More work is expected on some of the lake’s projects, yet the completion of the trail system serves as a milestone. People who have lived in Rochester for a long time will remember how the area used to be a simple gravel mine. Fast forward a few years, and thousands use the trail system every year. Poster printing has been known to be used to help direct and give information around trails.
Mike Nigbur who is Rochester’s head of parks and forestry had this to say:
“Parks don’t happen overnight. Long-term planning has to happen to make sure it’s done well and done correctly. We want to get things done faster, but that’s not always the case- you gotta take the time and do it right.”
Opening the beach is part of the final stages for the $4.5 million development project at this park. The city is also adding a pavilion, equipment for playing, and it is improving the parking facilities. Towards the end of 2020, Nigbur plans to erect an amphitheater, a pier for fishing, and several other installations. The lake will be dredged after the gravel mining operations are halted sometime around 2023.
The only thing holding these projects back is the wait for funding to be approved. Nigbur hopes that the funding will be approved in 2021. Until then, the park will be in maintenance mode.