This is the Oswego Lake public entry-point prior to the removal of the art installation. (Staff photo: Corey Buchanan

Local news outlets have turned their attention to Lake Oswego once again this week with stories about the city government’s decision to close the lone public entrypoint to Oswego Lake — at Millennium Plaza Park — for Fourth of July weekend despite the recent court ruling ushering in public access.

City Manager Martha Bennett explained the reason for the closure: the large-scale events happening in the community, both public and private.

That weekend, there will be a July 3 concert at Millennium Plaza Park, a July 4 morning parade along A Avenue, a celebration at the park thereafter and then a laser light show at Foothills Park the night of July 4. The Lake Corporation, which represents the shareholders who live along the lake, also hosts a number of private events along the lake including a water skiing show and a concert. Overall, Bennett said the city anticipates 20,000 people flocking to the downtown area near the lake entrypoint over the weekend.

Although the waters of the lake are now deemed public due to a recent Clackamas County Circuit Court decision, the access point from the park is owned by the city and the lakebed is owned by the Lake Corporation. The city has tried to put in place new rules that are objectively reasonable — and therefore would hold up in court — including restricting access to the lake during certain hours of the day and limiting the size and type of watercraft allowed. Closing the entrypoint during the holiday weekend is another restriction the city deems to be reasonable.

“The Independence Day weekend is already an ‘all hands-on deck’ effort for City operations, prior to having Lower Millennium Plaza Park be a place to launch a paddle craft or to swim,” Bennett wrote via email. “Our Police, Fire, Parks, and Public Works staff work diligently throughout the weekend to ensure everything runs smoothly and protect community wellbeing.”

The city manager said that two events impact Lakewood Bay specifically (which is where the city entrypoint is located). And the Lake Corporation implements some access limits for its shareholders during the festivities including creating exclusion zones, such as at Lakewood Bay, and expanding no-wake zones during their events. The corporation does not have authority over members of the public. Lake Corporation President Justin Harnish added that he sees members of the public break Oregon State Marine Board rules along the lake daily (he mentioned paddlers traveling down the middle of the lake; although paddlers traveling between the buoy and the shoreline is a marine board recommendation and not a rule) and that restrictions are about safety.

Bennett said she wouldn’t anticipate closures on other holiday weekends like Labor Day because there aren’t major events in town.

“In the future, we may restrict access from our Park to prevent conflicts with other scheduled and permitted events on Oswego Lake. For example, there have been rowing regattas on the Lake in the past, and if that happens (and is permitted), we may close the access point,” Bennett wrote. “This is not really any different from other parks where we limit access if there is a previously scheduled event. Just last weekend, most of George Rogers Park was devoted to Festival of the Arts, and access to that Park’s amenities was limited.”

Todd Prager, one of the plaintiffs in the Oswego Lake case, saw the city’s decision differently.

“This is another example of the double standard of how the city treats Oswego Lake,” he said. “It’s somehow safe for Lake Corporation members to continue recreating on the lake over the holiday weekend but not the public? The city says their first responders are stretched too thin yet there are no restrictions on access to the Willamette or Tualatin? We need legislation at the state level to prevent this from happening so the access rights of all Oregonians are protected.”

Bennett added that the city has worked to comply with the Clackamas County Circuit Court’s ruling forcing the city to allow public access at the Millennium Plaza Park location including removing plaques and an art installation that was an obstruction and hiring a seasonal park ranger.

Overall, the city manager noted that public access to Oswego Lake is a new paradigm, so the city is learning and will adjust as it sees fit.