MOUND, Minnesota — UPDATE: Monday afternoon, Freshwater Society and Hennepin County Water Patrol were out on Lake Minnetonka and did not declare ice-out. Freshwater Society's Chris O'Brien said there is still ice on the Lower Lake.
From sunrise to sunset, crews with Niccum Docks are busy. They started installing docks on Lake Minnetonka last Monday — six to seven weeks earlier than usual.
"I wouldn't say we were caught off guard, but it was a little unexpected," said Danny Grady, co-owner of Niccum Docks.
Most of the company's clients can be found on Lake Minnetonka, which narrowly missed tying the record Monday for earliest ice-out. The current record is March 11, 1878. Lake Minnetonka already broke the record this winter for latest ice-in date, declared January 13.
"It's got everyone's hopes up... just to enjoy the summer and the lake... for a little bit lengthier time this year," Grady said.
Over the weekend, boaters could be seen out on the lake.
"I just picked this boat out this weekend from my cabin and I was like, might as well go out and try it. It's a nice day," said Trace Gordon of Mound.
For the next month and a half to two months, Buffalo-based Niccum Docks will be busy from sunrise to sunset.
"The sooner we get a jump on installing these docks, the sooner the customers get their dock in, and then the sooner we get a little bit of a break," Grady said, adding, "Because... every docking company, us, too, we're going seven days a week."
Grady said they are also seeing another year where water levels are lower.
"This spring, it's up a little bit from last fall, but in the springtime... we expect to lose water in the springtime if we don't get rain. So we're anticipating the water levels to drop. We hope they don't," Grady said.
Because of it, some customers are choosing to add on to their docks to get it to the right water levels for their lifts to work properly.
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