June 26, 2017 at 9:58 a.m.
Minocqua Town Board approves slow-no-wake buoys on Lake Tomahawk
Action taken following second discussion on the matter
Minocqua Town Board approves slow-no-wake buoys on Lake Tomahawk
The application was submitted by Ann Dell, who, along with her husband J.D., own property across the lake from the Lakeside Landing.
In between, a channel the Dells maintain - as the property's owner did before them - can be unsafe with the amount of boat and jetski traffic.
Their property includes a section which juts out into the lake, referred to in the discussions as "the point."
By law, slow-no-wake buoys are to be no more than 100 feet from a pier or land.
At the town board's previous meeting, Minocqua police chief Dave Jaeger was directed to look into the matter, consulting with Woodruff police chief Lenny Drewson.
The two departments share boat patrol duties in the summer months.
At last week's meeting, town chairman Mark Hartzheim said Jaeger reported he and Drewson felt there was no need for the slow-no-wake buoys in the area.
"One-hundred feet is the slow-no-wake by law and they felt that could cause some confusion for people coming on them," he said. "There was some concern with similar requests."
The Dells were at the meeting, providing folders containing photos from the summer of 2016 J.D. Dell said were taken from their pier and "the point," showing motorboats, pontoon boats and jetskis, most of which they contend were within 100 feet, to demonstrate safety risk as well as people not observing the 100-foot rule and one of waves caused by the traffic.
One other set of photos provided by the Dells was of slow-no-wake buoys at various places on Lake Minocqua.
The original permit application had been submitted in the 1980s by Ann Dell's father and previous owner of the property, James Michels.
Ann Dell said her family had been coming to the area for decades and before the buoys, there were orange and white arrows used, one of which she said the Dells still have in their boathouse.
"Lake Tomahawk narrows quite a bit (in that area)," she said. "There's a lot of congestion. There's a lot of traffic going through the thoroughfare and it's sort of a blind corner when you come up on it, especially from the southern end of it."
Dell said historically that area always had the orange and white arrows.
"When those went out of fashion and they moved towards buoys, that's when my dad made the application to the board here back in '82 to continue that marking to indicate there is a point with a sand bar, it's a blind corner, heavy traffic and the marina's right there," she said. "The board at that time approved placement of the buoys. We still have the buoys."
With her father's death in the past five years, the permit expired and that was one of the reasons why the Dells submitted another application and for the same reasons her father did, primarily safety.
J.D. Dell told the town board what was being asked for was a simple reinstatement of everything Ann's father had asked for in the original permit application over 30 years ago.
"We're just asking that it be reinstated," he said. "What we're not asking for here is we're not asking to restrict boating by any means. We're avid boaters. We're just trying to make sure people have line of sight information where the 100 feet is, where they can actually see it coming from each direction. We're not trying to impinge upon or create a slow-no-wake area here. That's not our intention. That wasn't Mr. Michels' intention when he applied for and received the permit."
For the most part, the town board was supportive throughout the discussion, with the exception of supervisor John Thompson, who ultimately provided the lone dissenting vote.
"Here's the problem," he said. "You can't legislate brains. These idiots who are driving ... you're never gonna change it. I don't care how many buoys you put up."
Thompson said his in-laws were involved in an accident at their place around the corner in question, an accident that resulted, he said, in a death.
"That was 30-some years ago," he said. "Evidently, what's been there's been working or there haven't been any accidents that I'm aware of."
Thompson asked who would be next to want a slow-no-wake buoy.
Toward the end of the discussion, Hartzheim said he believed there needed to be something there.
"It is a blind corner, unless you've driven it a few times and have seen two boats coming at each other at high speed," he said. "It seems like two boats should be able to see each other but they come on each other so quick there. When it's congested, and I think it's quite a few more than five days a year."
Hartzheim said people could say, "Where are you going to stop? Where else are you going to put buoys?"
"There is no other place comparable to this," he said. "There is nowhere else on the chain where you're going to put buoys up that has this kind of congestion and a very narrow area with boats passing each other in one direction."
On other matters, the town board:
• Chose Tom Church to take Susan Heil's place on the plan commission. Heil is stepping down from the commission after a total of 20 years.
• Approved a managed deer hunt policy for the area of Minocqua between Schoolhouse Bay and Huber Lane. That policy pertaining to bow hunting of deer on the island is for the period of Sept. 16 to Jan. 7, 2018.
• Changed the date of the next meeting to July 5.
• Approved a resolution to adopt the Oneida County Recreation Plan.
• Approved the public license application from the Lac du Flambeau Lions Club for Brewfest to be held at Torpy Park on July 29.
Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].
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