The Lottie Lake Community Association is concerned about a recent sale of land made by the County of St. Paul that will now limit public access to the main beach area in the small community.
Last week when Dave Neary, the president of the community association, went down to get some equipment from a small building that had been used as storage for many years, he noticed new locks had been put on the building and a “private property” sign posted.
“I’m just in shock, I truly am,” says Neary of the situation. He adds that he had accessed the building about a week earlier and all seemed normal. Neary expressed his frustration about the situation, especially since volunteers are working on planning an event during the August long weekend and was expecting to use some of the items in the shed.
Neary explains that there is a big sign posted on the property that says “Day Use Only” and says the area was obviously being used by the public.
County of St. Paul CAO Sheila Kitz says, via email with the Journal, that in 2012 council asked administration to prepare a list of properties that the county owned so it had a good understanding of the county’s properties.
“The premise was that where council felt the property was no longer required, they would choose to sell that property in order to set up a reserve fund to secure property that had gravel sources for the future,” says Kitz.
Twenty-one properties were subsequently listed for sale. The properties were advertised for two weeks in June of this year. The lot in question in Lottie Lake was one of the properties listed.
Although it was noted that there were washrooms on the property, “there was no record in the land file that it was a property that was designated as a Public area for the residents of Lottie Lake,” says Kitz, adding, there was no agreement on record that the area was intended as public reserve when it was purchased in 1990.
Bids for the land were opened on June 25, and the new owners have taken title to the lot. Last week, the county was notified by the association of the issue, and the “Lottie Lake Community Association feels that they had an agreement with the county regarding that lot,” says Kitz.
She explains that the new owners have said they have no interest in the property stored in the building on the site, and are willing to have someone come take the property out of the building.
Kitz says that the beach area was not part of the parcel of land sold because the beach is on reserve land, “and as such is accessible to the public.” Although the main access to the beach is no longer available, “administration is very willing to work with the association to ensure that an alternate route to the beach area is identified for the residents of Lottie Lake.”
In response to the concerns and frustrations expressed by the association, Kitz says the county has been supportive of the area, with the FCSS department most recently providing funds to the upcoming block party on Aug. 3.
Neary says the obvious signs that the area was being used by the public were simply too clear to miss. The building said “public washrooms,” he says, adding, “This is just terrible.”