(Published September 24, 2008 in the Echo Press)
Recently, the Minnesota Court of Appeals decided to accept the county’s plan for County Road 42/11/34. For years, the nine person volunteer board for the Lake Carlos Area Association struggled to downsize the project from its proposed 50 foot width to limit the environmental impact. We worked closely with the lake associations for LeHommeDieu and Darling to achieve this end.
Because of the court ruling, our board will appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court to consider the environmental impact of all three phases of the road before beginning construction.
Minnesota Environmental Laws require that on a phased project, like the one involving this road, all potential environmental impacts must be reviewed before a project can move forward. The county completed its review of Phase I (from just south of Bug-A-Boo to the Carlos/Darling Bridge) of the project. However, it did not review the environmental impact of either of the next two phases. Phase II includes a major reconstruction of the CR 11/34 intersection to the west of the Carlos/Darling Bridge. Phase III, on CR 42 north of the Indian Mounds to the Carlos/LeHommeDieu Bridge, was also ignored. Both will result in storm sewering and runoff into the lakes.
As a lake board, our main job is to protect the lake from pollution. Ironically, we are faced with potential pollution caused not by private development, but by this public road project. We all want the road project to be completed quickly, and in a cost effective manner, to deal with traffic flow and safety. However, we do not believe that the requirements of Minnesota Environmental Law have been met, and we are now going to ask the Minnesota Supreme Court to review the matter.
Lake Carlos Area Association
Stephen C. Eisele, President