Window for Bob Lake residents

By Chad Ingram

Published Sept. 29 2016

Residents of Bob Lake will have an11-day window to take out their boats beginning Friday Sept. 30.

Earlier this year the owner of the BobLake property that houses a long-used boat launch barricaded thelaunch to the public.

For many years there was amisunderstanding including by Minden Hills township that the launchwas publicly owned.

However it is located on privateproperty and citing litigious concerns the owner blocked off accessto the site with a chain barrier and later a line of flagstones.

Residents came to council sayingtheir boats were being held hostage on Bob Lake. There is no publiclaunch on the water body.

Minden Hills township has been workingon an arrangement with the property owner.

“Staff were going back and forth withour solicitor and our insurance company on this one” chiefadministrative officer Lorrie Blanchard said during a Sept. 29council meeting. “We have come to an agreement with that propertyowner. The property owner will remove all barriers on the property.”

Essentially the township is going tolease the property for 11 days – from Sept. 30 until Oct. 10 – ata cost of $2500 to allow residents to remove boats that have beenstranded in the lake.

It was recommended by the township'sinsurance company that it hire security to oversee the site duringthat time. That will cost more than $20 per hour. There will also belegal and signage fees associated with the process total costs forwhich are not known at this time.

The arrangement is strictly forresidents to remove their boats.

“It's not open for the public to comeand go and use the lake” said community services director MarkColeman.

As for what residents will do come nextspring Reeve Brent Devolin said he's continuing to work on along-term solution.