Home Care In Long Lake, MN

Bob Erickson, founder and principal of Wayzata-based Etco Properties, spent decades buying and selling the pieces of his portfolio. This month, Etco closed its last deal.

Erickson, who is retiring, sold Long Lake Center, a 12,100-square-foot value-add retail building at 2435 W. Wayzata Blvd. in Long Lake to a group of local investors for $1,767,000.

Principal Mark Robinson, Vice President Amy Senn, and analyst Zach Shockency, of Mid-America Real Estate – Minnesota LLC in Minneapolis, represented Erickson, who declined to comment. Robinson confirmed the sale, but the certificate of real estate value was not available Tuesday.

Dean Trongard, of Options Real Estate, represented the local buyer group in their acquisition and in leasing about 5,700 square feet of vacant space. The sole tenant now is Sherwin Williams Paints.

The 53% vacancy rate is high for the Twin Cities, which has an overall retail vacancy rate of just 8%, according to Robinson.

“We had substantial interest, although the market drastically turned on us during the process, so getting to the finish line was more difficult than we anticipated,” Robinson said.

Eager buyer, seller reach deal on Burnsville office

J&J Properties in Maple Grove paid $2.5 million for a 19,769-square-foot office building completed in 2006 on 1.7 acres at 2800 County Road 42 W. in Burnsville.

“The buyer will be occupying the entire building after remodeling, which will likely occur in stages throughout 2024, said Ryan Krzmarzick of Colliers, who represented the seller.

The buyer isn’t named but is registered to the Maple Grove office of iSpine Clinics, which has two clinics in Burnsville. The buyer couldn’t be reached for comment.

“CareerForce (DEED) occupied a significant portion of the building, had an upcoming lease expiration and was looking to downsize, which would leave a considerable amount of space to lease,“ he said. “After analyzing the cost to re-tenant the building and our future valuation, it made more sense for the owner to sell at the price the buyer paid and exchange into a different investment. We also worked with the counseling group in the building to terminate their lease early, which enabled them to consolidate into a different location and was beneficial for both parties.

Place: 2800 County Road 42 W., Burnsville

Price: $2.5 million; no down payment listed; new financing; $126.46 per square foot

Buyer: J&J Properties LLC, Maple Grove

Seller: Velasco 2800 LLC, South St. Paul

Date: 11-1-23

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For 20 years, the Long Lake Fire Department has been contractually bound with its neighbor Orono, helping to serve and protect its community. The partnership between the two cities is set to end contractually by Dec. 31, 2025.

Earlier this month, Orono City Council members voted for the city to take over Fire Station 2 and build its own fire department by summer 2024. Long Lake filed a lawsuit against the city claiming a breach of contract.

“They’re now taking steps to try to get out of that even sooner than what’s contractually allowed,” Long Lake Mayor Charlie Miner said. “We’re not really sure exactly why. It seems to be more about a power control than it is about providing public safety to their residents”

Orono Mayor Denny Walsh argues the contract allows them to reduce territory. He said for years, the city has planned to have its own fire department.

“We pay between 85 and 90, we only use 72% of the services. And we think we can do a better job managing from a long-term perspective without having to have anybody else’s approval for making decisions,” Walsh said.

“They do have a lot of control contractually,” Miner responded. “They have control over things such as the capital budget, the operating budget. They’re on a joint fire advisory board. They have a lot more control than what they would tell you that they have.”

The lawsuit outlines how Orono has undermined the Long Lake Fire Department. It states that Orono hired acting Long Lake Fire Chief James Van Eyll and bought a ladder truck Long Lake had wanted, using their resources and knowledge.

“Their whole story is kind of based on a bed of lies and deceit,” Walsh said. “We told them about it. They knew about it. They decided they said they were not interested in it, so we bought it.”

The document also says the city of Orono refused to approve future capital budgets or future shared equipment purchases and has been actively working to obtain control of LLFD pension funds.

Walsh admits they don’t have a problem paying for equipment LLFD needs, “but when it comes to buying a $2 million truck, we’re not going to approve having partial ownership on something that we’re starting our own fire department in a year.”

The lawsuit also claims Orono is seeking to offer employment to Long Lake firefighters amid an already trending hiring shortage.

