Centerville Completes Lakeshore Park Purchase
Residents of the city of Centerville became the owners of approximately 200 feet of lakeshore frontage on December 11.
Fourteen months after the Centerville City Council made an initial offer of $536,000 for two parcels of property on Centerville Lake being sold by the St. Paul Regional Water Services, offi cial signatures returned ownership of the balance of the property, which was used for over one hundred years by the water utility to ensure a steady water supply for the city of St. Paul, to Centerville residents. The first parcel was purchased by the city in August for $168,000.
The St. Paul Board of Water Commissioners initially accepted the city's purchase offer for both parcels in late October 2005. However, an anticipated spring 2006 closing date was postponed when the city council made the decision in March to apply for a Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Recreation Grant.
The city was notifi ed last August that their $150,000 grant was funded, which made it possible to purchase the second parcel outright, avoiding a payment plan.
Over $300,000 in parkland dedication fees were used to complete the property purchase, depleting the city's park improvement fund.
In anticipation of completing improvements to the new park in 2007, the Centerville Parks and Recreation Committee, at its meeting of Dec. 7, 2006, submitted a request to the city council for $100,000 in funding. Among the amenities proposed are gazebos, picnic tables, benches, lakeshore restoration, a rain garden, and a paved walkway.
According to City Administrator Dallas Larson, the city is currently exploring additional funding options.
"The council is serious about fi nding a way to fund" some of these amenities, he said.
If the city awards a contract for park improvements this summer, Larson said public access to the land will be limited during that time.
"It's the hope of the council and the [Park and Recreation] committee that they would have something complete .[for] some kind of public dedication during the Fête des Lacs in early August," he said.
The pumphouse-keeper's house located at 1601 LaMotte Drive, was razed on November 30 as part of the city's purchase agreement. City efforts to find a buyer for the house were unsuccessful.