And you thought it couldn't get any worse

:eat: Police outline plan for Channel
By BRIAN DiTULLIO
Tuesday, May 3, 2005 10:58 PM MDT
City Council has given the police permission to begin enforcing tighter restrictions on the Bridgewater Channel.
At a work session Tuesday night, Capt. Randy McCaleb of the Lake Havasu City Police Department outlined recommendations to City Council on how they could curb outrageous behavior that increasingly has become a problem along the manmade waterway.
"The problem areas are more to the south of the channel," said McCaleb. "But we wanted to look at several options."
The report to council notes the channel has become increasingly popular over the years as a "party" location. However, the closure of Copper Canyon and the Sandbar has resulted in an increased number of arrests related to unruly behavior and an increased police presence in the channel on the weekends.
After proposing a number of alternatives, the police are recommending suggested changes in two phases.
In phase one, they would restrict the number of watercraft mooring in the Bridgewater Channel by signs and through police officer contact by 27 percent, or about 187 boats. This option would help reduce crowds and give greater visibility to police officers, reducing the "anonymity" of people in the crowds.
McCaleb also said that the reduction would help with navigation in that area, especially when the water level is lower.
In addition, police are recommending restricting or closing the channel after the number of watercraft entering the channel reaches a level that would promote unruly behavior or propose a safety hazard.
McCaleb said this policy was unofficially tried last weekend due to lack of manpower when the carbon monoxide levels rose high enough to prompt safety forces to close the channel to further traffic. McCaleb noted the "party" atmosphere calmed almost immediately and the carbon monoxide levels dropped rapidly back to acceptable levels.
Councilman Don Clark disputed some of the closure areas and no decision was made as to that part of the plan.
The last part of phase one proposes establishing more trash receptacles and more timely pick-ups by private vendors.
Phase two of the project would have City Council look into developing city ordinances that address public nudity and pasties and possibly develop a process of requiring permits to moor in the channel.
The city then could sell a specified number of permits for a specific numbered position daily, or for a weekend. Unacceptable behavior would be listed on the permit with the penalty for violation being a revocation of the permit.
An advantage listed for the permits is that boaters then would be able to leave their spot for an excursion and return whenever they would like.
"Generally speaking, boaters now seldom leave the channel during the day as a mooring position is quickly taken if the watercraft is moved," state police in the report. "This lack of space creates a situation where people fight for spots and cannot move their boat all day."
Clark also opposed the permitting system, saying it would be a "nightmare" to administer and create a "socialistic" environment.
Clark advocated one-way traffic, noting the success of the experiment last weekend.
Phase two would require legislation to enforce, but phase one could be implemented through stricter enforcement of existing laws, according to the report to council.
McCaleb acknowledged phase two would take more time to implement, but felt phase one could be done with existing laws and implemented "fairly quickly."
- You may contact the reporter at ditullio@havasunews.com :eat:

It would only be temporary, because revenue will suffer in the LB Village.

Sat thru the meeting last nite :argue: GOD was that boring but worth it just to hear the end subject on the channel. I am one who thinks the channel behavior problem does need to be addressed but some of these proposals are just outrageous. Like I said in my post, how can we allow them to take away 3 or 4 sections 400 feet long of the best mooring in the channel??? Want to know where, the south entrance island side for one, another section island side in the turn, mainland side south of KoKoMo's and I thought one more but at that point I was so friggin mad I didnt care. All I can say is we had ALL and I mean ALL of us that enjoy the good times had in the channel make our voices heard loud and clear :boxingguy NSF OH yeah, go out in the street and measure off 400 ft so you know what we are giving up!!!

Permits sound like a revenue measure, not a control measure.

Well this just sucks!! I have been frequenting the channel for many years now and I agree there is some definte problems that needed to be addressed. Although I was hoping they would have come up with a better solution than this. It's such a shame, that a handfull of idiots are ruining it for the majority who frequent the channel and obey the laws.
Where can I write to or send an e-mail to voice my opinion to the city council?

Seems pretty simple to me...Don't act like a bunch of drunken children, pick up your trash, play well with the other kids, you don't have to prove your stereo is the loudest in the universe, and women...keep your clothes on...

