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Marion City Council comes calling on duck hunters

BY JOHN D. HOMAN, The Southern

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 10:56 PM CDT

MARION - Duck hunters who frequent the Marion City Lake will soon operate under whole new set of rules.

City Commissioner John Goss said there have been many verbal confrontations reported to him among hunters who have access to 18 different blinds on the lake, located four miles south of town.

"It's become a chaotic situation out there," Goss said. "And we're going to get control of the lake, or there's not going to be any duck hunting there at all."

Goss said the best he can tell a lake committee chose who had access to duck blinds more than a decade ago. Trades have occurred and tempers have flared over usage of the facility.

"This is a city lake; it's not a Southern Illinois lake," he said. "Those who use the lake will be those granted the privilege to use it by the city."

Goss said he will oversee a newly appointed lake committee comprised of Mitch Withers (chairman), Bob Beltz and Richard Poe.

"Right now, there are no iron-clad regulations at the lake, but we're going to have some," he said. "Whoever is assigned to have access to a duck blind can still bring a guest, but we're going to watch things a lot closer."

Mayor Bob Butler commended Goss for his approach to the issue.

"Only the citizens of Marion should be allowed to use those blinds," Butler said. "I think you're headed in the right direction."

Goss added that deer hunting will still be permitted but not in the vicinity of the pump house.

"We're going to set up a perimeter," he said.

Lake hours are 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Goss also recommended that the council approve his suggestion for an across-the-board $200 increase for all new water taps.

"The water department has been operating at a deficit for quite some time now," he said. "All this increase does is help us recover our costs."

The council will likely vote on Goss's proposal on water tap fees at next Monday's regular meeting.

john.homan@thesouthern.com

351-5805