CLEAR LAKE — The Clear Lake City Council during a workshop session this morning discussed the area around the Seawall and City Beach, including re-approaching the issue of commercial use of the city dock.

The council last year passed an ordinance that allowed incidental commercial use of the dock for embarking and disembarking of passengers as long as it did not exceed 30 minutes per watercraft. Some on the council have said one company, Movement Solutions, continues to disregard the ordinance.

Councilman Mike Callanan says other commercial businesses have adapted to the ordinance.  “The other commercial users have spent lots of money to have places on the lake to rent their boats. One has not. They are taking advantage of a situation that in my mind wasn’t meant for that.”

Councilman Gary Hugi says he’s worried about increased maintenance costs for the dock. He says he would also like to see RDG Planning & Design of Des Moines study the area around the Seawall to address safety issues along Main Avenue and Lakeview Drive.   “You are lucky we didn’t have a pedestrian hurt down there. Roller bladers, skate boarders, bicycles, mom and pop in their golf carts down there. People doing u-turns right there in the boat ramp. It’s quite congested for a small area.”

Councilman Bennett Smith, who voted against the ordinance last year, says the city annually budgets for maintaining the dock, whether it’s the new floating dock or the previous wooden dock. He supports further study of the issue but at the same time for the city to be cautious about banning commercial use of the dock altogether.  “It’s very important that we think about the tourism dollars, the people that use that dock, and I’ve always been in favor of incidental commercial use on that dock, and I think that it’s important that we preserve that.”

RDG is currently working with the city on the rehabilitation of the Seawall