By Tim Douglass

tdouglass@pctribune.com

•County, state officials join Long Beach Council plan to improve public safety around lake activity at ‘Bottle Bay’

Area law enforcement, EMS personnel, county commissioners MnDOT officials, Minnesota State Patrol officers, DNR conservation officers and Long Beach residents attended a special meeting of the Long Beach City Council last Thursday to discuss improving the public safety during an “unofficial lake event” that has attracted a large flotilla and thousands to Bottle Bay on Lake Minnewaska in July each year.

The flotilla, with hundreds of boats and pontoons anchored closely together in the area, has been an attraction for many years, but last year it grew significantly in size, it was stated at the meeting.  The flotilla on the lake also attracts a lot of people who park on both sides of N. Ridge Drive, the street that runs behind Minnewaska House Brewing Co. + Grill to Morning Glory Gardens and out to Highway 28.  Those without boats park on that road and others in the area and walk to the lake, joining hundreds of waders who stand in the shallow, sandy water that is a feature of that area of the lake.

Mike Pfeiffer, mayor of Long Beach, told those at the meeting that the city is committed to doing what it must do to address public safety issues caused by the event.  He said the largest impact is on the weekends of July 4th and Glenwood’s Waterama week, which is the last full weekend in July. He said the event on the lake has caused safety issues, near drownings and minor consumption as well as dangerous traffic congestion on Highway 28/29, parking issues, pedestrians crossing the highway and walking along the shoulder of the highway.  In addition, the event causes a lot of litter, noise and other nuisance issues for residents who live in that area.

The meeting, held last Thursday at Minnewaska House Brewing Co. + Grill in Long Beach, was so the city of Long Beach could “coordinate a plan of action” to address those issues and to communicate what that plan would look like.

The city was prepared to enforce a parking ban on both sides of N. Ridge Road as well as other city roads in the area, Pfeiffer said.  The city would also close off Morning Glory Gardens to parking and allow that to be parking for a tow truck, emergency and law enforcement vehicles, Pfeiffer said.

The concern, he added, was that there was no way to get a fire truck or emergency vehicles to the residences along that road with the parking congestion.  In addition, the city was prepared to have parking violators towed at their expense.  He said the city has ordinances “in place today” that will actively enforce the parking ban and tow-away zones.

“We just wanted to get everyone together to discuss what the ramifications of the parking ban would do, possibly moving it to the highway or the school,” Pfeiffer said.  “We decided (at earlier meetings)  to have this larger cooperative meeting with all involved to discuss a larger plan.  

“We’re to the point that we want to say if your going to use Bottle Bay, do it by boat only,” Pfeiffer said.  

Pope County Chief Deputy Nathan Brecht said his department has had a number of conversations with the state patrol and the DNR about the bottle bay events during July and said what is being planned  should be a good remedy.  “The biggest concern we have is public safety,” he said.  “With the parking bans we can decrease the danger along the highway.  But our biggest concern today is what’s happening on the lake,” he added.  “I’ll be honest with you, it’s hard to get in those groups with a propeller…it’s nearly impossible.”  

He said the department last year used a jet ski for patrol and will do so again in 2023.   The Department of Natural Resources also has officers who will have two boats on patrol and a jet ski that will help with the police presence in the area during those weekends. 

Conservation officers and county deputies at the meeting said the event last year was very large and “could get bigger if we don’t address these issues now,” stated Brecht.

“We’re going to do our best, and the DNR will be out there too and we’ll have a good presence,” Brecht added, “and hopefully the kids will see us and not drink as much as in the past.”

Tim Salto, a Minnesota State Patrol officer, told those at the meeting that the state patrol met last fall with the county officers and MnDOT  to form a plan for this year.  

He said Highway 28 parking and congestion was the state patrol’s biggest concern, adding that “with the city enforcing parking bans, this is a great time to have this meeting so we can let you know our plan.”

Salto said the state is going to post “no parking signs” along both sides of Highway 28 from the Minnewaska Area Schools area all the way to North Lakeshore Drive. He said MnDOT will be taking care of that and that the signs would be up for the summer.  He added that there would also be electronic signs notifying motorists of the ban.  Salto added that the state patrol has the ability to  leverage overtime funds and will get a few extra patrols down here during the July events.  

“If we allowed them to park like they did last year, you won’t have enough tow trucks around here to deal with it,” Salto said.  

Salto added that he knew how difficult it is to get into the big crowd of people on the lake, “but eventually they have to get off the lake and what’s going to happen then…a fatal crash.” He said.   He said the plan means that there is nowhere to park to get to bottle bay.  

DNR conservation officers echoed that sentiment, stating the event at Bottle Bay could continue to grow, if nothing is done.  “Drunk kids leaving the lake and being out on the highway is going to be a major problem if it’s not addressed and we’re glad to see you take steps to address the situation,” it was stated by a DNR conservation officer.

Pfeiffer asked Chip Rankin, Superintendent of Minnewaska Area Schools, for his input on the situation.

“Kids are creative,” Rankin said.  “It sounds all good and well intentioned but with ATVs, golf carts…and I’m not fully sure I can even close the parking lot at the high school.”  He did add that he thinks the steps being taken are good ones, “but I’ve seen kids get creative…”

Another issue is messaging, he said.  It is important to advocate for being around healthy kids who make healthy decisions.  

“I’m fully supportive, be for me, I’m always trying stay a few steps ahead of kids.”

Pfeiffer responded by saying that Minnewaska Area Schools parking lot is not within Long Beach, “so we can’t help with parking there.”  Salto also stated that law enforcement cannot stop pedestrians from walking along the highway.

“The steps we are taking won’t stop everything because your intent is going to bottle bay, you’ll find a way, but this will take away the convenience of it,” said Salto.

A resident of Long Beach who was at the meeting said he believed everything discussed were good ideas, “but once we establish a plan, will we be able to get this plan out to the public before that week?  And get a public campaign going around the area and out of the area that tells these kids that this is not going to be acceptable anymore.”  He said many of the kids coming had North Dakota license plates, so it wasn’t just a local problem.

Darren Anderson , who owns and operates Minnewaska House Brewing Co. + Grill, said he has enforced no parking at his restaurant parking lot, but said he would like help from the city to regulate parking in his lot. 

EMS Director Greg Meyers said when EMS is called to the site because someone collapsed on the side of the road, “we have to call law enforcement to protect us because there are 30 or 40 of their drunk friends trying to help.”   He also said that on one call they were trying to get through N. Ridge Drive but that was difficult and dangerous with the parked cars on both sides  and “you had drunk kids coming out between the cars.”  

“It’s dangerous for us to get in there, he said, adding that “most of the kids we’ve dealt with were out-of-towners so whatever we can do to help with that problem, we support.” 

Pfeiffer also told Meyers that the city would reserve the paved parking area at Long Beach for an ambulance, adding that the county could park squads and/or the mobile testing unit there as well.  “It could add to the deterrence as well as provide added safety,” Pfeiffer said.  He also said it might be a good place to park a tow truck for visibility.

MnDOT officials at the meeting confirmed that they would be placing “no parking” signs every 10th mile from near the high school to North Lakeshore Drive.  There will also be message boards about no parking and possible congestion on both sides of the area.  

A resident of Long Beach who lives in the area also reiterated that “we’re not trying to bar anyone from use of the lake.  We just want to create a safer solution.”

“We have to attempt to change things.  It may not be the perfect solution but it is something and we need to do this with the mentality that we do the best we can and then evaluate it and adapt and change,” he said.