Proposed: Commercial Light Industry and Storage Sites at Star Lake

Mr. Sobkowich and concerned others,

Yes, this is yet one more letter opposing the proposed storage site at Star Lake.

Your own letter to us states such a site, “poses challenges...arising from equipment use, material (s) storage, traffic, vehicle parking and noise...” And, “The intent of these... sites is to provide light industry and storage opportunity...away from cottage subdivisions.”

We would argue that the site at Star faces all these challenges as well as environmental, hazardous waste and vandalism concerns that I’m sure other letter writers have touched on. And while not actually in the middle of a cottage subdivision, the site is within spitting distance of it. How this makes Star Lake a suitable site is puzzling.

While we may be accused of being NIMBYs, could it be that the Commercial Light Industry Storage Group find the proposed site attractive exactly because it is not in their own backyard? And is it not true that two previous proposed sites were rejected by residents for many of the same reasons we are giving?

Finally, you are correct in noting the existing road accessibility at Star. However the gravel road in from Highway 301 is in deplorable condition. Over the last several years this has been due to greatly increased day-use traffic to the public beach and poor grading. Unlike in the not-too-distant past, the tops of the ruts are now barely scraped, resulting in two days of semi-decent driving before once again becoming a bumper car ride at the EX. The substantial increase in use by large trucks and heavy equipment will all but devastate this road.

There may be a need for a storage site but Star Lake is not the place. This is not because of our personal connection to the lake, though that is a lengthy and profound one. It is, simply put, the wrong place for the wrong reasons.

Thanks for your time,

Randy Clark & Sandra Massey-Clark       Star Lake    Block 6   Lot 21