Muskego Water Bugs Have a Great Season; Now About That Ramp...

Craig Anderson, Parks and Recreation Department Director, told the park and rec board Monday night that he had received "zero complaints, and there were zero compliance checks" for the Water Bugs Ski Team, which practices and performs from .

The club had 15 show dates, 30 practices and two ski classes over the summer according to Anderson, who added that changes to the PA system had helped the team keep from garnering complaints.

However, the ski jump the team uses continued to be an issue, as one resident, Mark Harrison asked if the jump could rotate to other places on the lake. Its current anchoring spot is on Chiconas Island, which is situated on the south side of the lake.  Harrison's property is 620 yards from where the jump is located when it isn't being used.

Anderson explained that he had taken a tour of the lake to review all of the options, and said he understood that property owners might be more tolerant of the jump if they knew its placement would change every year.

The board asked Mark Moriarty, team president, how much trouble it would be to either place a second anchor point on the lake or to move the current one. 

"We use a train wheel, which has been effective in keeping the jump from acting like a sail and dragging the anchor along with it, but it is a job to raise it and move it," Moriarty explained.

Holz Island was also pitched as an option, as there are no homeowners on it, and placement could alternate years with the Chiconas Island site.  The consensus on the board was that homeowners would likely raise concerns no matter where the ramp was placed.

Call it a 'not in my back lake' issue.

Asked why the ramp's placement was so upsetting, Harrison explained, "It's a billboard.  I live on the lake for it's natural views, and it grabs your eye.  It takes away from the beauty of the lake.  Nobody likes seeing that thing, and I shouldn't be the only one to have to have it as part of their view."

Ultimately the board recommended that Holz Island be used in alternate years, with Moriarty saying they could put in a second anchoring point to accommodate it.