Issues with Prior....

[vikingmeatwad]

Is there ever a place to park on either accesses on this lake? I try to go early or late and it's hard to find a spot to park all the time.

Then they make every road within 2 sq. miles no parking. Are they trying to limit us peasants not living on the lake or what is going on :-)

Does anyone know a closer place to park by that south access?

[RobertELee]

They are trying to limit the number of boats on there at one time. Yes it is a pain, You have to get there very early, that is why I try to avoid metro lakes on the weekends

[JDZWART]

Prior lake is very busy, there are several homeowner associations with mini-marinas on the lake, so there are way too many boats on the lake on the weekend. If you want to fish on the weekends, try the sand point launch, but you better be there by 6am, at the latest. You can also pay (I think $20 for a truck and a trailer), to park in the beach parking lot adjacent to sand point.

I share your frustrations on Prior Lake, I live a couple of miles from the lake, and I will usually buzz over and check the launch at Sand Point before hauling my boat over there.

Good Luck

[vikingmeatwad]

Thanks for posting guys, I was a bit frustrated when posting as you could tell :-)

I need to make friends with some kind folks who live by the access so I can park in their driveway.

Otherwise I may have some other tricks up my sleeve but I was just looking for any tips anyone had with the lake.

Thanks

[Reef Runner]

The crazy thing is that they allow cars to park in the trailer spots. We had a small league there last night and it was nuts. There were more cars than trailers in the lot. They were all going over to the beach and did not want to pay the $5 to park your car over there. The DNR was called and it is legal to park your cars there. Man is that a stupid rule.I am sure the people that live on the lake will be happy to here that none of us will ever be fishing there again.

[StrosLit31]

i am shocked that it is leagal to park a car in the longer parking spaces for a truck and trailer. I have seen many tickets and cars get towed at the launch on Lake Marion in Lakeville for that same reason. But they do have signs stating this at lake marion.

[GotOne]

That really ticks me off that cars can park in the boat spots. Who can we contact to get this changed?

[JDZWART]

I do not recall seeing any signs at the Sand Point lauch regarding parking, but I know the launches on Minnetonka have signs that are very specific as to which spots are for vehicles with trailers and which are not.

From past experience, the DNR owns the Sand Point Launch, but it is the PL police that actually patrol and issue tickets. I had a "discussion" with a PL cop after I was issued a ticket for parking in the grass because there were cars parked in the trailer spots. He really did not have a response when I asked why he was not also giving the cars parked in the trailer spots a ticket. He said they were doing nothing wrong????

I think the PL police would be the best to start to pursue this further.

[TMF89]

Yeah we ran into some cops on Bald Eagle ice fishing that were on one of those power trips. Some truck's front tires (that's all) went through when they hit a pressure ridge. They were able to back right out and everything, but the cops still put up concrete barriers and declared there needed to be 26" of ice before motorized vehicles (including ATVs/snowmobiles) were allowed on the ice again. Right as we pulled up, a suburban and F-150 with tow straps were pulling them out of the way, lol.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

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That really ticks me off that cars can park in the boat spots. Who can we contact to get this changed?

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Great question. Anybody know how we can get this changed? Count me in if we need to go in masses someplace.

Parking for free and walking to the beach should NOT be allowed.

I think we may be barking up the wrong tree trying to get PL police to do anything about it. They get paid by the same folks who own the house on the lake.

Maybe we should all pay to use the access??

[fishinpapa]

Isn't it good to know that eventually all the lakeshore residents will have their own private lake!! Again we wonder why people are getting out of fishing. The same is true for Spring, O'dowd, Marion etc.,.

[picksbigwagon]

I would start with the city council. I will try and fire off an email this week as a resident of PL and see what kind of response I get.

Correction, I just sent an email to the city council and the mayor, we'll post here what responses I get.....

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

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Isn't it good to know that eventually all the lakeshore residents will have their own private lake!! Again we wonder why people are getting out of fishing. The same is true for Spring, O'dowd, Marion etc.,.

