Dock plan bothers residents

Fernan Lake Village residents are upset that a waterfront homeowner wants to expand his dock. They fear it will harm the endangered lake and encourage more people to request docks.

Gregg Larson, who lives on East Fernan Terrace Drive, is requesting a permit from the Idaho Department of Lands to transform his current L-shaped dock into a boat slip.

Larson is the same homeowner who recently cut an illegal road into the hillside above the shoreline – the first “egregious” violation of Coeur d’Alene’s new hillside laws aimed at protecting the lake, according to a recent ruling by the Coeur d’Alene city attorney.

Deputy City Administrator Jon Ingalls said Monday that Larson is “working diligently” to make the road conform to city standards. Larson has hired an engineer and met the city’s deadline to prevent runoff and erosion control, including laying matting and straw mulch.

Larson didn’t return phone calls Monday.

His engineer, Scott Jamar, wrote in a June 7 e-mail to City Engineer Gordon Dobler that they will likely retain a geotechnical engineer to evaluate the slope stability.

Ingalls said that Coeur d’Alene isn’t involved in Larson’s dock expansion request.

Mary Ann Tierney, a Fernan Lake Village city councilwoman, former mayor and member of the Fernan Lake Preservation group, is upset not only by the road but also by the dock expansion. She said most people in the village plan to write letters of opposition to the Department of Lands. The comment period ends July 10.

“Our lake is fragile,” Tierney said. “More access to the hillsides just puts more dirt down (in the lake). We don’t want it. We don’t need it.”

Fernan Lake Road separates the hillside homes from the shoreline. The hill is steep, making access difficult.

Carl Washburn, of the Idaho Department of Lands, said the agency sent 47 notices to neighbors, including more than 35 Fernan Lake Village residents who own a share in a community lot next door to Larson’s property.

Tierney said the community has owned the five lots for years and has chosen to leave the shoreline natural, with no improvements and no dock.

Fernan Lake is on the cusp of a eutrophic state, which means algae and other plant growth has taken over the lake, using up the oxygen needed by fish and other organisms, according to a lake management study conducted in 2003.

That’s one of the reasons Coeur d’Alene enacted a hillside ordinance in 2003 to prevent erosion, runoff and sediment from harming water quality in Coeur d’Alene and Fernan lakes, while protecting views and vistas.

Fernan Lake Village residents argued the rules weren’t strong enough and hired a team of engineers and scientists to create the lake management plan. Coeur d’Alene then used that information to craft more stringent protections for hillsides around Fernan Lake that are within Coeur d’Alene city limits.

The rules ban construction on slopes greater than 35 percent and prohibit building within 75 feet of the water, except for trails, walkways or trams.

The rules also require developers to hire hydrologists to analyze proposed building sites for groundwater or surface water.