Koochiching County commissioners Tuesday designated an existing beach a county park and named it the Point Of Pines Beach.
The beach, located on County Road 125, has been under county jurisdiction, but has never been signed as such or named. In addition, the county would now begin to provide maintenance of the park, which would be paid through the county’s park budget, generated by timber sales.
Commissioners took action after a lengthy conversation with adjacent property owners and area residents who regularly use the beach.
The board said it would meet with area residents to discuss how a fence may be used to help identify the boundaries of the public area and any other plans for the park before implementation. Those plans, the board said, would come back to the county board for approval.
They noted that the board had planned Tuesday to simply name the park and place a sign at its entrance to allow the people to identify it as public property and move forward later with other details.
Several residents wondered why any action was needed. Joe Prettyman said he and his dog swim there regularly and see no need to make any changes. Fencing that would outline the boundaries would “ruin the whole thing,” he said.
Jeff Klow wondered why other public areas that provide access to Rainy Lake aren’t seeing the same attention by the board as the Point Of Pines Beach.
Adjacent property owners Dixie and John Kalstad and Jay Schultz said they had no problem with the addition of a sign at the beach, but said fencing ideas should be discussed further.
“We want to define, improve, and maintain with timber money the beach and there will be an opportunity for input,” said board Chairman Wade Pavleck.
In other business Tuesday, the board approved a recommendation by the Planning Commission to provide a conditional use permit to the Falls Kart Club. The action is contingent on an unused road that runs through the property at the corner of County Road 24 and County State Aid Highway 332 being vacated. The board accepted the recommendation that hours of operation be set at 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
With little discussion, the board agreed to initiate a solid waste fee for season recreational properties with structures.
The fee is intended to generate money from seasonal recreational properties to help pay the county’s solid waste costs involving handling and hauling waste from the county to a landfill in Kittson County. The fee, proposed at $24 annually beginning in 2012, or 40 percent of the residential fee in 2012, will ensure that non-county residents who own seasonal recreational property in Koochiching assist in the disposal costs of garbage generated on their properties.
