What to do about ‘missing’ lake lots?

The Ponca City Park and Recreation Department has a mystery on its hands and is trying to find a fair way to solve it.

Eric Newell, who has been the director for about a year, has been doing an inventory of the lake lots at Lake Ponca. Somehow, he’s come up short — there are lots that are … well… missing.

There are some signs that they really existed at some point. There are some spots where docks have been cut off at the water’s edge, and concrete foundations where a cabin may once have stood.  There are other lots that seem a little larger than others, as though an owner may somehow have taken over part of a lot that either disappeared to nature or absorbed after a previous owner let it go.

The problem seems to be missing paperwork that recorded just what happened in the past several decades.

Newell is trying to unravel the mystery because after all this time, the value of the lake lots has increased while fees have not. The city administration wants to know how many lots are in use, how many are not, and what the new fees should be.

Several lot owners attended last week’s Park and Recreation Advisory Board meeting to express their opinions during discussion on the lots.

In the end, the board voted to return the item to the Lake Committee for further study and discussion.

The lake lot owners currently pay the city $31.75 per month to lease  the land, to pay for trash services and have year-round use. In comparison, ski dock owners pay $25 per month and can only use their dock for five months of the year. Lake lot owners also pay property tax, take care of all upkeep, have to mow, and pay for electric service.

The next meeting of the Park and Recreation Advisory Board is set for 5:30 p.m. May 17. The public is invited to attend, especially anyone with written documents about lake lots.