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Yeah, I've wondered why license sales are down. Couple that with high gas prices, and it makes going north very expensive for some. Can't fish at home; can't afford to go north, guess they are finding other hobbies to pursue.

Gee, with declining license sales, if we wait long enough we WILL get a spot at the launch to park!

[picksbigwagon]

His is my response from Frank Boyles, city manager

First my email:"I applaud the city council for enlarging the trailer parking at sand point beach and the work done on that landing. My concern presently is the number

of vehicles that park in that lot that are not pulling trailers.

These people park in trailer parking spots so they don't have to pay the $5 parking fee at the park lot. These people then hop out of their cars and walk down to the beach. No where in the access parking lot does it say

for trailer parking only. It is frustrating to try find a place to go fishing with my kids when parking spots are taken up by non-trailer pulling vehicles. Prior Lake is a heavily used lake for weekend boaters and the lack of parking is a huge issue as you well know. I have been at other lakes in the metro area, and most of those lots have a sign posted for trailer parking only and tickets are handed out to violators."

City Managers response:

Tom, Councilmembers have asked that I get back to you regarding your

e-mail.

We thank you for the complements about improvements made to Sand Point

Park Lake Access but those improvements were accomplished by the

Department of Natural Resources (with a fair amount of city help) which

is the agency which owns and operates the access. I have heard others

express the concern that you have so I will be asking the DNR to post

the lot accordingly and enforce the signs.

Thanks for bringing this matter to our attention.

I responded with an email of who patrols the lot then? I asked if it was the sherrif's department, the city of prior lake, or the DNR who hands out the tickets. I will be put that contact number up here so the next time it happens, Call the correct enforcement agency.

[picksbigwagon]

Here is Frank's response from the DNR:

Tom I have some bad news. I spoke to Dan Breva this afternoon with the

Department of Natural Resources. He told me that it is not illegal for a

vehicle without a trailer to park in a vehicle with trailer stall at a

DNR Access.

He gave a couple examples to illustrate the rationale for their policy.

You and I might go boating and use the access. You have the boat so you

park your car and trailer after launching the boat. I and my family get

on your boat after parking our car at the access. Both of us have used

the access to get to the lake.

Similarly let's say you have a roof mounted or blow up water craft. You

launch it and park your car. Once again you are using the access and may

use one of the parking spaces. They prefer that cars not use cars with

trailer stalls but such action is not prohibited.

Because the access is DNR owned and operated it is their policy that

governs.

So, unless you want to get to prior at 4:30 am, to get a parking spot, we will have to deal with the status quo

[vikingmeatwad]

I'm glad you guys are fired up about this as well.

Regarding the cars without trailers using our spots I agree that they shouldn't be in there. They are allowed to park in nearer spots unlike us. The "Car/Trailer parking only signs aren't law but they sure help enforce the parking, example Tonka.

There are so many lakes in the metro where this is becoming a huge issue with landowners and us peasants who can't afford a house on the lake.

Anyone know anyone that lives near the access and will let people pay them to park in their yards/drives?

[picksbigwagon]

I don't know anyone, I do see a lot of boats in the rainbow parking lot on the corner of 42 and 13. I know a guy who drives his boat to the lake, leaves his teenage son, takes his trailer and truck home and goes back to the landing on his bike.

[GotOne]

I say we get a petition going. Or, we could print up some fake letters from the DNR, stating next time they will be towed This is a bunch of B.S.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

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Here is Frank's response from the DNR:

Tom I have some bad news. I spoke to Dan Breva this afternoon with the

Department of Natural Resources. He told me that it is not illegal for a

vehicle without a trailer to park in a vehicle with trailer stall at a

DNR Access.

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Prior is different. The issue is people going over to use the beach, NOT the access. I say try to get some signs. It certainly can't hurt.

His point about meeting people at the launch is valid for some. If only people would think ahead and meet someplace else, then drive together to the lake.

I'm fortunate in the fact that I can take a day off during the week and work Saturday instead. Going to the launch on the weekend is like trying to get a table at Outback at 6 PM Friday night.

