Published: April 16, 2009 10:27 pm      

New plan for Arcadia Lake?

EDMOND — New park development at Arcadia Lake is on hold for a couple of more weeks as the city tries to sort through competing interests for the area off the lake’s southern end.

Nearby residents want more information about a road into what will be Carl Reherman Park. Equestrian trail users want to know when the city is going to clean up the 3-mile trail and make improvements to the trashed-out area. The Edmond Fish and Game Commission wants to know when the city will proceed with the plans it recommended to help ease overcrowding at the lake by moving personal watercraft riders to this area. Other users want to know when debris left from the 2007 summer floods will be cleaned up.

There’s a lot going on at Arcadia Lake.

We believe Assistant City Manager Steve Commons’ recommendation to slightly delay the park development project until after a May 12 community meeting is the best call the city could make at this point. Ultimately, recreational usage of Arcadia Lake is a customer service offered by the city to its residents and visitors. If the city doesn’t know what the majority of its customers want from the lake, it’s more likely to make poor decisions that will impact all lake users. Taking some time to gather more information is a great way to proceed.

We just hope the “proceeding” includes some well-thought-out plans for existing programs and amenities at the lake before the city fully commits itself to new areas it will have to maintain.

Meanwhile, let’s publicly thank the members of the newly formed Friends of Arcadia Lake Equestrian Trails organization. This group of equestrians has decided to make it clear to the city just how important the equestrian trail is to them by volunteering their time for upkeep. With this type of volunteer effort, the southern area of the lake will be improved for all users. Thank you ladies for making the commitment to Edmond.