It's such a shame, that a handfull of idiots are ruining it for the majority who frequent the channel and obey the laws.
That's the bottom line here. You can't expect the city to stand by with their thumbs up their arsses while this $hit goes on. Those who disrecpect the area will cause us all grief in the long run. Ever notice the trash littered all over the place after a busy day? I'm sure the city pays for the cleanup...causes certain deficits in certain budget areas, then they have a the typical gov't kneejerk reaction of taxing the easiest target.

That's the bottom line here. You can't expect the city to stand by with their thumbs up their arsses while this $hit goes on. Those who disrecpect the area will cause us all grief in the long run. Ever notice the trash littered all over the place after a busy day? I'm sure the city pays for the cleanup...causes certain deficits in certain budget areas, then they have a the typical gov't kneejerk reaction of taxing the easiest target.
exactly right !!! and one of my solutions as stated before is ala Sheriff Joe, mandantory 2 days of picking up trash and raking rocks in a pink jumpsuit alond the channel and the 95, this would save the city $$$$ for more LEO's and dont think it can't be done just see what Sheriff joe has already done in the Phoenix area. NSF

Here is a RADICAL thought.
Just OPEN THE SANDBAR back up and releive some of the congestion in the channel.

Here is a RADICAL thought.
Just OPEN THE SANDBAR back up and releive some of the congestion in the channel.
The sad thing is the Sandbar has been open so far this year, and these things are still going on. It's the 2%, there going to be everywhere.

It is just not right that one day we may have to get a permit to enjoy the channel.

Is this just for Saturdays and Holiday weekends? I can't believe they would be doing Phase One seven days a week. Copper Canyon and the Sandbar are only closed on Holiday weekends. Is City Council so out-of-touch they think Copper Canyon and the Sandbar are closed every weekend? City Coucil sounds like a bunch of wankers that agree with everything LE has to propose. Thank god one guy stood up - Don Clark - and objected to the LE bullsh$t.
Last Saturday they closed the channel coming in from the South for about an hour. LE McCaleb said "the party atmosphere calmed almost immediately". I call bullsh$t on that one. Of course it is going to look like less partying when there are less boats in the channel. DUH.
Does the City Council ever wonder that a significant number of home owners in Havasu bought because of the boating? That hotels from April-Sept are full each weekend because of boaters? That a significant amount of people in Havasu make their living on the money spent by boaters? Keep f'n with the boaters and Havasu will be a dried up turd.

Cross post from the other thread that NSF put up:
Mooring permits certainly does not seem like the way to go. I can only speculate as to what the logic behind the decision is. Perhaps they think by requiring you to purchase your spot this will reduce the number of boats in the channel because some people simply won't pay for it. However, what does that do to boats that just want to traverse the channel? Will they literally restrict access once a certain number of boats is reached? Therefore, not allow another boat in until a nother boat leaves? What about the people that have rooms at the London Brdige Resport and a slip to go with it? Will they be restricted from accessing the channel to get to their slip? Will they have to purchase a "channel pass" to get to their slip? What about someone that has a slip at the marina, will they be froced to go around the island instead of thru the channel to get to it. What if you're getting towed in from upriver and you need to get back to the Nautical or the Marina, do they have to tow you around the island instead of thru the channel? Although towing through the channel is not exactly the best idea IMHO anyway. What about the people that own the condos just south of the bridge? I know they are not guaranteed a beach spot in front of their condos, but what if they want to get back to their condo? Do they need to purchase a channel pass?
BTW, to all of you with the "Phuck you, it's a big lake, go somwhere else I can do whatever the phuck I want even if it is illegal!" mentality, thanks, that mentality is what is brining this on. Once again, the majority gets screwed because of the actions of the minority.

Last Saturday they closed the channel coming in from the South for about an hour. LE McCaleb said "the party atmosphere calmed almost immediately". I call bullsh$t on that one. Of course it is going to look like less partying when there are less boats in the channel. DUH.
But if that is what they are trying to curb, then by closing it off, they met their goal, right? Just playing devils advocate here.

