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Clay Banks Seeks County Assistance with Drainage Issue

The Town of Clay Banks is seeking mutual assistance from the Door County Facilities and Parks Department to solve standing-water issues on Lower LaSalle Road that it believes is caused by an improvement to a county park.

“It’s a big issue,” said Mike Johnson, chair of the Clay Banks Town Board. “It never goes down. It affects the neighboring property owners. Access to their properties is hindered.” 

Extreme moisture during the past three years has not allowed the water to drain, soak or evaporate, Johnson said, creating consistent standing water in the ditch line and in the park area of LaSalle County Park.

“At some point – I do not have a date – the county installed a parking area that abutted to Lower LaSalle Road,” Johnson said. “It provides a great parking area for the lower end of the park, but unfortunately, the installation of the parking area cut off the natural flow of water from the back areas in the park, below the bluff, to Lake Michigan.”

Johnson said the town took some readings and found a 17-inch natural slope in the area.

“Unfortunately, it is interrupted by the parking lot,” Johnson said.

The Clay Banks Town Board took official action to ask the county for mutual assistance to fix the problem together. Johnson sent the email letter to Wayne Spritka, Door County Facilities and Parks director.

Spritka put the town’s email correspondence on the Door County Facilities and Parks Committee’s June 10 agenda, but only as correspondence, not for action, so no action was taken. 

“It will go on the July meeting on the agenda, and they will decide,” Spritka said.

The committee’s “general feel is it’s a town road and town responsibility,” Spritka said, “but they could change their mind at the next meeting.” 

That meeting is scheduled for July 8, 9 am.