Cliff Buchan
News EditorMany questions still remain for the long-term future of a community center in Forest Lake.
Many of those questions revolve around dollars and the ability of task force members and city officials to come forward with a final plan that is doable.
And a major question is will city voters in November support a bond referendum should the city council agree to move forward with the project as the Community Center Task Force is now recommending.
Forest Lake City Council will take up its deliberations at a special meeting 6:30 p.m., Monday, May 17 when the executive committee makes its report to council.
But there is one element of the community center project that needs not be questioned, said Rick Ashbach, a city councilman and chair of the task force finance committee.
Without the contributions of former airport land owners Tom and Kay Doherty, Forest Lakeís planning for a community center would not be where it is today. Ashbach delivered an emotional thank you to the Dohertys at the May 4 task force session at city hall.
As Ashbach has watched Forest Lakeís mushrooming housing market drive up the price of land, he said he only recently fully recognized the importance of the 1998 sale of 550 acres of land by the Dohertys to what was then Forest Lake Township.
That sale included the 220-acre airport site that the city intends to maintain as an airfield, thanks largely to a MnDOT Aeronautics grant.
The township paid $1.8 million for the land six years ago, but Ashbach said the Dohertys sold at a price that could have netted them much more by waiting another 24 months for a change in the townís comprehensive plan.
Ashbach said, had the Dohertys decided to hold the property for another two years they could have netted much more by filling the 550 acres with housing. Todayís prices would be far in excess of what the township paid in 1998, he said.
Not to mention that 550 acres equates to over 1500 homes, he said.
ìOver the years they supported community through jobs, flight training and agricultural open space, and they asked for very little in return,î Ashbach said. ìThey sacrificed cash for community.î
After owning and operating the 68-year-old Forest Lake Airport for 30 years, Ashbach said the Dohertys were of the belief that the airfield should remain a vital community asset.
ìThey didnít want to see the airport get run over by houses,î Ashbach said.
According to one local real estate veteran, Jim Hermes of Scandia, the township and now the city got a great deal from the Dohertys. In todayís market, Hermes said he has seen residential land sales in the area of $60,000 an acre.
ìIt could be that or more,î Hermes said. ìIt (the deal) was a Godsend for the city.î
Ashbach said Forest Lake stands to benefit not only in preservation of the airport but also by having land for the community center and adjacent parcels that can be sold for commercial or limited housing projects.
That means other benefits to the cityís tax base, Ashbach said.
The Dohertys sold the property six years ago with the intent to keep the airport in the community and to provide jobs in the community, he said. They know how this strengthens the community, Ashbach said.
The Forest Lake community needs to be thankful they didnít hold out two years longer just maximize their dollar in exchange for sprawling housing developments, he said.
Having the land in hand has been a major plus for community center planners, Ashbach said.
With the land available, planners can move forward with a center that can be built in phases to keep costs affordable, he adds. And there is room for future expansion that may be needed, he said.
Ashbach said in his view the Dohertys are likely the greatest benefactors Forest Lake will ever see. ìWe need to remember that,î he said.
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