DEVILS LAKE — Words to explain Devils Lake and the encompassing cities embody “cold,” “boring” and “nothing” — not less than in line with some residents between the ages of 13 and 18 surveyed for the 2022 Ramsey County Youth Survey.
The survey of 166 youth within the county, performed in early 2022, painted an image of an space with an absence of locations for younger individuals to collect.
The want for extra to do within the Lake Region, particularly for younger individuals, has been a problem for a very long time, stated Josh Janzen, Devils Lake Parks District superintendent. The bowling alley in Devils Lake closed in 2016, and the movie show closed early within the COVID-19 pandemic and by no means reopened.
“There’s just a lack of things to do, and you hear that all the time around here — that there’s just nothing for our kids to do during the winter,” Janzen stated.
But by subsequent winter, Devils Lake residents of all ages may have a brand new location to train, play and collect. The Devils Lake Parks District is planning a household leisure heart, paid for by a quarter-cent gross sales tax enhance accredited by voters in June 2022.
The proposed household leisure heart is estimated to value $3.6 million. Plans for the power embody a strolling monitor, neighborhood rooms, two pickleball courts, multi-sport simulators, an indoor playground, six-lane bowling alley, senior lounge, and concessions space. The Parks District additionally plans to maneuver its workplaces to the constructing. The facility’s facilities had been determined after the parks district performed a neighborhood discussion board to see what individuals needed in a leisure constructing.
The facility might be constructed in a constructing positioned on the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 20 that beforehand housed a Leevers Foods grocery retailer. The Parks District plans to lease the constructing from the Leevers household, which nonetheless owns it. Janzen couldn’t disclose the fee to the Parks District or phrases of the lease as a result of it isn’t but finalized.
“We’ve heard a lot about not owning the building we’re going into because we’re leasing, but we’ve gotten very fair lease terms from these owners of the building, and they’ve been very supportive of other projects we’ve done before, so it’s a good fit,” Janzen stated.
Along with being extra inexpensive than establishing a brand new constructing, placing the power in an current constructing will assist the Parks District follow its desired timeline for the venture, he stated.
The household leisure heart isn’t the primary time the concept of a recreation heart has been proposed in Devils Lake, however it’s the first time voters have accredited the tax to pay for it. In 2014, voters killed a proposal to institute a half-cent
sales tax increase that would have funded
a brand new wellness heart and conference heart. In 2018, they voted in opposition to a
for a $19.5 million recreation heart.
The gross sales tax accredited by voters in June is anticipated to generate $400,000 per yr indefinitely for the Parks District to make use of for infrastructure development and enhancements. It initially might be used to pay for the renovations, tools and lease of the household leisure heart.
When the household leisure heart is operational, the Parks District will cost individuals who wish to use the power by way of day by day utilization or membership charges.
“What we’re hoping is this building will generate enough value and enough revenue on its own to cover the operating costs so we can reallocate that sales tax money to other infrastructure improvements that we need,” Janzen stated.
The City of Devils Lake and Ramsey County are additionally contributing to the leisure heart. At its Nov. 15, assembly, the Ramsey County Commission dedicated to contributing $250,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the power.
The metropolis plans to contribute $500,000 towards the venture. On Nov. 21, the Devils Lake City Commission obligated $250,000 towards the venture from its fund for quality-of-life initiatives to be allotted nearer to the start of development. That contribution will act as a 10-year upfront sponsorship for the strolling monitor deliberate for the power. On Feb. 6, the fee accredited one other $250,000 from the town’s development fund as an ongoing sponsorship for one of many neighborhood rooms within the facility, paid in annual installments of $25,000.
The Devils Lake Parks District is ending the design part of the venture with JLG Architects. Construction is anticipated to start in the midst of April, Janzen stated.
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