Lake In The Hills Explores Changes To Beach Polices

LAKE IN THE HILLS, IL — A spike in attendance at beaches in Lake in the Hills during COVID-19 has lead village officials to look at changing policies regarding who can visit its most popular beach, Indian Trail Beach, and when they should be allowed to stop out.

Starting in 2016, Lake in the Hills opted to make both Indian Trail Beach, 228 Indian Trail in Lake in the Hills, and Butch Haggle Beach, 71 Hilltop Drive, both "swim-at-your-own-risk" beaches. Prior to that, lifeguards and staff monitored Indian Trail Beach only.

Under the 2016 policy change, both beaches were unlocked at sunrise and locked back up at sunset.

But a spike in visitors to the beaches, which are free to visit, led staff to reconsider its policies. Overcrowding was reported, and in August 2020, more stringent guidelines were put in place, according to village documents.

At that time, only Lake in the Hills residents were allowed access to the beach on the weekends, and non-residents were allowed access only if they were accompanied by a Lake in the Hills resident.

Village officials also opted to have a staff member monitoring the entrance to the beach, and no more than 50 people were allowed to visit at a time, village officials said in a statement released in August 2020.

“We’ve heard the concerns of our residents and feel these changes will alleviate capacity issues and promote social distancing at our beaches,” interim Public Works Director Peter D’Agostino said in August 2020.

The move lead to village officials having to pay staff up to $40 to 70 per hour due to overtime costs, according to village documents.

In summer 2021, the village lifted its capacity restrictions and the beaches returned to being unsupervised. But issues continued to come up at the beach, and last summer, public works department staff hired beach attendants to again monitor who was coming and going from the beach, according to village documents.

With summer approaching, village officials are again looking at its beach policies - hoping to fine-tune some of the language amid the many changes in recent years . Village officials are also looking at updating its fine and fee schedule.

During a parks and recreation board meeting Thursday, staff will present information to board members and look for feedback regarding continued unauthorized use - from non-residents and before and after sunset.

Staff is also looking at ways to address non-compliance with catch and release recommendations and issues surrounding fishing permits and who should need a permit to fish.

Village staff is also hoping to clear up confusion, through improved signage and policies, regarding access to Indian Trail Beach for boating, fishing, ice-skating and ice fishing, according to village documents.

Among the questions that staff is seeking feedback from the parks and recreation board are:

• Should Indian Trail Beach be limited to residents year-round or only during the peak summer season?
• Should Indian Traill Beach access, during the summer, be limited to supervised times only?
• Should Indian Trail Beach support fishing opportunities, outside of the swimming area?
• Should the village waive fees for disabled and blind persons related to fishing permits?

Currently, Indian Trail Beach and Butch Haggle Beach are open from dawn to dusk Memorial Day through Labor Day each summer. Village officials plan to spend $12,600 to staff the beach during its beach season this summer, according to village documents.

The parks and recreation board is set to discuss the policy changes during a meeting Thursday starting at 6:30 p.m. at village hall, 600 Harvest Gate in Lake in the Hills. Feedback provided by the parks and recreation board is expected to be presented at a March 21 village committee of a whole meeting.

The policy update will again be reviewed by the parks and recreation department and then the village's committee of a whole in April before any officials changes are adopted, according to village documents.