The legal battle continues over public access to Lake Oswego.

A judge is considering whether to open public access to the lake or keep its private status.

Take a stroll down Lake Oswego and you will notice the views are stunning.

"I think it's really cute over here," said Katie Giersch who was walking her dog, Saturday evening. "I like that it feels really safe. I like that for the most part, it does feel like it's kept and maintained really clean and it's somewhere I can take my dog at night and I feel safe to walk around.”

Many who live around the lake pay a fee to the Lake Oswego Corporation, which manages and preserves the lake.

Right now, the public is banned from accessing the lake, but some, like Lake Oswego resident Jerry Cooper, are open to change.

"It's really not an important worry. I can think of a lot of things to worry about this day and age. It's a lake. People want to fish there, I don't bother them," Cooper said.

Others initial thoughts were mixed. "If people are paying to keep this nice, you don't know how many are going in there or if they are trashing it. So, I feel torn if the public can keep the quality of it," Giersch added.

Two men sued the city in 2012 and the case has been in and out of court since then.

The case went to the Oregon State Supreme Court, but they sent it back to the Clackamas County Circuit Court.

Recently, a jury said that Lake Oswego cannot limit access to just its residents. Giersch feels that is a step in the wrong direction, even if people can keep the water clean.

"It's more aesthetically pleasing versus just a bunch of people on boats when you can do that on the Willamette," Giersch added.

It is now up to a judge to have the final say, not the jury.

If the judge agrees with the jury, anyone will be able to access the lake through Millenium Plaza on the east end of the lake.

However, the public would not have access to the lake through other entrance points.

https://katu.com/news/local/judgeto...

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