Robert Berg, a resident and longtime Lake Hefner sailor, told the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust on July 29 that recent cabling and security measures at Hobie Beach have restricted boat launching, created a hostile enforcement environment, and reduced recreational use.

"By cabling everything off out there, you guys have taken what is probably in the top 10 places I've ever seen to sail and turned it into complete chaos," Berg said during the public-comments portion of the meeting. He said the area now largely attracts "fishermen and people taking drugs," and urged the Trust to review how the site is being managed.

Berg also criticized the Trust's online rental portal, saying it was not usable on a phone and describing the portal as "the most unfriendly user thing I've ever experienced." He asked staff to look into the reservation system and said an email he received from enforcement staff was "real poor." Berg described difficulty operating the dry-storage gate and warned that users with disabilities could be injured while opening or closing the heavy gate.

Berg recounted his history with lake programs, including nine years connected to a sailing program at Hobie Beach and informal coordination with Riversports staff; he also mentioned providing information to Aubrey McClendon on a separate rowing facility project. He said he consulted with Jared at Riversports and praised Jared's assistance.

A meeting participant who presided over comments responded that staff would review the portal and check with the police department about enforcement practices at the lake. "So I will have staff look into the portal to see if we need to do some things to make that more customer friendly. We'll check-in with the response with the police department who does the enforcement out there," the presiding official said. The official did not provide a timeline for those follow-ups.

The remarks were delivered during the public-comment portion of the Trust's meeting; trustees did not take formal action on Hobie Beach management during the session.