Bayport St Croix “Ice Road” still an issue!

I found this legal publications Notice in the Stillwater Gazette on Wednesday, 16 June:

City of Bayport
Notice of Public Hearing
VACATION OF A PORTION OF AN EXISTING PUBLIC EASEMENT COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE “ICE ROAD” PURSUANT TO MINNESOTA STATUTE 412.851

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Bayport will meet on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at 6:00pm or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, at Bayport City Hall, 294 North 3rd Street, in said city, to consider the proposed vacation of a portion of an existing easement commonloy referred to as the “Ice Road Easement” legally described as: etc. etc. I won’t copy the whole legal description of the easement information.

Questions or requests for additional information should be directed to City Hall at 651-275-4404. Persons desiring to be heard on this matter are invited and encouraged to attend the public hearing.

I called the telephone number and was referred to the City Administrator, Mitch. We had an interesting discussion. What is at issue here is that the current ice road easement does not follow the correct route and is not entirely on the easement property. They are trying to rectify that issue. I asked him if they are trying to kill the Ice Road access and he said that the City of Bayport is not. BUT!! He did say that the local property owners that abut the ice road do not like it and are bringing a lot of pressure to bear on restricting or limiting it. He thought this issue is a long way from being resolved and the property owners are being heard.

It is June right now and the ice road is out of everybody’s mind but come December all the ice fishermen will be looking for access to the St Croix. This would appear to be a good time to kill it while everybody is not paying attention.

Uggg

I bet the same people would complain about the airport they moved next to! That ice road has been there so long I don’t know how else to get onto the river.

Thanks for posting this Steve, as an avid “Ice Road” user it will be interesting to be sitting at the meeting on that Tuesday evening.

I am very dissapointed they may close the road. Let’s hope if they do the other side stays open for a long time so the winter use legacy of that section remains. Its a good place to take a sled or ATV to test or a quick run in the lean snow years as well as a major winter hangout for lots of good people. Even if the fishing generally sucks in the winter there is FAR more going on there that is beneficial to so many people. Damn those that are trying to close it.