PRECA 04-23-1984 - Laserfiche WebLink

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[4 _ `_._ _. _- .. -- is our plan to have a park every 4 miles". r~our miles • from New Brighton is Vadnaist 1481 acres far more than Long Lake at 240 acres. Quoting (pg VI-17) "The site. (Long Lake) is comparatively small in size for a Regional Park...." and (pg V-5) "....portions of the general service area are also whithin the service radius of five other Regional Parks, seven County Parks and four Municipal Parks which provide the same or similar recreational opportunities as the subject site......". This leads one to wonder if this Regional Park is really necessary. More. realistically, the collection of fees for parking, swimming, entrance, stickers, etc, may well serve to de- ..tract from the appeal of Long Lake and will inadvertantly focus public attention on areas where these facilities can be obtained free. The importance of maintaining the' status quo on Long Lake is obvious and necessary. The Regional Park concept as depicted in the Master Plan creates serious dangers to public safety which could re- • sult in a total ban of power boating in order to alleviate the potential problems. T1~ conflicts with the overall picture of a park as stated on (pg VI-18 & VI-1A). And this, in turn creates more pressure on other area lakes where comparable over governmenting doesn't exist. The. Bast history of .Long Lake indicateB< accegta-nce of self imposed regulations by riparians and off lake users which allowed for maximum use of the lake= there was no congest- ion or conflicts such as what I see being proposed in the Master Plan. Vadnais is far more conducive to this Master Plan than Long Lake. Many of ,the concepts are in place: Hiking .and walking trails, biking, fishing, picnic areas, and restroom facilities are presently available. The area is without the controversy or opposition which is clearly apparent concerning Long Lake. Ken Simon stated that Yad- nais was also .planned forexpansion. Why not put this plan. in- its proper perspective? Rees. yoirs from. California to New York are being; used regularly for a variety of re- creational purposes and have been for many years. I strongly recommend that the Bark concept for Long Lake be considered as a city park as originally intended and not a Regional Park. As .outlined in the Master Plan, it has all the appearances of a monster in the making. that could be a hazard. to public .safety and :welfare and an unnecessary burden borne by .the taxpayers. c c/LLAB LLIA file