Crystal Lake Park District issued the following announcement on July 8.
The Crystal Lake Park District is passionate about the stewardship of Crystal Lake. The Park District owns approximately 94% of the lake bed and with that comes a responsibility to protect this precious natural resource for current and future generations. Informed decisions are based on ecological impact, safety and the enjoyment of the lake for all residents of the Crystal Lake Park District.
In the continued effort to be good stewards of the lake, the Crystal Lake Park District is considering amending an ordinance at the July 18, 2019 (6:30 pm at the CLPD Admin. Bldg, 1 E. Crystal Lake Avenue, Crystal Lake), Park Board meeting to set guidelines for the placement of piers, moorings, swim rafts and boat lifts on Crystal Lake. The current Park District ordinance does not allow personal property on park property. The purpose of amending this ordinance is to allow personal property on park property relative to the lake, protect and preserve the lake, and keep it safe and enjoyable for Park District residents into the future.
Over the past 9 months, the Park District has held meetings with the City of Crystal Lake, Village of Lakewood and the community. Ideas and information provided to the Park District at these meetings have been considered, resulting in the ordinance being revised and simplified several times. It is reasonable and less restrictive than the Illinois Department of Natural Resources regulations for piers.
The Park District Board believes this amendment is important for the following reasons:
- It will clarify that only lakefront homeowners or the current lakefront associations are allowed to place property on the lakebed
- It clarifies that the park district is not liable for personal property
- It answers lakefront homeowners’ requests for guidelines and direction
- It will ensure navigation lanes will remain open
- It will help promote safety
The Park District recognizes the lake is currently functioning adequately and would like to ensure this continues into the future so all residents can access and enjoy this precious natural resource. The proposed amended ordinance can be viewed at www.crystallakeparks.org/Ord.11.41.1-Draft. Please send any comments you have to piercomments@crystallakeparks.org. Please be assured that all comments will be reviewed.
Original source can be found here.