Priest Lake Dispute Surrounds Boat Launch

Bonner County officials are trying to settle a dispute over the Outlet Bay boat launch on Priest Lake once and for all - or at least for the next 25 years.

County Commissioners Brian Orr and Dale Van Stone voted Thursday to apply for a 25-year easement through the Idaho Department of Lands to wrest control of the launch from the Outlet Bay Homeowners Association.

For years, the county has maintained that the launch is on public property, although the commissioners granted the former owner of the Outlet Bay Resort the right to regulate the boat ramp in 1997.

Later that year, owner Donald Stratton erected a gate across a county road leading to the launch, prompting protests from area residents and lake users. Stratton recently got out of the resort business and transferred a submerged land lease from the state to the Outlet Bay Homeowners Association.

The association claims that the launch is private, but because it lies at the end of the county road, the county is attempting to open it up for public use. The homeowners association is concerned about safety, trespassing and the lack of public facilities. The launch has no turn-around or parking area.