Quote from meeting ..."The city then could sell a specified number of permits for a specific numbered position daily, or for a weekend. Unacceptable behavior would be listed on the permit with the penalty for violation being a revocation of the permit.
An advantage listed for the permits is that boaters then would be able to leave their spot for an excursion and return whenever they would like."
Step back and think for a moment... How and the hell will permits allow boaters to come and go. Hey honey...lets go for a little excursion and come back to our spot. Give me a fuc$in break. What are we going to do - mark our spots on the channel with spray paint, bouys, noodles anchored with ropes? Is it first come first serve for the good spots and the stragglers will get to setup on the rocks? What happens if someone is in our spot when we return and while smoking weed tell us to fuc$ off? I see fights breaking out already. This is not a solution and it is a waste of the City Councils time to even have to hear about it.

But if that is what they are trying to curb, then by closing it off, they met their goal, right? Just playing devils advocate here.
Point taken. But people are going to still party and the jerks will still be jerks. You might have just as many jerks in the channel while people like us can't get in.

Here is a RADICAL thought.
Just OPEN THE SANDBAR back up and releive some of the congestion in the channel.
THe sandbar was open this weenend and the channel was stuffed to the gils... It wouldnt help...
One thought to be to limit the time a boat could stay beached. 1 hour max?

Point taken. But people are going to still party and the jerks will still be jerks. You might have just as many jerks in the channel while people like us can't get in.
True. But if it is only jerks in there, and a limited number of total boats, that is jerks and non-jerks, then the jerks will stand out more and possuibly be dealt with more quickly. Unfortunately, it would be at the expense of those of us that aren't jerks and can't even get in because it is at "capacity".

I think the way the PD could handle the 2% fools is by using undercover offciers to spot and observe the illegal activity then call in the guys on the ATC's to cite, etc. But like I said, it is a small town , with limited resources. The PD should have more officers to deal with these issues. Butn it is a small and most likley understaffed PD.
So ask the city council, WHY DO WE NOT HAVE MORE OFFICERS????????????
They have the money, business/taxes is good. Still no excuse for the fools.
True the closing of the sandbar and CC at times increases the idiots in the channel, but that is not the falt of anyone except the uncaring classless individuals that ruin it for everyone else. Just listen to some of the garbage rap music being played next to children, with the four letter words clearly spewing out. How shallow are some that they think this is somehow cool to add to their persona.

Please do not get rid of pasties. :lightsabe
:D

This is starting to remind me of high-school. When the weekend parties would get too large out at our favorite spot, the cops would come and everone scattered.
Then....a new spot would take shape and everone started going there. Then, after several months, that got busted. So, all would either find yet another new spot or just go back to the old one since all was 'quiet' for awhile.
Yay though I agree that it sucks, it just means alot of peeps may need to find an area or two out in the "country" areas of the lake and let the channel cool down.
More floatillas.

Beer-30 you are correct, but this type of conduct should never take place in the channel. THIS IS OUR CITY PARK, NOT the sandbar, or cattail cove, or any other remote location.
This is a family environment, or suppose to be one. And this is why the city is involved. They should be involved as it can be a wild place at times, not condusive to good tourism or a family frendly place.

Beer-30 you are correct, but this type of conduct should never take place in the channel. THIS IS OUR CITY PARK, NOT the sandbar, or cattail cove, or any other remote location.
This is a family environment, or suppose to be one. And this is why the city is involved. They should be involved as it can be a wild place at times, not condusive to good tourism or a family frendly place.
Totally agree. More LE, stiffer fines would be the answer.

Is this just for Saturdays and Holiday weekends? I can't believe they would be doing Phase One seven days a week. Copper Canyon and the Sandbar are only closed on Holiday weekends. Is City Council so out-of-touch they think Copper Canyon and the Sandbar are closed every weekend? City Coucil sounds like a bunch of wankers that agree with everything LE has to propose. Thank god one guy stood up - Don Clark - and objected to the LE bullsh$t.
Last Saturday they closed the channel coming in from the South for about an hour. LE McCaleb said "the party atmosphere calmed almost immediately". I call bullsh$t on that one. Of course it is going to look like less partying when there are less boats in the channel. DUH.
Does the City Council ever wonder that a significant number of home owners in Havasu bought because of the boating? That hotels from April-Sept are full each weekend because of boaters? That a significant amount of people in Havasu make their living on the money spent by boaters? Keep f'n with the boaters and Havasu will be a dried up turd.
YES AND YES to some of the city council being out of touch, one member and I can't say her name, Cindy Aldridge, made a comment that on Saturday that she believed the CO readings were because of all the really big boats in the channel (The Poker Runners) and that thier exhaust was the reason for the high readings :messedup: how many were in there maybe 10? The CO level is high because of the sheer number of boats you dolt!! :messedup: She also wondered about the size limit in the channel, this is a city council member that doesn't even know about the lifting of the size limit so that the very boats that brought all the people out to see them and all the money spent by these people could show off thier fantastic equipment. What a dunce, this is the mentality we are dealing with believe it :( At least Don Clark is in tune with reality although the channel permits thing is an awful idea. NSF

