Beach Rule HB140 Will Negatively Affect Garden City Beaches

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

Did Garden City have a say in HB140?  "No, we only found out about it by chance," said Mayor  John Spuhler, "and it affects us a great deal."  HB140 has been modified three times.  Spuhler was allowed to put a "bandaid" on the law but it still does not take into consideration what Garden City beaches will look like if it passes.  The law allows "parallel travel" which means that OHV or cars can drive up and down the beaches, something Garden City has been trying to stop for several years.

Because there is only one enforcement officer, the beaches are not supervised and if this law passes, the "race track" effect of kids playing on OHV and cars going up and down the beach to find a place will be back.  Garden city has prohibited this in the past.

Rep. Kurt Webb R-Logan is the sponsor of the bill.  The Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee is scheduled to take up the bill, Monday, February 23.  If it passes it then goes to the Senate for a vote.

Web said in an article for the Herald Journal that "Public access to the beach is limited by the stuff you can carry in on foot."  Garden City responds with the fact that the thousands of people who use the beach often leave their trash behind even when they have vehicles.

This bill allows vehicles to go 1/2 mile in each direction from a public access.  Spuhler said that the free city shuttle will take people to each public access from free parking throughout the city.  Some accommodation could be made for handicapped access.  Spuhler said that the city has gone through an extensive master planning effort to identify public access and parking and to provide "world class beaches".  The city has also cleaned over 60 drainage ditches to eliminate the boggy parts of the beach, vehicle travel will crush these natural drainages.

Art At The Lake

Two more paintings by local artist, Lauriann Wakefield.

Taylor Walker has a flair for color

Trey Walker has good design

Garden City Fire Board

Join The Bear Lake Chamber

 

Are you a business owner in Bear Lake?  Would networking with other business owners and community leaders help you? Would you like continual business education and skill training? Would you like your voice heard and represented to government leaders?

 

Join the Bear Lake Rendezvous Chamber of Commerce today at http://join.bearlakechamber.com/

 

Hurry! If you join soon you'll be included on the brand new chamber map to help area visitors find your location.

 

Cisco's

By Bryce Nielson, A True Character

The “Cisco Run” for 2015 is over.  As we watched the balmy days of January pass by my memory drifted back over my last 50 years of being a cisco netter.  I came over with my Dad, Rex, and his friends in 1965. In those years the general fishing season went from June-November so there was nothing to do in the winter.  No Super Bowl, no MLK holiday, no internet, just winter.  Bear Lake was open year around because since there was “no fish”, what could it hurt.  In those days is was called a “great hotel with no restaurant”.

The first issue was a net so the old man when down to the carpet store and got a bamboo stick they wrapped the carpet around.  He then fashioned an 18 inch hoop with connector and ordered some netting from Herter’s. 

The next issue was boots and clothing.  Nobody had waders so our old uninsulated hip boots, also from Herter’s and cotton socks had to do.  Gore-Tex, wind breaking fibers, duck coveralls, clothes layering or high tech underwear were years in the future.  Most of the clothing was WWII surplus.  One startling fact was that there was not any Camo (yikes!!)  

The cisco run was a big deal.  Channel 5, with Bob Welty and Paul James, it was a major topic on the evening news.  People bet on the date the cisco came in just like they do on the Super Bowl today.  As were dropped down off South Eden in the station wagon with nets on top I was struck by the hundreds of old guys (no girls) in the water and the black smoke billowing from the tire fires next to the water.  On the Beach it was chaos.  This was serious business because in those days you caught as many fish as you could and worry about the game wardens later.  The air smelled of whisky and petroleum.  Drunks were dragging themselves out of the lake after reaching just a little too far, shivering and cursing all the time.  We caught our fish and what we did with 400 cisco I have no idea.  Rex would not waste any game and it was illegal to fish with cisco so I guess we ate them.  No scones, fries or hot chocolate.

As I attended the “Cisco Disco” I was lost in thoughts of the past.  I wondered how many of the people knew what it was really like 50 years ago.  Now you do. 

