Lake Holcombe Town Board - Wouldn’t it be nice to have a kayak launch on the lake?

Even though they just spent a large chunk of money replacing the playground equipment at the Wayside Park, the Lake Holcombe Improvement Association (LHIA) is far from finished. They brought yet another plan to the Lake Holcombe Town Board, Sept. 18, which would get a lot of people outdoors. “In the last several years, we have seen a lot of increase in paddling, on Pine Lake especially,” said David Kraemer, LHIA member. “It’s a nice resource for that.” Kraemer and a few others, get together, to paddle around the lake and that set off a lightbulb. “What if we could establish a kayak launch?” said Kraemer. “We realize there are a lot of steps to go through with this, but we thought we would start here.” The launch would be just south of the Pine Lake bridge, on the east side. Kraemer also thought that if they developed the area a bit, it could solve the parking problem near the bridge. In researching the project, it was discovered that the self-launch at the Mill Yard Park in Cornell, cost $8,700, while the one at Brunet Island State Park was $6,300. That means the LHIA will need to find funding, through grants, donations and/ or a fundraiser of some sort. The board was all for the project, and promised to help with resources and contacts about possible funding. “We shouldn’t have any issues with Xcel, we own that property,” said town supervisor David Staudacher. Just to be sure, town chairman Brian Guthman will check in with Xcel, as well as the DNR. “I think it’s a very worthwhile project,” said town supervisor Jeff Anders. The board also heard a presentation from representatives of Citizens State Bank, who shared what is happening with the financial institution and that they like to take care of municipalities, with special offers. “We’re just very excited about what’s happening at the bank,” said Tim Stone, chief financial officer. “We’re kind of in a new era. We’re heading in a really good direction.” Guthman also reported that the concrete landing outside the front entrance of the town hall cracked once again and was repoured. They now have the option of sealing the concrete or putting an acrylic over it. Guthman thought they should seal first, to see if that works, since this is the third time it’s happened. “There’s something there that causes that to crack,” said Guthman. He also said they are to be reimbursed for the storm damage, by Emergency Management, from the severe storm that went through in the spring. Guthman worked to document what labor and tools were used to clear trees, and because of that, the town is receiving$6,642.83. However, $1,800 is owed to the Cornell Area Fire Department, who helped remove and clear trees during the storm. “It’s not going to be a bad deal,” said Guthman. The town also got reimbursed for sign damage, caused by a vehicle, and with experience from the storm damage records, Guthman learned how to make an invoice, with the cost of what it took to replace the sign, to the insurance company. “We’re in good shape there,” he said. Because of a board conflict, the next meeting was moved to Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m.