What happens if someone is in our spot when we return and while smoking weed tell us to fuc$ off? I see fights breaking out already. .
Exactly my thought---if they don't have the personel to currently enforce how the hell do they expect to stave off the numerous arguments that will happen because of permitted vs. parking poachers.
.
The channal is convenient for all to reach as apposed to the outlying spots like sandbar and copper.
.
For me the channal is a place I will visit for a short period and then go about my merry way. I couldn't sit there and party all day, gets old fast IMO.

Woooah. Easy guys. I agree. I guess what I meant was, the partying is going to happen. If the wild-ness needs to happen for certain peeps, they can venture off for a boat ride and gather elsewhere for awhile.
The part about it that sucks is the out of control people who are making LE do their job. I have gone there for years and never had a problem. We just sit around in chairs or on the swimstep and have some beverages and chill. Never even been looked at by LE.
I'm all for having a good time, but the surroundings have to be respected. I'm just saying take the out of control stuff; bongs, full-nudity, huge stereos, and go hang in Steamboat (unless houseboats are there) for example and let her rip. No people walking by with dogs. Children playing on swings, that kinda stuff. That's all.

Beer-30 you are correct, but this type of conduct should never take place in the channel. THIS IS OUR CITY PARK, NOT the sandbar, or cattail cove, or any other remote location.
This is a family environment, or suppose to be one. And this is why the city is involved. They should be involved as it can be a wild place at times, not condusive to good tourism or a family frendly place.
Absolutely agree. Stiffen the penalties. From what I understand, most of the arrests in the channel are misdemeanors, pay a fine, and be on your way. I guess most of the arrests are for disorderly conduct. As soon as the people that do get arrested for public nudity are charged with public nudity, which results in registering as a sex offender for the rest of your life, I bet that problem will go away.

I'm all for having a good time, but the surroundings have to be respected. I'm just saying take the out of control stuff; bongs, full-nudity, huge stereos, and go hang in Steamboat (unless houseboats are there) for example and let her rip. No people walking by with dogs. Children playing on swings, that kinda stuff. That's all.
Naw, go hang in Copper. Steamboat has traditionally been the family place whereas Copper has been the party spot.

Naw, go hang in Copper. Steamboat has traditionally been the family place whereas Copper has been the party spot.
Twas just an example.
Let's just say, "an outlying secluded location other than the channel".

Absolutely agree. Stiffen the penalties. From what I understand, most of the arrests in the channel are misdemeanors, pay a fine, and be on your way. I guess most of the arrests are for disorderly conduct. As soon as the people that do get arrested for public nudity are charged with public nudity, which results in registering as a sex offender for the rest of your life, I bet that problem will go away.
The only arrests I ever see in the channel is for under-age drinking. I very rarely see arrests for disorderly conduct.

Damn, You mean they want to make it a respectable place to go!
Controlled crowds and no nudity! WTF is this comming too?
Sounds like a good time to apply for boat cop. :hammerhea

I did not realize that it was the duty of municipalities or gov't agencies to provide safe haven for people to break the law. The city's responsibiliy is to provide a level of public safety. If it takes purchasing a pass to go in the channel so be it. If the passes generate revenue so that the city can provide improved services to those paying the fee, great. If you want to act like an Ahole, have sex in public, expose your breasts/other private parts, intoxicate yourself excessively, blast your music annoyingly do it in private.
I wont go to havasu because the outrageous behavior used to be isolated,
now it is the norm. I would go to Havasu, but my family and my money go elsewhere and will continue to do so until Havasu can revert to some level
decency.
Shutting the channel for unsafe level of carbon monoxide, seems the city needs to act more aggressively on limiting use of the channel.
Go LEO's

