Plan in place to replenish Snail Lake in Shoreview

WHY SHOULD RAMSEY COUNTY MONIES GO TO IMPROVING THE VALUE OF 70 HOMES ON SNAIL LAKE. Has anyone forgotten we are in a recession. State and local governments, while trying to cut expenses, JUST KEEP ON SPENDING.

Leaders in the city of shoreview don't know about the recession yet. News travels slow.

The critics of this plan need to get over it. This lake is not just for the homeowners, who by the way, pay much higher taxes for living on the lake. This lake has been benefiting the metro area for many years. I remember looking forward to attending the Union Gospel Mission summer camps on the lake 65 years ago. Thousands of kids from low income families attended this camp for many years. The lake was an asset to the community then and still is now. Lest anyone think I am feathering my own nest, neither I or any of my relatives own property on or near the lake.!

The reason county money would go this is simple. If the lake continues to disappear the folks living around the lakes property taxes would fall dramatically, so the county kicks in some money to protect it. At first glance this seems like a very responsible solution, the homeowners are picking up nearly half the cost.

How did zebra mussells get into Sucker Lake, I thought it was a lake that didn't allow any motorized boats on it because it was a drinking water lake. Am I thinking about a different one? Sucker creek is where we fished all the time because the water was so clean.

OLDTIMER wrote:

The critics of this plan need to get over it. This lake is not just for the homeowners, who by the way, pay much higher taxes for living on the lake. This lake has been benefiting the metro area for many years. I remember looking forward to attending the Union Gospel Mission summer camps on the lake 65 years ago. Thousands of kids from low income families attended this camp for many years. The lake was an asset to the community then and still is now. Lest anyone think I am feathering my own nest, neither I or any of my relatives own property on or near the lake.!

THE FACT STILL IS: Why should tax payer money be used to improve the value of 70 homes on this lake? Put the cost on the homeowners it is done all the time.

LOV DA SAINTS wrote:

<quoted text>THE FACT STILL IS: Why should tax payer money be used to improve the value of 70 homes on this lake? Put the cost on the homeowners it is done all the time.

This was my initial thought as well. However, the County's share is about $82,000. That equates to around $1,200 per home. They will make that up in 1 or 2 years of property taxes and then continue to collect far more than if the lake disappears.

Residents of the County, and elsewhere, that do not live on the lake easily get enough value from the Lake to keep it around. I think the simple economics and "asset retention" justify the cost to the County.

If you have to spend $500,000 to pump water from another lake to keep Snail Lake at "normal" levels, is that really the normal level of this lake? Last time I checked we are in a a drought and all lakes in the metro are are low, let's start pumping all our water into the lakes to get them back to "normal".

Minnesotans are such a bunch of faux environmentalists. Of course, MN Angler, it's not the "normal" level if you have to pump water in to maintain it. If the environment can't keep the water in Snail Lake up to past levels, then let the water levels fall ... or at least stop calling yourselves environmentalists.
And Mee, when did government ever turn a profit at anything? First it built this pipeline, now it's installing a filter system, and the pipe and filter will have to be maintained. So it's never just a question of the initial installation cost. This isn't cost efficient, and it isn't the government's job. The City of Shoreview and Ramsey County continue to spend like they have money to spend, while we're at 9.5% unemployment and rising, personal income (except for those on the government dole!) is falling, and private citizens have finally wakened to the wisdom of SAVING a little for the future. The City and the County are spending YOUR money, and my money, on water filters to keep a little mollusk out of rich peoples' way, while threatening they'll have to cut police and fire protection.
Finally ... wah, wah, wah! To Ed McKenny and his fellow Snail Lake residents, cry me a river. Why should the taxpayers help you salvage the value of your investment?

If there is a leak in the pool why keep filling it? Seems like a waste.

We've got a bunch of armchair hydrologists in the PiPress forums, now? What a shocker.....

If the two were connected and water was flowing from the zebra mussel infested lake to the other for any period of time, Snail Lake is already infested. No doubt that even if they install the screen filter solution, some water will get around an edge and the lake will be infested within a couple years. If Snail lake is always so low, what's the risk of it being infested? Unfortunately, there's no going back. All of our lakes will be infested in the next 20 years whether we spend exorbitantly to stop it or not.

How about that. Tax money being used for the benefit of tax PAYERS. Only a pig would have a problem with that.

I was up there a few weeks ago, its kind of messed up seeing kids swimming in a mud puddle. With the lake being low, theres a better chance to catch fish.

GiveMeBeer wrote:

I was up there a few weeks ago, its kind of messed up seeing kids swimming in a mud puddle. With the lake being low, theres a better chance to catch fish.

There's a BETTER CHANCE at picking up dead & floating
fishes as the water disappears to nil!

Mee wrote:

<quoted text>
This was my initial thought as well. However, the County's share is about $82,000. That equates to around $1,200 per home. They will make that up in 1 or 2 years of property taxes and then continue to collect far more than if the lake disappears.
Residents of the County, and elsewhere, that do not live on the lake easily get enough value from the Lake to keep it around. I think the simple economics and "asset retention" justify the cost to the County.

Fine. Let the home owners bear the whole cost of the project. But then, close down Snail Lake Regional Park and open it up for development and close the public access to the lake if the city and county don’t own a stake in the lakes improvement.

What a bummer, I was planning on taking the kids to Snail Lake this weekend. I guess it's good i saw this first, otherwise I would have some seriously sad kids. By the way, I live in St Paul and find this a great swimming lake and would be bummed if it "went away"

maybe if everyone on the lake turned their garden hoses on...

The Real Bud in St Paul wrote:

What a bummer, I was planning on taking the kids to Snail Lake this weekend. I guess it's good i saw this first, otherwise I would have some seriously sad kids. By the way, I live in St Paul and find this a great swimming lake and would be bummed if it "went away"

Lake Owasso's just down the road from snail... public beach, boat launch and all

Cmon Folks, these are upper and upper middle class people that are affected by this problem. You conservatives are supposed rally around these causes. It's the people who really need help that deserve your scorn. Now get back out there and support these people before their precious boat houses turn into garages.