Lake Minehaha to get public lakeside deck

After floating the idea about for more than a year, Maitland’s former mayor Howard Schieferdecker got approval Monday to deck out Minnehaha Park with a new amenity: an observation deck.

The deck will be 18 feet wide and 12 feet deep extending to the waterline of Lake Minnehaha allowing for an unobstructed view of the 90-plus-acre water body. After being approved by the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission and Lakes Advisory Board last year, the deck was approved by the Maitland City Council in a contentious 3-2 vote on Monday. Mayor Dale McDonald and Councilwoman Bev Reponen were opposed.

Schieferdecker, who lives on the lake, said he first came up with the idea for installing a public deck or dock at the park back in 2015.

“I just want to have the residents of our city to be able to have the same opportunity that I have every morning when I walk downstairs and see that beautiful view,” he said.

As of now, trees and brush obstruct the view of the lake from Minnehaha Park.

To make the view publicly available, Schieferdecker offered to fund $12,000 of the deck’s estimated $18,000 construction cost. The remaining $6,000 will be funded by the city, as well as the cost of clearing land to make way for the deck, which could range from $750 to $5,000.

Residents who live along the lake were divided in their opinions on adding the public deck to the lakefront.

Richard Wack said the deck would ruin the last piece of undisturbed, natural land along the lake.

“This is the last piece of nature that we see out there,” Wack said. “Everything else out there is houses, and the beauty of that is absolutely important to us. And now to put a manmade structure there is definitely not the appropriate thing.”

David Terry, who also lives along the lake, said he initially opposed the idea of building a dock at the park. But, he said, now that it’s been approved as a deck instead without water access, and sits at the waterline, not beyond it, he changed his mind.

Councilman Mike Thomas said Maitland’s lakes are maintained by fees paid for by all Maitland city residents, not just those who live on them. So, he said, “They can pay a fee to clean the lake, but they can’t see the lake.”

Giving them the ability to see the lakes they pay to maintain, he said, shouldn’t be controversial, but common sense.

Mayor Dale McDonald, who voted against installing the deck, said the view residents have now is good enough without paying money to invest in expanding it.

But Councilman John Lowndes, who voted in favor, said residents now can see the lake, but barely.

“You’d have to have a pretty good arm to throw some bread out to the fish [from the current lake view],” Lowndes said.

“…I think it’d be an amenity for all of us.”