Camp Bay lake access must be timely

Thank you for continuing to report on the important ongoing Camp Bay issue. Though we don’t often acknowledge it, we are all very fortunate to still have a local press in our community.

I would like to make some corrections and important clarifications to Lauren Reichenbach's recent articles about the proposed trail at Camp Bay including quotes of what I actually said at that June 11 commissioners’ meeting.

First and foremost, to call me “Camp Bay development critic” is a misnomer. For over three years, my husband, Fred, and I have only advocated for maintaining the historical public access to Lake Pend Oreille from Camp Bay Road.  How owners choose to develop their own private property there has never been part of our complaint.

When Reichenbach states “According to law, the easement to the shore on the property ‘reserves access during construction only to Bonner County Staff,’" she is quoting documents generated by the developer, NOT law, which is an important distinction.

At the meeting, I suggested that the county could negotiate with the developer, M3, for temporary permission for citizens to use the existing road to walk to the promised lake access site, just until the permanent trail is completed.

My exact words: “All we were asking for since the road already goes right now to where they’re going to make the easement, where they’re going to make the beach access, if people would be able walk down the existing road until they finish their trail.”

Also, I did not say that “other residents on Camp Bay Road are currently using an easement to access their properties during construction,” because they aren’t. What I did say was it “would be reasonable since all other residents on South Camp Bay were given a temporary easement to access their properties” [when M3 relocated part of their access road in 2021.] “This in a sense, accessing the lake would be Bonner County residents accessing their property — the lake, and it seems completely reasonable that the County could come up with an agreement.” I mentioned South Camp Bay property owners specifically because these few were the only vocal supporters of the road vacation and were the only ones who personally benefitted from it at the expense of all other Bonner County residents. I further stated, “It would be a goodwill gesture on everybody’s part to negotiate that for the citizens of Bonner County."  

I know it may sound like I’m splitting hairs, but after being threatened with legal action repeatedly over this issue, I try to be very careful with my words and actions.

Previously, Bonner County citizens had been accessing Lake Pend Oreille from public Camp Bay Road for well over 100 years. Since December 2022, they have had no access there and now they are having to wait all the way until February 2025 or later. Legal precedence mandates that the people have a reasonable expectation of that “guaranteed public lake access” (the basis of Judge Meyer’s public interest ruling) happening in a timely manner, not years later, even if the trail itself is not complete.

JENNIFER ARN

Sagle