Mpls. Parks Board Considers Changes to Boat Access on City Lakes

The Parks Board is taking feedback from the public three weeks into changes at boat launches on three city lakes.

The Parks Board limited access to boat launches at Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun and Lake Nokomis.

Monday through Friday, boaters can launch between 6-am and 10-am and 5-pm and 9-pm. On weekends, the launches are open virtually all day.

The idea is to inspect boats during those hours to keep zebra mussels and other invasive species out of the lakes.

Since the hours have been in place, the Parks Board has received dozens of e-mails and phone calls from people who like the plan and others who don't.

One Parks Board employee tells 5 EYEWITNESSS NEWS that most of the push back has come from anglers. They usually like to get on the water earlier in the day and also later in the day.

The Director of Environmental Operations for the Parks Board, Deb Pilger, says they are listening to the complaints and plan on making changes next year.

If you have concerns, the Parks Board wants to hear from you. You can call them or e-mail them. They are trying to answer as many people as they can because they plan on doing focus groups and open houses to help them determine what changes need to be made for next year.