World Class Beach Proposed

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  February 12, 2001. Mayor John Spuhler wants to have a “world class” beach.  He has been working with State Sovereign lands for four  years on the Planning Implementation and Review Group (PIRG).   It is made up of business, State Parks, DNR, law enforcement, special interest groups, Corps of Engineers and other agencies.

Ray Elliott ,who also serves on that committee, said the PIRG comprehensive management plan looks at wildlife areas, spawning beds, wetlands  and public recreation areas among many things.  A copy of that CMP is on the City website. 

Old timers remember dry sandy beaches.  But over the years ditches have been degraded or destroyed leading to boggy beaches.  Garden City has spent a lot of money opening up historic ditches and drainages this year.  They have identified 60 ditches from 200 N to Shoreline Estates.  The goal is to create good beaches. Opening the ditches will help water flow to lake which will keep the beaches drier.

Spuhler said, “We are trying to get back to the original beach.  With this permit we can disc the beach and maintain the beach and drain them with the historic ditches.  We will eliminate deer flies. The Garden City Beach Maintenance Project will restore the natural order of the lake bed.  Garden City will have an “adopt a ditch program” and use the many youth groups who look for service projects at the lake and local residents who like to be involved to keep the ditches maintained. 

Utah Senator Jenkins is putting together  a resolution to designate the land from Gus Rich Point to Rendevous Beach prime recreation zones with parking areas and maintained beach with toilets.  Better access is part of the Comprehensive Management Plan.  

An extra marina is critical to our area.  Spuhler asked, “what if Garden City came up with a private solution?  Senator Jenkins said it would be fine. So Spuhler is looking building a privately owned marina where the slips and concessions are purchased and have yearly maintenance fees.  There is a waiting list of 200 people who wish to have slips.

Bear Lake Water Adventures owner, Lance Bourne, said last year was a great year.  Paddle boards are getting to be very popular and BLWA prices are low so it is affordable to locals.   Council members asked if quagga mussels are a concern for boards that are brought into the Lake.  The new house bill has eliminated the need to be checked.  Bourne said that it might be a danger. 

The traffic at the park is increasing.  People don’t know about the boardwalk to the beach exists said  Bourne and perhaps more information is needed.  He said “we are a green business”  we carry the boards to the beach and don't use OHV. 

Spuhler said, "we might want to close this section to motor business if this new beach bill passes because it might be dangerous for OHV to be crossing where the people are carrying boards."

The City Council passed Ordinance 15-12, a seasonal ordinance  which establishes motorized vehicle use.  The restrictions will apply to public access streets less than 24 feet.  Many of the roads to the beach are 16 feet wide and were not engineered correctly and a lot of traffic on this road is dangerous.  This includes city streets, unpaved roads,rights of way and contractor installed subdivision streets and roads.  It does not  include State of Utah roads or Rich County roads.

The Garden City governing body will determine restriction on those City streets based on one or more of the following: threat to public health and safety, pedestrian traffic load, environmental health, ecological preservation, nesting or spawning areas. 

On restricted streets motorized vehicle accesses will be limited to property owners or renters and their guests.  Handicapped access will be allowed.  Roads with width greater than 24 feet may have seasonal restrictions if requested by an HOA within city limits or residents and must be approved by the Garden City Council.

Parking on roads less than 24 feet wide is prohibited.   There will be a fine of $100 for infractions.  The city free shuttle service which comes from the parking lots will drop of people to walk on those roads to access the beach, and cars or OHV can go in at 150 S.   Ray Elliot said that people try to go down these roads with boats and can’t turn, then some people park on that road blocking any emergency vehicles to the lakeside cabins.  If someone comes the other way and there is a line of cars or OHV there can be an impassable traffic jam.  One citizen said that the small accesses need to be foot traffic only as he has seen many accidents over the years.  This is seasonal and will be posted at the designated roads.  Spuhler said they want to create a transportation plan to encourage people to be downtown.