Valley County workshop examines who owns and will maintain Daystar lake access points

Valley County commissioners, county staff and Daystar-area residents on Wednesday discussed ownership and upkeep of 12 platted lake-access points and two unpaved subdivision roads in the Daystar area, focusing on whether the county or private parties hold title or merely rights of use.

The discussion at a Valley County workshop centered on 12 mapped access points and two dirt-road segments in the subdivision; residents said title searches and a review of recorded plats left uncertainty about whether the county owns the ground or holds only public easements, and county staff described short-term options including annual permits and a memorandum of understanding to allow local maintenance.

Residents said the accesses have seen little formal maintenance for decades, and some access points show erosion or have been physically blocked by private work. “We’re really talking about who owns these, lake accesses,” said Amelia Lomas, a Daystar-area resident who presented the neighborhood’s concerns. She told commissioners that title searches performed by industry title companies and by residents had failed to produce deeds conveying ownership of the non-asphalted access areas to the county.

Jim Carlson, identified as…