[fishinpapa]

Anyone still wonder why people are getting out of fishing?? At least if I make a 3:00 tee time, I know I can play golf at 3:00. Does anyone wonder though if our license and trailer fees are going to the DNR for access and fisheries management, wouldn't we have "ownership" of the parking then? If part of our license and trailer fees are for access and landing, then wouldn't a designated parking are be included.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Sounds like a great business idea. Sportsman's shuttle service. Provide a shuttle to/from another lot somewhere close by. Or how'bout a sportsman's valet parking service

[Orlip]

Seeing hows you have a report with Frankie maybe you could ask him why the south access has a sign there that does say "NO PARKING VEHICLES WITHOUT TRAILERS" I have wondered myself why the sand point access is not this way.

Might have something to do with the 150' parking rule the city was trying to pass last winter. I wonder who is bending the ear or arm on these issues???

I am to blame here as well as I was going to call the DNR on this and have yet done so but I think a person should hear from the horses mouth why one access is posted and not the other.

[picksbigwagon]

good point.......I think maybe I will head out with a camera, picture is worth a thousand words right?

[CanOCorn]

I totally agree with you guys on the parking situation. I live 2 blocks from the Dewitte launch so worst case, I park it at home and march back to the lake.

However, here is what really erks me. The jack holes that launch their boat without a plan. If the parking lot is full, have a plan before you put your boat in and then start driving around our neighborhood at 70 mph looking for a spot. Guess what... if it is within a mile of the launch, you can't park there!! We don't have sidewalks and people walk around our neighborhoods a lot. Slow down!!! You wouldn't be the first truck I ran out in front of with a baseball bat and stopped after the 5th time passing my house at 50 mph!! Use your head!!

[picksbigwagon]

When looking for a house in Prior Lake, we looked at the house on dewitte that was next to a thicket of land owned by the state, now that thicket is gone, and sherrif and DNR use it as their own parking lot. That would have had me extremely upset. I bet in 3 years, that little lot of land will be paved over........Definately need to head out to Dewitte and take a picture of the limited parking sign and send that to the city and the DNR. According to Frank Boyles, the DNR owns that lot at sand point. I am not sure who owns the land at Dewitte

[vikingmeatwad]

canocorn, can I park in your yard? If you had a good sized yard you could bring in some nice cash :-)

[Orlip]

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When looking for a house in Prior Lake, we looked at the house on dewitte that was next to a thicket of land owned by the state, now that thicket is gone, and sherrif and DNR use it as their own parking lot. That would have had me extremely upset. I bet in 3 years, that little lot of land will be paved over........Definately need to head out to Dewitte and take a picture of the limited parking sign and send that to the city and the DNR. According to Frank Boyles, the DNR owns that lot at sand point. I am not sure who owns the land at Dewitte

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good point.......I think maybe I will head out with a camera, picture is worth a thousand words right?

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I personaly would talk to the dnr only as I do not trust that bunch in city hall at all and it is the dnr's access.

I also drove thru the south access again tonight just to make sure that sign does not get pulled and its still there. I also have some offenders license plate number for the dnr.

[picksbigwagon]

my action of taking the pictures was to send them to city hall and ask why this sign at this lot and not at the other one......I personally like Dewitte Landing. I like being able to drop off the boat, get my kids out of the truck get them in my boat all while watching my boat.

[CanOCorn]

Hey PBW,

Good call on not buying that house next to the empty lot on Dewitte. It used to be fairly wooded and natural. They buzzed it all and put up no parking signs.

The city had a meeting about it for people who live around there to address any issues they may have with it being turned into additional parking. It was quite comical... the city council is sooo crooked in PL. You may as well talk to a brick wall! The city is more concerned about the people that don't even live there yet versus the current population that they are stepping on to pave the way for the next round of developers but that is another issue. Anyway, despite the cries of the neighborhood, it will be additional parking eventually. I think it is slated for 8 additional spots.

[Orlip]

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It used to be fairly wooded and natural. They buzzed it all and put up no parking signs.

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Try doing that with your own property. You would be in jail.