Man sues East Gull Lake over opposition to helicopter landing on his property
EAST GULL LAKE, Minn. — A man is suing the city of East Gull Lake regarding his helicopter.
A chopper landing on a piece of private property on the exclusive East Gull Lake has given flight to a big back-and-forth battle for years.
"I've done everything I can," Doug Schieffer said.
Schieffer is suing the city, saying he "does not violate the city code." In fact, he claims the mayor even encouraged it when he built his home.
"The mayor pulls me out of the meeting and says, 'Doug build your home with the hangar, you're gonna get approval.' So, that's what I did," Schieffer said.
But a new countersuit alleges he's using his property "for airport activity," which is "not permitted."
"I've been wronged. I spent a lot of money. I designed this whole property to get this hangar built," said Schieffer.
He even created this website and took his message to YouTube, arguing the water in front of his home is permitted for seaplanes.
"I want to do this not intrusive — on the other side of the home — and the city's fighting for me to do this in the most intrusive way," he said.
WCCO reached out to the city of East Gull Lake and has not received a response.
