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The proposed DNR access site on Eagle and Juno lakes took another step forward this week when Michigan officials met with the Ontwa Township Plan Commission to discuss its design concept.

The DNR will meet with the Cass County Road Commission next to discuss the concept, details on traffic flow on Eagle Lake Road and what it needs to do to meet Road Commission requirements.

Meanwhile, the Plan Commission provided a list of items it would like the DNR to consider in the final design before getting the township’s final approval.

(Click here for Commission’s complete document)

Those include coordination with the Cass County Road Commission for permits; signage for pedestrian and vehicle traffic; a traffic impact study; site maintenance; modern bathrooms tied to the township sanitary sewer system; Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) approvals; a buffer zone for residential areas; a drainage system; efforts to prevent spreading of invasive species; park amenities, shelters and pier/shore fishing areas.

“We didn’t see any major problems with the list and look forward to working with it to get this done,” said DNR Project Manager Paul Yauk. “We’re going to schedule a meeting with the road commission as soon as possible, then go to the DEQ.”

The commission also asked the DNR to consider restrictions on boat length, horsepower restrictions and hours of operation.

Yauk said the DNR doesn’t set boat/horsepower restrictions for lakes and that would be up to the township or lake associations. However, hours of operation could be worked out.

The DNR paid $450,000 for the six lots measuring less than 2 acres north of the Dock property and across from Eagle Lake. It plans to expand the shoreline on Eagle to accommodate a safe launch area and add a launch site into the channel going to Christiana Lake, along with a parking area for 16 tow vehicles and additional car parking spots to accommodate both ramps.

Yauk couldn’t provide a timetable for construction, but said the DNR will institute some minor site improvements as soon as the loan closes. Fine tuning the design to meet Road Commission requirements and obtaining DEQ permits will take time, he added.

“However, I can assure you we want to move this along as quickly as we can,” he said. “Sportsmen deserve to regain quality access to those fisheries.”