Cliff Buchan
News EditorThey came. They listened. They saw. Now they must decide.
And all that is left for the Forest Lake Regional Community Center Task Force is the waiting ó waiting for some word from the Kroc Center/Salvation Army Steering Committee that made its site visit to Forest Lake last Thursday.
For about 90 minutes last week, the local task force outlined tentative proposals for a new community center serving the Forest Lake region and made its best pitch to secure grant dollars for a Kroc Center facility here.
How Forest Lakeís proposal is received wonít be known until sometime this fall, members of the steering committee said. The Forest Lake visit was one of four the committee has made in the process of screening Minnesota communities seeking funding that was left to the Salvation Army by the late Joan Kroc.
ìWeíre trying to make the best decision possible for the state of Minnesota,î said Rep. Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon, Minnesota Speaker of the House and a member of the steering committee. He was one of seven committee members to hear the task force presentation, tour the Forest Lake community center site south of Forest Lake Airport and meet over lunch to review proposals.
Questions
Some questions were left following the Thursday visit.
One involves the size of the grant, should Forest Lake be awarded funds.
For now, the local task force has submitted a letter of intent requesting funding and, if a successful candidate, would submit a formal grant request, said Laurie Kumerow, task force communications chair.
That could mean a grant of $32 million if the task forceís entire concept plan is accepted.
Also left uncertain was the amount of any matching funds the local community must provide. ìThatís where we have some questions,î Kumerow said in an interview.
Rick Ashbach, chair of the task force finance committee and a city councilman, said in an interview he believed it would be up to the local community to provide any additional dollars needed to ensure success of the community center.
Last weekís meeting also spelled out that a successful grant application would result in a center being constructed that would be owned and operated by the Salvation Army. In Forest Lakeís case, a land sale would be negotiated for city-owned community center. The Kroc Center facility would be required to have the Salvation Armyís church and social services components.
Any land sale would likely be for a nominal amount, task force members said.
Ashbach said he only recently became aware of the land and facility ownership details, but felt the end result of securing a community center to meet the needs of the region was the primary goal. Such a plan would still maintain the local goal of providing the site for the center.
ìItís new to me from about two weeks ago,î Ashbach said. ìItís such an exciting opportunity for the community.î
Task Force talk
The task force spent its time on Thursday explaining its three-year planning process and demonstrating why the local plan needs the help of the Kroc Center/Salvation Army grant program.
The presentation showed how the community is being designed to serve all ranges of the regionís population from senior citizens to children, with an emphasis on area youth at risk.
The task force also addressed the partnerships that have evolved in the planning effort.
It is now almost certain that Washington County will select the community center site for its new north government center, a new location for the Forest Lake public library and a transit hub to serve the north region.
The community center partnerships also include the Youth Service Bureau, the Forest Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, Masquers Theatre, Forest Lake Area Schools and a wide range of youth and athletic groups.
The task force master plan includes swimming pools, ice skating facilities, gymnasiums, fitness centers, an auditorium, banquet facilities, meeting rooms and an outdoor complex that will feature walking trails, baseball and softball fields, soccer fields and tennis courts.
Steering committee members revealed they recently met with planners in Duluth where a $28 million community center is being considered. But Sviggum made it clear the committee could request funding for more than one community if the proposal has strong merit.
ìWeíre not in a competition,î Sviggum said.
As the waiting continues, the task force will proceed with its capital campaign to demonstrate additional local support for the community.
Kumerow said by late September the task force hopes to demonstrate the success of the early phase of the drive by identifying key contributors.
The possibility of a grant and the need for more planning time will also likely mean a delay in any city bond referendum to back the center. The task force had asked Forest Lake City Council for a Nov. 2 ballot question to support the funding but that referendum could well be pushed to 2005 to allow time for the Kroc Center/Salvation Army grant proposal to play out.
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