Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-15-2014 b1 craigKremke, Kate From: Sent: To: Subject: 131 07/15/14 Anthony J. Mejia I City Clerk c.ay of S,vn Ims omspo 990 Palm Street San I_ Deis ONSPO, CA 93407 tel 1 Mejia, Anthony Tuesday, July 15, 2014 10:53 AM Kremke, Kate FW: Tonight Agenda Item 131 Laguna Conservation Plan JUI 15 2014 AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE Date" Item #___E1_ From: Gerald Craig [mailto:gmancraig @gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 10:49 AM To: Ashbaugh, John; Carpenter, Dan; Christianson, Carlyn; Codron, Michael; Dietrick, Christine; Lichtig, Katie; Marx, Jan; Smith, Kathy; Mejia, Anthony Subject: Tonight Agenda Item 131 Laguna Conservation Plan Honorable Mayor and Council Members; I submit to you comments I will be reading, quickly, at tonight's meeting. I would like for you to have this for review because of the amount of information and proposals to mitigate and improve issues at Laguna Lake. I am sure you will want to research or confirm some of the information I will be presenting. I realize you are set to accept or reject the proposed plan as written. I hope you will accept the Negative Declaration, and approve the plan, "SUBJECT TO AMENDMENT" to address the fact that the report raises more questions than providing answers. I would like to propose potential answers to some of the issues presented in your proposal. Several years ago, during a previous dry -out of the lake, adjacent homeowners experienced damage to foundations, slabs, windows, and doors due to settling of the dry soil. I could not confirm whether the city would be subject to lawsuits, but it does present itself as deep pockets for those who wish to take the opportunity to sue for inaction on the part of the City Council. Please, mitigate the potential problem with urgency. I hope you will move forward immediately with dredging and refilling with reclaimed water, with cleanup of the lake. I will bring a sample of Laguna Lake water for you to see the current problem. The report has concern for water quality and smells. We know what Atascadero city and residents suffered through and the extra expenses they went through that had no affect on the problems. Please do not hesitate and perform as Atascadero has. As they found out, bad water and algae stink. Fish and wildlife are stressed by these conditions and will die off as well. I am concerned that if the council waits for 2015 -17 as proposed to dredge, it will be too late, just as what happened to Santa Margarita Lake /Salinas Reservoir and the opportunity lost there. Do we really want to miss such a prime opportunity when there is reported a possibility of El Nino this year? This would certainly thwart your efforts and add more costs. Do we want to experience flooding cited in this report? Erosion and sedimentation is addressed in the delta and Perfumo Creek arm, but the worst silt is in the body of the lake. A friend and I fish below the main parking lot toward Madonna Road and watch geese STAND UP in the middle of the lake. It is receding so fast, you can see differences day to day. If you have not seen it in a week or two, I implore you to please visit the lake for yourself, with a thorough walk - through and investigation before tonight's meeting. As far as concern over steelhead NOT found in the lake, licensed anglers know not to remove them. Reminders could be posted, but that lake is exclusively carp and catfish now. I doubt you could even find any native sculpin in there. Much of what is dredged can be as good as peat or bog soil. Establish a botanical garden with local groups building and maintaining it at little to no cost to the city using this prime soil if not sold outright. This could mitigate issues brought up in the declaration report. Native species could be grown in a growing grounds and replanted as necessary or sold. Of course this would be run by volunteers that love our city and lake. Overgrowth of tules and other plants could be culled and sold to other restoration projects, such as Atascadero or private and commercial projects, to make room for wildlife and visitors to access the lake. It is difficult for them now, and racoon tracks can only be found where it is easy for them to access the water. Create beaches to enjoy and create a habitat for the clams and mussels found there already. Use Boy Scouts, Elks, and Kiwanis for projects and fundraising. Let Cal Poly students plan, engineer, and implement elements of conservation and restoration, reduce costs, generate assets, create trails (also using local hiking groups), and provide interactive media. After all, this is what they do best. Community access and use could include 10 small campsites on the peninsula. Many campgrounds use the honor system of envelopes dropped in a lock box to be counted in the morning by the ranger. This would not add cost to the city. Sites could be created by Boy Scouts and dedicated, even funded by sale of dedications and sponsorship by businesses. Wouldn't they love to have their name on a campsite for campers to see? You could charge $15, $20, $30 per space x 10 for each day of summer (90) season, generating up to $27,000 for this one small addition! Volunteers could maintain the camp, clean along trails, and trash along the lake. Have you seen what a dump it has become with broken glass, cans, plastic, and even a broken canoe? If you show that you respect something and maintain it, people who use it will tend to show respect as well. Look at the difference between shopping at Ross and shopping at Kohl's. Lease rights to a small temporary kiosk concession stand on skids to be removed in the off - season. They could rent paddle boats, row boats, kayaks, sell soda and water (irony), snacks, tackle, bait, z and if they provide their own equipment, maybe even sell fishing licenses and provide tourist information and maps of the park. It could be disguised from scenic vistas and look better than that big cinder block thing that is out there right now. Docents can inform and aid tourists on behalf of ALL of SLO, help protect species, conduct tours and educational events (with small charge from the city as classes are offered), and stop kids from chasing those poor geese and ducks they are still feeding. Along the boardwalk a romantic T pier could be built, or as in the case of Oso Flaco preserve, a walkway across the lake or in a horseshoe pattern to allow people to gaze down into the lake and enjoy being close to water fowl and the environment. If you have not been on their boardwalk, you are missing out. Have Fish & Game assist with restocking the lake as it used to be done when trout, croppie, bass, and other fish were caught there. Host fishing tournaments to offset costs. Put SLO on the anglers' maps as a real destination for a boost to tourism. Invite big names in the sport to appear, for donations and fundraising. This would be better money than is made from the Ren Faire, and it would be run by volunteers. Let Laguna Lake Park be SLO Town's Central Park California style. With reforestation, hiking, biking, exercise path, pavilion, dog park, campground, playground, tournaments and events, boardwalk, concessions, and a HEALTHY lake to ANCHOR it all together, SLO truly has a real gem on it's hands. PLEASE, ACCEPT, AMEND, CREATE, and leave YOUR legacy, a positive community benefit, for years to come. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I will see you at the meeting tonight. Gerald Craig 1121 Orcutt Rd. #32 SLO (805) 888 -9980 *Resident of the Central Coast since 1970, SLO town since 1978, raised 2 daughters at Laguna Lake Park (now adults), and seen flooding and drying of our lake.