Longmont is looking to annex Lake McIntosh and surrounding areas into the city, a move officials say will speed up responses to emergency calls at the widely-used lake.
McIntosh Lake saw huge increases in visitors and bad behavior last summer likely brought on by the pandemic, David Bell, Longmont’s natural resources manager, told the city council this week during a video session.
Complaints from neighbors of Lake McIntosh included the lack of mask-use and social distancing among users, trash cans overflowing as well as people — including small children — not using flotation devices while boating.
Swimming is a huge issue at the lake because people almost uniformly ignore McIntosh’s swimming ban, Bell told the council.
A survey of Lake McIntosh visitors showed that while most are aware swimming is prohibited at the lake, people continue to take to the water, Bell said. “Most of the swimming is next to signs that prohibit swimming,” he said.
Neighbors have also targeted parking as a problem, saying visiting cars are clogging up the residential side of the lake, Bell said.
The city has hired four new rangers to help patrol the reservoir and Longmont may bring in more restrooms and trash cans, he said. Bell has also asked for a boat to patrol the lake as well as more rangers in the 2022 budget.
He told the council easing pandemic restrictions may open up more parks and other entertainment venues, taking the pressure off of McIntosh Lake.
“People should be pulled in other directions,” City Manager Harold Dominguez added.
Council members admitted regulations and patrols may do little to improve behavior at McIntosh Lake.
“There are not enough people and not enough money to make people behave,” Councilwoman Polly Christensen said.
Councilmembers unanimously agreed to begin the annexation process of McIntosh Lake. Longmont would bring in over 360 acres, including 280 acres in ownership by the Lake McIntosh Reservoir Company, according to a city staff report.
Longmont owns the remaining 80 acres of park property north and west of the reservoir as well as eight acres of open space south of the lake.
The city currently owns 58 percent of the shares of the reservoir company while leasing and managing the surface area of the lake.
Annexation would clarify the responsibilities of emergency crews who work problems at the reservoir, states the city staff report, which quotes Steve Silberman, communications director for the Boulder County Sheriff’s office.
“The shoreline, body of water and western portions of the land surrounding the lake is unincorporated … which necessitates various county agency responses,” Silberman said. “Due to cell tower proximity, 911 calls are typically answered by Longmont Emergency Communications Center and transferred to our Boulder County center if the call for service is on unincorporated land/water. If Longmont annexes the lake and our unincorporated land, emergency response will become simpler.”
