Don’t let council sell out Lake Tye

Published 11:45 am Friday, October 28, 2011

Do we want our city parks turned over to private, for-profit enterprises? If you let the Monroe City Council have its way on Tuesday, that’s exactly what will happen to Lake Tye. A non-local corporation with investors wants to take over the south half of Lake Tye to operate a cabled wakeboard park for profit, which will appeal to some but ruin the park for many others.

Access to the beach and lake at the playground end will be controlled by the company and severely limited for activities other than wakeboarding. Those of us who enjoy the view now will have to look at 30-foot towers, cable systems, structures in the water, and a new 2,500-square-foot building housing a pro shop. Up to $100,000 in taxpayer money will be spent to furnish that building with utilities at a time when the city can least afford it. Per the proposal, in exchange for a free 25-year lease, the city will receive a paltry 10 percent of the profits, if there are any.

Traffic and parking was not sufficiently addressed in their proposal either.

Lake Tye Park belongs to all the citizens of Monroe and the City Council should not be allowed to farm it out to profit-seeking corporations. The council appears to be heavily in favor of allowing this project to move forward. We all need to voice our opinions right away and let City Hall know if the majority of us want our park used this way.

Isn’t anything sacred anymore?

Tim and Pat Bailey

Monroe