At its Aug. 30 meeting, the LPA board approved a proposal from Friends of Lake Panorama that will make improvements to existing trails on the south shore of Lake Panorama’s main basin.
The board also approved Friends and LPA staff working with Panorama Community Schools personnel to move the cross country team trail from Panorama West to the south shore. The school has committed funds to help improve the existing trail, and also provide ongoing maintenance assistance.
The cross country trail will begin on school property, continue onto the south shore for much of the course, and loop back to end on school property. All parking and restrooms for cross country meets will be on school property. This loop will be a total of 3.1 miles.
The south shore has several existing trail sections that will be combined into a single structure offering a variety of lengths and difficulty. Users will be able choose a combination of loops based on the total distance they want to walk.
Final details for the trail system will be developed after the south shore rip rap repair project is complete. That is expected to begin this fall and may continue into spring 2023.
Results of a survey about possible projects on the south shore were discussed, prior to board action on the trails. At its May meeting, the LPA board approved a proposal presented by Friends of Lake Panorama that included ideas for various recreational amenities that could be incorporated into the south shore. At its July meeting, the board asked LPA staff to conduct a survey to gather member input on key items included in the plan.
That survey was open for three weeks in August, and included a link to the Friends proposal. A total of 667 people responded to the survey. Questions about each of the projects included in the Friends proposal were asked, covering trails, disc golf, a small shelter house and a fishing dock.
The majority of respondents supported all projects mentioned. A question about a possible walking trail showed the most support, with more than 60 percent of respondents supporting this project, with another 20 percent neutral, and 17 percent opposed. A yes/no question about the Panorama cross country teams being able to use a trail on the south shore for practice and meets received 366 yes votes, 152 neutral votes and 144 no votes.
A final question gave respondents the opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions. It was agreed at the Aug. 30 board meeting that LPA staff and Friends representatives will continue to research options for a disc golf course and a dock on the south shore. Friends will return to a future LPA board meeting for further discussion on these topics.