What I see here is lots of folks with "knee jerk" reactions to minor problems.
Last Saturday when the channel was closed from the south end, I was sitting
there wondering why they would close it when there was clearly way too much wind for there to be a CO problem. Nor were there boats stacked up idling waiting for passage, there wasn't even a continuous single file line in
either direction. Now it appears from the meeting last night that it was actully an experiment to see how the one way traffic idea works. Now they are bragging that it worked pretty well. WRONG.
The reason that it got crowded was because all of the poker runners were in
the channel all trying to get lunch. Then they closed the south entrance,
the reason that it got quiet all of a sudden was because the poker runners
all left to start the afternoon card chase--not because of any one way traffic/ CO scam.
It seems to me that the problems that I see in the channel, nudity and unruly
behavior are not caused by people that I call "boaters". They're caused by
the "non-boaters" in the crowd. I rarely if ever see a boat owner or his wife
getting arrested or causing a problem. It is always some tagalong or someone
who drove to the channel. If we slow down the boat traffic or make it one way traffic or sell permits, we will slow down the movement in the water
but we won't have changed anything on the land which is where the problems exist. Frankly, if these rules were implemented, I will end up walking
down to the channel after work on Saturday afternoon since I won't want to
buy a permit or deal with that hassle and I believe that others will do the same. So our knee jerk reaction may even put more people in the channel with less boats. Haven't we then increased our potential for problems?
Lake Havasu will always be a bit of a "Party Place". We chased the problem
from Copper Canyon to the sandbar and now to the channel. When will we
learn. The problem is here and will always be here. The proverbial 2% of the people that cause all of the problems are almost as bad as the proberbial1%
of the people who bitch and complain about it. The complainers whine nonstop until this whole situation is as it now is. They caused Copper Canyon to be closed, then the sandbar and now the channel. They'll still
complain, probably about the noise I suppose. When will we learn?
Cruising the channel is like cruising Main Street in small town America when we were kids. That's what makes our lake so popular. Close it down or ruin
it and you have made our lake just like all of the others. Do that and you kill
this town. This town will be bankrupt, dusty and forgotten about 20 minutes after you kill our lake. Fix the problem, leave the rest of it alone.
Keith Sayre

What I see here is lots of folks with "knee jerk" reactions to minor problems.
Last Saturday when the channel was closed from the south end, I was sitting
there wondering why they would close it when there was clearly way too much wind for there to be a CO problem. Nor were there boats stacked up idling waiting for passage, there wasn't even a continuous single file line in
either direction. Now it appears from the meeting last night that it was actully an experiment to see how the one way traffic idea works. Now they are bragging that it worked pretty well. WRONG.
The reason that it got crowded was because all of the poker runners were in
the channel all trying to get lunch. Then they closed the south entrance,
the reason that it got quiet all of a sudden was because the poker runners
all left to start the afternoon card chase--not because of any one way traffic/ CO scam.
It seems to me that the problems that I see in the channel, nudity and unruly
behavior are not caused by people that I call "boaters". They're caused by
the "non-boaters" in the crowd. I rarely if ever see a boat owner or his wife
getting arrested or causing a problem. It is always some tagalong or someone
who drove to the channel. If we slow down the boat traffic or make it one way traffic or sell permits, we will slow down the movement in the water
but we won't have changed anything on the land which is where the problems exist. Frankly, if these rules were implemented, I will end up walking
down to the channel after work on Saturday afternoon since I won't want to
buy a permit or deal with that hassle and I believe that others will do the same. So our knee jerk reaction may even put more people in the channel with less boats. Haven't we then increased our potential for problems?
Lake Havasu will always be a bit of a "Party Place". We chased the problem
from Copper Canyon to the sandbar and now to the channel. When will we
learn. The problem is here and will always be here. The proverbial 2% of the people that cause all of the problems are almost as bad as the proberbial1%
of the people who bitch and complain about it. The complainers whine nonstop until this whole situation is as it now is. They caused Copper Canyon to be closed, then the sandbar and now the channel. They'll still
complain, probably about the noise I suppose. When will we learn?
Cruising the channel is like cruising Main Street in small town America when we were kids. That's what makes our lake so popular. Close it down or ruin
it and you have made our lake just like all of the others. Do that and you kill
this town. This town will be bankrupt, dusty and forgotten about 20 minutes after you kill our lake. Fix the problem, leave the rest of it alone.
Keith Sayre
Keith,
Very well put and I couldn't agree more. I was also sitting there at the south end on Saturday when the LE positioned themselves at the entrance frantically waiving people to turn around. Their 'experiment' was a frame job. And we are getting framed.
How about running for City Council? We need someone who is in touch with reality.

