(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson county board of supervisors voted four-to-one Tuesday to vacate a portion of 270th Avenue in the Sandbar Beach area on the northeast side of Big Spirit Lake. Supervisor Paul Johnson cast the lone no vote, saying the county was being shortsited in taking the action.
Fellow supervisor Wayne Northey made the motion, citing an agreement Don and Nancy Yarns made to grant a 12-foot easement along the west side of County Road M-56 that will be rebuilt this summer. The county needs the additional right-of-way to accomodate some drainage issues.
The Yarns own Sandbar Beach Resort and requested the permanent road closure.
Tuesday’s action to vacate 270th Avenue in that area followed a public hearing that had been continued from a previous meeting. Jim Howard of the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club was among those expressing opposition, saying the lakes area continues to lose more and more public accesses.
But Kathy Olson, a proponent of having the road vacated, said it was NOT meant as a public access. She’s concerned about people trespassing on private property.
It was also pointed out that possibilities exist for additional public accesses thanks to an agreement reached by the Yarns and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. It calls for the foundation to purchase the lakeshore property just south of Sandbar Beach in order to protect a stand of rare aquatic plants known as bulrushes. The property had been slated for development.
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