“This has been very frustrating, particularly for our firefighters. They’re kind of caught in the middle of this,” Miner said. “People liken it to a divorce. Like their parents are getting divorced and they have to pick sides.”

Walsh told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that Orono is open to sharing Fire Station 1 with Long Lake. If not, the city plans to convert its old public works facility into a fire station. That building would only be a short distance from Fire Station 1 in Orono.

The Orono City Council will discuss the 2024 budget during Monday night’s meeting, which includes the creation of the Orono Fire Department. The agenda also includes a closed session to discuss litigation strategies regarding the lawsuit.

LONGLAKE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A longstanding disagreement between the City of Long Lake and the City of Orono has ascended into a lawsuit over the use of its fire department of emergency services.

A lawsuit filed by the City of Long Lake in Hennepin County District Court requests the court grant a preliminary injunction protecting the Long Lake Fire Department from a series of actions by Orono that are interfering with the department’s ability to provide emergency services for Long Lake, Orono, Minnetonka Beach and Medina.

"Orono has taken a series of hostile actions with the combined effect of attempting to dismantle the Long Lake Fire Department and gain control of at least one of our fire stations,’" said Long Lake Mayor Charlie Miner in the lawsuit affidavit.

According to the lawsuit, the actions include Orono’s October 2022 purchase of a fire truck that Long Lake Fire Department was actively considering acquiring; Orono’s hiring of the Long Lake Fire Chief to lead a non-existent fire department; Orono’s attempt to get state legislators to move control of Long Lake Fire Department firefighters’ pensions to the City of Orono; and Orono council members publicly stating they are "prepared to take all of Long Lake’s firefighters."

The lawsuit states that Long Lake is seeking relief to "stop Orono’s concerted and blatant violations of a written contract for fire protection and a contract for joint ownership" of the Long Lake Fire Department.

The complaint argues that since September 2022, "Orono has systematically undermined Long Lake’s ability to meet its contractual obligations to furnish all firefighting services, rescue and medical services, and manage the ongoing operation" of the Long Lake Fire Department.

Long Lake is asking the court prohibit Orono from soliciting Long Lake firefighters to work for the Orono Fire Department or interfering with the work of Long Lake firefighters.

"If Orono attempts to take control of either of Long Lake Fire Department stations, it will directly impede the department’s ability to render fire protection and emergency services that Long Lake is obligated to provide pursuant to both the Contract for Fire Protection between Long Lake, Orono and Media, as well as the Fire Protection Contract between Long Lake and Minnetonka Beach," the Long Lake affidavit states.

NEW LONDON — Long Lake by Hawick and Koronis Lake by Paynesville are about a 15-minute drive from each other, but are eight years apart when it comes to the Aquatic Invasive Species they now share in common.

Prospects for managing starry stonewort in Long Lake appear to be less daunting than those for managing the macro-algal in Koronis Lake , where’s the state’s first infestation of this AIS was reported in 2015.

That’s especially the case now that the father-and-son scuba diving team of Steve and Connor McComas of Blue Water Science had the opportunity to take an up-close look at the Long Lake infestation earlier this month.

“It is a light infestation at this point,” said Steve McComas, the father in this duo. “(I’ve) certainly seen greater.”

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McComas said the mat of starry stonewort covers roughly 400 square feet of lake bottom in eight to 12 feet of water. It’s located about casting distance from the public access on the west end of the lake.

The clear filament rhizoids that anchor the algal were pretty much attached and not drifting apart, according to McComas. The mat is deep enough, or just on the edge of the depth the average snorkeler can reach, to help assure that the props on motorboats or other human activities do not fragment the algal and cause their spread.

At this point, it’s not believed that the starry stonewort has spread elsewhere in the lake. That makes it possible to target the mat with a copper-based algaecide that can be effective in controlling it. Once the algaecide knocks the starry stonewort biomass down, McComas said it will be possible to return with scuba gear and manually remove surviving portions of it with minimal risk of fragmenting and spreading it.

There is no way to know for sure at this time, but McComas said the infestation probably began one year ago, possibly two. Its location near a boat access supports the possibility that it arrived in the lake via a boat trailer or boat.

