New Lake Mitchell fishing pier is handicap accessible

• Franks Bay fishing pier dedication

Lake Mitchell Advisory Committee member and City Councilman Greg McCurry speaks during the dedication for the Franks Bay fishing pier Saturday morning at Lake Mitchell. (Chris Huber/Republic)

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Lake Mitchell has a new spot to drop a line.

The Lake Mitchell Advisory Committee held a dedication ceremony Saturday morning for the Franks Bay fishing pier.

The fishing pier is located on Lake Mitchell’s south side, just west of the Ohlman Street/West Harmon Drive intersection.

The pier is 100 percent handicap accessible, allowing those in wheelchairs to fish.

“The pier lets people get away from the land and over the water,” said Lake Mitchell Advisory Committee chairman Mark Puetz. “It allows for people to cast straight forward or even drop their line straight down in the water.”

The pier is made of wood and features a handrail surrounding the structure.

The fishing spot also features an asphalt parking lot with a paved walkway to the pier, picnic tables and handicap-accessible bathrooms.

“It’s exciting to have an area of the lake that all of the citizens in Mitchell can now use,” Puetz said.

During the dedication ceremony, committee member and City Councilman Greg McCurry advocated for more public-private projects this like one to continue to improve Lake Mitchell.

“This lake is like our recreation area, like our state park; so if we can continue to do projects like this one, we can make it an even nicer place to visit,” McCurry said.

The process of constructing the pier started in the planning phase four years ago. After a grant was received, construction started in the summer of 2011.

The land that the pier sits on is owned by the city of Mitchell, and funding for the project came mostly from donations and grants.

Though funding information was not immediately available over the weekend, The Daily Republic previously reported that a $37,500 grant was obtained, and $12,500 in local funds were raised for the roughly $50,000 project.

Donations were made by the Mitchell Advisory Council for People with Disabilities, Palace City Lions Club, Mitchell Elks Club, Mitchell Exchange Club, Mitchell Kiwanis Club, Miller Lite Bull Bash, Poor Man’s Fishing Tournament, Dakota Pump, Palace City Recreation/Troy Helleloid, Puetz Corp. and Mitzi Johnson.

Additional funding came from the South Dakota Department of Game Fish & Parks and the city of Mitchell.

Tags: lake mitchell, outdoors, news, updates, recreation, fishing, local