952.447.9804 -----Original Message----- From: Nathan Oster Sent: Friday, May 06, 2005 3:01 PM To: 'Harry Alcorn Jr.' Cc: Frank Boyles SUbject: Web Cam Update ~ Hi Harry. An update on my Web cam discussions since we last spoke Frank and I spoke about the two potential locations for the Web camera. While the Captain Jack's site would be a good one, we concluded that the Yacht Club Cam would provide greater variety, giving us a chance to capture 1) Watzl's Beach; 2} the Wagon Bridge; 3} Fireworks in Lakefront Park; 4} and the long view, looking to the east, of the lake (for sunrises). I spoke with AI Friedges, and he confirmed that we do have electricity and a standard telephone line at the concession stand at Watzl's. And I spoke with Eli Bergman, the sales rep at Earthcam. Regarding infrastructure, I need to know a bit more about the Yacht Club building, specifically, it's connectivity. Eli said the only way the cameras will work - to the extent we'd want them to -- is with a DSL or cable line. Does a DSL or cable line exist there? And if not, could it? (More on the cost implications of that later). After talking to him, he said the most economical approach would be to mount the camera on the roof, then run the bandwidth directly to the camera itself. Regarding camera types, he's going to put together a couple of bids for us and get them to me early next week. Ballparking it, he said a fixed camera, mount, etc., would run in the $1500 to $2000 range, while a motorized, 360-degree with pan/tilt/zoom would run in the $2500 to $3000 range, when mounts are included. Those costs do not include installation, which he says is a snap because the cameras will ship from their office with IP addresses built in and basically just ready to "plug and play." So I guess the bottom line is that we're looking at $2000 to $3000 up front - and then the cost of the monthly DSL line, which would probably be in the $50 range per month, $600 per year. To what extent do you think the LAC __ would be willing to fund this? Perhaps we could do a split in which you buy the camera, and we provide the DSL line, perhaps paying the entire total ourselves, or soliciting partners to be cosponsors on the monthly costs. Just ideas. So what do you think? 5/17/2005 Page 2 of2 Alii know for sure is that the timing of these discussions is perfect, as I am planning a pretty significant Web site .,-.- redesign this summer - and would love to be able to roll out the Web cam along with it. Thanks for your continuing interest, Harry, and talk to you soon! Nathan Oster Communications Coordinator CITY OF PRIOR LAKE 16200 Eagle Creek Ave. SE Prior Lake. MN 55372 Direct Dial: 952.447.9804 - - 5/17/2005