Don't know if it was s scam or not, but the second time they closed the channel, I saw the fireman check the meters and he said the levels were too high and they were just heading down to shut it down.

What is the 'real deal', with this rule, did they only decide to enforce it the first weekend we launched? $200 later.... :frown: thank goodness its not a DMV point! Its BS, is what it is... Does anyone know what the plans are for 'oversized' boats? 35.5' is the limit for the Channel. Did any of you even know that? We didn't, evidently its been a law for over 3 years!! What a joke, Enforce it, or DON'T!
We were cited while docking at LBR docks, where, BTW, we own a timeshare! Because who the hell wants to deal with any launch ramp twice a day in Lake Havasu!! Thats why we invested in the City!!! Because it was convenient to leave the boat in the water!! We NEVER even enter from the South end of the Channel, the water level has been too low! And too many stupid people who can't drive and don't get it. MOST 'oversized' boat owners have more experience and respect, because they have graduated there, and they CAN'T afford to make a mistake, and I'm not talking $$.
Bottom Line is.... ITS NOT THE SIZE OF YOUR BOAT, its who is piloting the boat, how experienced they are, and how much respect they have for the laws of the water and OTHER boaters. 'Oversized' boats are a very SMALL percentage of the boats on Lake Havasu. The City stands to lose thousands of dollars by restricting the channel... People will sell, or won't buy, if they can't beach/dock in front of their Townhomes/Condo's (at $350k to $800k), how rediculous is this? If this issue isn't addressed, we will sell next season.
Is it 'safety' issues with the number of boats in the Channel, or a Carbon Monoxide issue, or both? Then real revenue for the City lies with the abusers of the priviledge! Patrol the boardwalk for God's sake.... !! Now, there is a true day's work! Don't permit JET SKI'S OR SEA DOO types in the Channel, they are the water craft that cause the most stink! And they're unsafe! And hey! Wonder if that guy has 50 lifejackets on his boat, to save all 50 people, who are too drunk or high to save themselves!! Or maybe he's a wealthy kind of Titanic kinda guy.....LOL - Not to mention the 5-30 packs of beer and gallon of Tequila on board, and what about the free porn available right in front of your very eyes...?! :2purples: ALL are sitting ducks in the Channel, available for the picking..... These are the rude, irresponsible, inexperienced individuals, who abuse the priviledge of piloting a boat, and this is really where the 'quan' is for the City!
I wrote a 4 page letter to 23 business owners, property owners, developers, Mayor, and Councilman regarding these issues..... that was 2 months ago... NOT A SINGLE RESPONSE! So unless you can afford a $200 citation and the aggrevation and frustration of watching every other 'oversized' boat enter the Channel, park or patronize businesses there, we all need to fight this. Developers and Resort owners who are selling property, need to fight this for us. Is anyone a lawyer out there that can tell us what needs to be done! Petitions, complaints, what??? Otherwise we'll jsut spend our money elsewhere.

Seems pretty simple to me...Don't act like a bunch of drunken children, pick up your trash, play well with the other kids, you don't have to prove your stereo is the loudest in the universe, and women...keep your clothes on...
BRAVO!!!

Sat thru the meeting last nite :argue: GOD was that boring but worth it just to hear the end subject on the channel. I am one who thinks the channel behavior problem does need to be addressed but some of these proposals are just outrageous. Like I said in my post, how can we allow them to take away 3 or 4 sections 400 feet long of the best mooring in the channel??? Want to know where, the south entrance island side for one, another section island side in the turn, mainland side south of KoKoMo's and I thought one more but at that point I was so friggin mad I didnt care. All I can say is we had ALL and I mean ALL of us that enjoy the good times had in the channel make our voices heard loud and clear :boxingguy NSF OH yeah, go out in the street and measure off 400 ft so you know what we are giving up!!!
what's your boat length?

what's your boat length?
Kind of a personal question, isn't it? :confused:
Sorry, just a little comic relief attempt! hee hee.