Compromise means pleasure boating likely to remain a part of Sympson Lake

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette

Tuesday, March 11, 2014, 11 p.m. — The threat to remove recreational boating from Sympson Lake appears to be over, thanks to the input from boaters determined to reach a compromise and the work of the Bardstown City Council.

Councilman Francis Lydian (file photo)

The original revisions to the lake rules would have limited boats to idle, or no-wake speeds no faster than 5 mph. The new rules would have prohibited water skiing.

With input from recreational boaters and fishermen, many of whom attended the meeting, the compromise — as proposed by Councilman Francis Lydian — is to move the buoys marking no-wake zones further out into the main part of the lake.

Lydian suggested moving the buoy located near the boat dock about 100 feet further into deeper water, and moving the buoy at Rodgers Run Branch out to the entrance of that channel. The goal is for the boats making wakes to operate in deeper water.

Lydian’s proposal was met with mostly positive comments from onlookers as it preserved recreational boating and water skiing.

The committee also discussed ways to improve enforcement of lake rules both in and out of the water. Currently, the city issues a single annual boat permit sticker for each boat. A total of three permit stickers will be issued — one for each side of the boat, and one for the trailer.

Councilman John Royalty displays photos of the wake of a boat he was in on Sympson Lake recently in this file photo.

The new rules ban jet skis, racing boats and hulls.

Boaters complained about the lack of trash cans at the boat ramp. The single trash currently in place at the boat dock is always full, they said. Several boaters said they take the garbage they find on the lake home with them rather that leave it behind.

The City of Bardstown sold 249 boating permits for Sympson Lake last year; 208 permits were sold to county residents and 41 were sold to out-of-county residents. Increasing the permit fees — from $10 to 50 for county residents and $25 to $100 for out-of-county residents — is one way to increase revenue to help provide enforcement at the lake.

Boaters also complained about parking around the boat ramp area on Ben Irvin Road. Committee Chairman John Royalty asked City Civil Engineer Jessica Filiatreau about getting parking signs to place along that section of roadway.

She explained that Ben Irvin is a state road and the issue of parking by the boat dock is a problem the state wishes to discourage parking on the state right-of-way.

Filiatreau told the committee that due to safety concerns, the state highway department is unlikely to assist with signs promoting parking by the lake.  Royalty asked Filiatreau to ask for state help with signage. “If we don’t ask for water, we won’t get a drink,” he said.

Near the meeting’s end, Mayor Bill Sheckles announced that City Hall would not issue boating permits for Sympson Lake until the new ordinance was approved by the council.

“We’ll have to move on this, council,” Sheckles told the group. “I won’t issue any more permits until this is done.”

Other changes the final ordinance will likely contain include:

— A limit on use of the lake and surrounding city property to one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset

— Raising the maximum fines to the statutory maximum for misdemeanor offenses.

The proposed changes to the Sympson Lake rules will be presented for a first reading at the March 25, 2014 regular meeting of the Bardstown City Council.

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