Boating hours debate didn't surface at lake, police say

LIONA TANNESEN, THE OLYMPIAN

LACEY -- The discussion last spring over boating hours on Hicks Lake seemed to pay off in the summer, police reported.

"It was quiet," Lacey police Chief John Mansfield said. "The complaints that occurred in the City Hall meetings never materialized on the lake as far as we could see."

Lacey community service officers patrolled the lake for 545.5 hours.

They issued 28 verbal warnings and one infraction for failure to obtain current boating registration. Boating hours on the lake are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. or sunset, whichever is earlier.

The verbal warnings were split between equipment violations and minor violations of the rules of operation, police reported.

Residents remain divided over jetskiing and boating on the lake.

"Bottom line, what I would like to see is water skiing from sunup to sunset," said Terry Carr, who has lived on Hicks Lake for 25 years. "That's my goal."

The limited hours combined with growth eventually will make the lake congested, although it wasn't last summer, Carr said.

Police reported that an average of four watercraft were on the lake each day, two of which were jetskis.

"And our summers are so short here," Carr said. "We have two months of summer here."

That leaves 10 months of peace and quiet, Carr said.

A group called Friends of the Lakes pushed to ban jetskiing on the lake.

Group member Theodore Rogowski, who lives on Long Lake, says he is not satisfied with the hours, which are the same as on Hicks Lake.

"It's unfortunate that the jetskiers get from 11 o'clock in the morning to 8 p.m., which is nine hours of use, and homeowners who pay heavy taxes, especially at Long Lake, cannot enjoy having dinner in the evening on their own property outdoors," Rogowski said.

Each week, The Olympian revisits stories from the past. To suggest story ideas, call us at 360-754-5423, e-mail us at news@ theolympian.com.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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