DETROIT LAKES — Detroit Lakes residents are about to get a second look at the updated remodel plans for the Pavilion.
The city of Detroit Lakes and RDG Planning and Design will be hosting a second public open house on March 16 from 4-6 p.m. at the Holmes Theatre to seek feedback from residents on the possible upgrades for the more than 100-year-old building and city park area.
“It’s really just another step in the process,” said Kelcey Klemm, city administrator for Detroit Lakes. “We met last August, we had an open house, talked about the different concepts, and the consultant has kind of been tweaking and revising those concepts over the last several months and now it’s time to get public feedback.”
He added RDG Planning and Design will probably continue to make changes to the project based on the feedback they receive.
Washington Avenue street view rendering, created by RDG Planning and Design, for the Detroit Lakes Pavilion remodel project.
Contributed / RDG Planning and Design / City of Detroit Lakes
West lakeside graphic rendering, created by RDG Planning and Design, for the Detroit Lakes Pavilion remodel project.
Contributed / RDG Planning and Design / City of Detroit Lakes
“There is certainly is a segment who don’t want anything done to the Pavilion and any type of proposal is probably not going to be met favorably by them,” said Klemm, “but, we need to hear from a broad range of people of what do they want from the Pavilion. How do they want it to function and serve us for the next 100 years?”
He added the designer did change the plans based on comments from the first public open house in August
.
“(RDG Planning and Design) heard about the previous roof line was maybe a little too modern, and maybe some of the building materials looked a little too modern, so they changed it up with a little more of a Northwoods feel and little more stone and knocked down that roof line a bit,” said Klemm.
The public open house will include eight new graphic renderings of the Pavilion and surrounding park area; six different seating arrangements ranging from 400-seated table capacity to a 1,000-capacity open floor concept; and a master plan cost .
The current project design also carries a preliminary $17.4 million in total construction costs, according to the plans. However, Klemm stressed that trying to project construction costs and building materials more than two years in advance should be taken with a grain of salt.
East lakeside graphic rendering, created by RDG Planning and Design, for the Detroit Lakes Pavilion remodel project.
Contributed / RDG Planning and Design / City of Detroit Lakes
Site graphic rendering, created by RDG Planning and Design, for the Detroit Lakes Pavilion remodel project.
Contributed / RDG Planning and Design / City of Detroit Lakes
He said the city has submitted a proposal to the Minnesota Legislature to include a ballot referendum for a new local option sales tax in order to finance the project. If approved by legislators, the ballot referendum could appear on a ballot this November, which would make it the only local item residents would cast their vote for. Or, the measure could appear on the 2024 general election ballot, which would include many local, state and national races, as well as the ballot measure.
Most recently, the city utilized the half-cent local option sales tax in 2018 to raise $6.7 million to fund the construction of the new police station. The city allowed for that half-cent sales tax to be collected over a period of 10 years, but, due to large amounts of local sales in Detroit Lakes, the new police station will be completely paid off in a little more than four years since the tax’s implementation.
The preliminary construction cost breakdown for the project includes:
- Site preparation and grading: $240,800
- Pavilion and rooftop patios: $10,029,000
- Shelter/bathhouse: $595,000
- Playground: $320,000
- Parking lots: $291,100
- Splash pad: $500,900
- Hardscape: $280,700
- Synthetic turf surfacing: $262,500
- Site utilities (electrical, lighting, water, storm sewer, sanitary sewer): $315,000
- Site amenities (benches, tables, trash receptacles, bike racks): $117,400
- Landscape (includes irrigation): $212,000
Circulation diagram, created by RDG Planning and Design, for the Detroit Lakes Pavilion remodel project.
Contributed / RDG Planning and Design / City of Detroit Lakes
Site plan map graphic rendering with legend, created by RDG Planning and Design, for the Detroit Lakes Pavilion remodel project.
Contributed / RDG Planning and Design / City of Detroit Lakes
Main entrance parking lot view graphic rendering, created by RDG Planning and Design, for the Detroit Lakes Pavilion remodel project.
Contributed / RDG Planning and Design / City of Detroit Lakes
Lead Multimedia Reporter for the Detroit Lakes Tribune and the Perham Focus.