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Staff advises keeping White Bear Lake dog beach after review finds few feasible alternate sites
Summary
City staff reviewed 18 city-owned parcels adjacent to water and found permitting, shoreline, bottom material and access issues that make most alternatives infeasible; staff and the Parks Advisory Commission recommended retaining the dog beach in its current location while continuing enforcement and monitoring efforts.
City staff presented a multistep analysis of 18 city-owned parcels adjacent to lakes and ponds as potential alternate locations for the White Bear Lake dog beach and recommended that the beach remain at its existing site.
Mr. Copy (staff) said staff used GIS and on-site visits to evaluate shoreline length, water depth, bottom material, upland access, parking, trail connections and permitting constraints (including DNR and watershed approvals). "Really 17 of the 18 parcels that we saw we don't believe... they're feasible to do enough improvements to actually make them work," he said, citing mucky bottoms, steep shorelines and DNR buffer limits.
The report highlighted one parcel ("site 8," south of the Matosska boat launch) as the most promising candidate on technical grounds because it has trail access, parking and a sandy shelf; but staff and the Parks Advisory Commission recommended against relocating there because it sits in a high boat-traffic area near the boat launch and Manitou Island access and would create conflicts with launching, sailing and shoreline users.
Council discussion addressed nuisance and enforcement concerns at the current site and the effectiveness of CSO (community-service-officer) patrols. Staff and police reported hiring and implementation challenges: CSO coverage started late in the season, two hires did not work out, and staff said they need another year to fully evaluate the program. Police- and parks-related data cited in council remarks included nearly 200 documented CSO visits and seven citations issued since May. Council members also raised path-safety concerns (high-speed e-bikes) and noted leash-law compliance varies by location.
No relocation motion was made; council members were invited to provide direction if they want a future agenda item to reconsider location or enforcement approaches. Staff and the Parks Advisory Commission recommended continuing current operations and monitoring enforcement results in the coming season.
