HELP! Anybody have exp. fighting a NO WAKE ordinance

midwest_militia · Outlaw Joined: 26 Jun 2003 Posts: 247 City: Ottawa

HELP! City trying to make a ski channel in Ottawa, IL Channel NO WAKE - If you are not familiar, this is where Midwest Militia Hosts Boot Camp all of our wakeboarding events and also just down river from Midwest Wakefest.... These are two of the biggest events in the area.

They are trying to make the whole ski channel in front of the Busted Prop(area where Midwest Militia hosts all of our events) No Wake because the City is supposably building a golf course with docks and a new boat launch in the future, who knows when they will start building, but they already put the No Wake Ordinance through and passed it. This is a ski channel that people have been using for many years, off the main channel of the Illinois River. I called the city commisioner that put this through and he said the city has the jurisdiction to do this. Anybody ever fought something like this or have any ideas?? This could affect Boot Camp, Wakefest or any other wakeboarding events or just wakeboarding that people do in that area. A ton of people from Boot Camp and wakefest use the channel to get some sets in because of boat and barge traffic. We have been skiing there for 15+ years and it is really the only decent channel to ski in between two sets of locks about 14 miles apart. Any help on this would be great!
Thanks
Tim Damron
tdamron@midwestmilitia.net

Lauri H · Outlaw Joined: 04 Aug 2004 Posts: 226 City: Theodosia

Sorry to hear about this. It's bad when things like this can go on without anyone knowing in advance so that new ordinances can be opposed.
My only suggestion, and it's probably not a great one, is...get the commissioner off the golf course, into the boat, and teach him to board! Maybe he'll change his mind?

roundbaywakeboard · Posted: Oct 25, 2004 5:59 pm Post subject:

sigh. My condolences, my friend. The odds of you, or an army of people even, stopping a bunch of rich old guys build a golf course is very slim. But fight to the death!

JDK · Newbie Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 31 City: Saskatoon

If it is a 'navigable waterway' (and it sounds like it is), phone up the Coast Guard and let their office responsible for your area know what's going on. They can shut city planners down with ONE phone call. It's funny how some people figure that they can control everyone and everything.
A situation similar to this happened in my home town (it was the water ski club vs. the local greenies on our river) and the problem ended instantly.
Hope this helps.

roundbaywakeboard · Posted: Oct 25, 2004 6:43 pm Post subject:

The Army Core of Engineers controls what we do in the waterways here. I forgot about that...

SupraBoarder · Posted: Oct 25, 2004 8:41 pm Post subject:

boarditup · Addict Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 731 City: Allendale, MI

Just a few words:

Public Trust

Political Pressure

Use both and you may win.

midwest_militia · Outlaw Joined: 26 Jun 2003 Posts: 247 City: Ottawa

Hey, thanks guys! My friends dad is a lawyer in our City, and he is calling the Corps of Engineers and the DNR today, (which is kind of like our coast guard) to see what we can do.....
The city commisioner just happens to belong to a local boat club that put some docks on a nearby Island that they own, and he is using his political power to make this No Wake to benefit the boat club members, not the city. Hopefully we can get a city petition going seeing that our town is heavily into boating and we have such a small stretch of water between 2 locks.
Thanks Again
Tim

chaz28o · Posted: Oct 26, 2004 5:27 am Post subject:

I wish you all the luck in the world - the delta has the same problem. People putting docks in all over.