Starke County Commissioners Discuss Lake Access Issue

  
 

The Starke County Commissioners ask that any lakefront residents with questions about access rights put their concerns in writing so they can be researched and addressed. Specifically they want to know the problem and proposed resolution so the county attorney can advise whether the options they are considering are viable.

Several property owners in the area of County Road 210 and Maple Street raised the issue Monday night. Michael and Eldonna Risner own the lot to the right of the access road many residents of the area use to put their boats and other watercraft into Bass Lake. They’ve asked the county not to allow that road to be used for access with a pier, as it gets too crowded.

County attorney Marty Lucas researched the property. He says the land between the county road and the lake is titled to the state Department of Natural Resources for use as a park. Before the county can intervene, Lucas says the DNR has to sign off on rights to the land.

Lucas is sending them a letter.

Meanwhile, he encourages property owners in the area to work together to resolve the matter. Lucas notes the county will address each property where questions over lake access rights arise on an individual basis. He stresses the response to this issue should in no way be interpreted as the county’s precedent for handling such matters.