LakeChelanNow will Livestream Wednesday’s Town Hall Meeting

by Dennis Rahm

A waterfront access plan for Lake Chelan will be discussed not only at the Tuesday City Council meeting, but also during a special Town Hall meeting on Wednesday at the Chelan Senior Center.

The city will receive an Administrative Report from consulting firm J.A. Brennan and Associates during the regular council meeting and the same content will be presented during the Town Hall gathering the next night.

The plan includes an inventory of public water access sites and is designed to look at ways to better connect the community to the lake. Some 17 waterfront access locations were reviewed and eight have been identified to receive further study and design concepts in order to find ways to better connect the community to the lake. The plan focuses on waterfront sites that are in public ownership or that have access easements. Many of the sites are small areas such as street ends.

A part of the study into more public access to the lake also includes discussion on the possibility of the city acquiring approximately nine acres of land at Spader Bay. Last month, on a vote of 4-2, the city decided to move forward with trying to negotiate for the purchase of the property at an offer price of $400,000.  Negotiations have been ongoing, but no word yet on an agreed upon price.

Many who attended the city council meeting when the Spader Bay project was first discussed, especially nearby property owners, were not in favor of the city acquiring the land. The upcoming Town Hall meeting will give area residents another opportunity to comment on all elements of the Chelan Waterfront Access Plan, including the potential purchase of the Spader Bay land.

The Town Hall meeting starts at 5:30 pm. on Wednesday at the Chelan Senior Center at 534 East Trow. If you are unable to attend in person, LakeChelanNow will livestream the meeting on our Facebook page.