“We’ve had success in maintaining control of those small populations,” Eric Katzenmeyer, AIS specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Hutchinson, told the Tribune. It will take annual treatments with an algaecide, but we’ve seen success in controlling starry stonewort when it is found early and in limited abundance, according to Katzenmeyer. He was the first to confirm its presence in Long Lake after snorkeling to the mat earlier this summer.

Kandiyohi County’s first confirmed infestation of starry stonewort is the 24th lake confirmed to be infected by it in the state. The discovery of starry stonewort in Kornis in 2015 was the first instance of a starry stonewort infestation in the state.

By that time, the starry stonewort was already widespread in the Lake Koronis. And, we had little experience in managing it at the time.

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Ever since its discovery, the Lake Koronis Improvement Association has been managing a control effort that has been watched by researchers and applauded for its diligence. Kevin Farnum, with the lake association, said the organization budgets $173,000 each year for the management effort. It consists of treating up to 174 acres of starry stonewort with an algaecide each year.

That’s all the acreage that the association’s permit from the DNR will allow. There’s concern that applying herbicide over more acres in the lake would adversely affect the population of native aquatic plants.

Keeping on top of the infestation is a challenge. Farnum said the group targets starry stonewort mats based on surveys conducted each year, but the starry stonewort continues to show up in places not expected. “It’s a little bit like Whack-A-Mole,” said Farnum in reference to the game in which players try to hit toy moles that pop up randomly in holes.

“The unfortunate thing is that is all we will ever be able to do,” he said. The alternative is do nothing.”

If left unchecked, starry stonewort can expand throughout much of the lake creating densely packed mats that displace native vegetation and impede recreational activities.

Russ Hilbert, Kandiyohi County AIS coordinator, is overseeing the effort to control starry stonewort in Long Lake. The county is working with the lake association in the effort. In an email to the Tribune, Hilbert said the county has permits from the DNR for both chemical and manual control efforts.

The county offers an annual grant program in which lake associations can seek funding for AIS control. Future surveys of the lake will be used to determine what further actions will need to be done, according to the AIS coordinator.

Long Lake, at 324 acres, presents no where near the size of challenge in dealing with the AIS as Koronis Lake, at 2,968 acres. Yet they have similarities. The littoral areas of each lake, where sunlight and habitat support aquatic vegetation, are proportionately the same at roughly 39 percent of the total area.

McComas cautioned that it’s too early to know how starry stonewort will fare in Long Lake. The lake has a good population of chara algal, a native plant that is closely related to the invasive starry stonewort. If chara is growing well in the lake, starry stonewort might grow well too, he explained.

McComas, who authors a column in outdoor publications on lake ecology as the “ Lake Detective ,” pointed out that Minnesota is seeing success in controlling this new invasive. He pointed to West Lake Sylvia in Wright County as an example of a small lake where control measures have proven effective.

He also cautions that we have yet to eliminate starry stonewort from any water body. He points to the comments of a Clemson University ecologist on the management work in West Lake Sylvia. Starry stonewort is tenacious, and we have to be more tenacious, he explained.

There is an opportunity to help in the effort of early detection of infestations on Aug. 19. The Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center with the University of Minnesota coordinates an annual "Starry Trek" in which volunteers check on lakes in the state. To learn more about participating, check the MAISRC website .

DETROIT LAKES — Independence Day is Tuesday, July 4, and Detroit Lakes is planning to celebrate in style with its annual beach fireworks, starting "at dusk," according to event organizer Mark Fritz.

But before that, there will be boat parades, live music and more.

On Saturday, July 1, co-headliners Russell Dickerson and the Eli Young Band will take the Music on the Mountain stage at Detroit Mountain Recreation Area, along with special guest John Morgan. Gates open at 5 p.m., with the music to start at 6 p.m. Go to detroitmountain.com for tickets.

Live music will also be happening at several other venues around the lakes area throughout the holiday weekend, according to the MusicInDL.com website.

On Saturday, Rootz Within will be performing at the Shady Hollow Flea Market, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., while Island Time will be at the Holiday Inn Beach Bar from 2 to 5 p.m., and Dan Brekke performs at Long Bridge Bar, Grill and Marina from 6-10 p.m.

Both Tim Eggebraten and the Walsh Brothers will play the Cormorant Pub and Boathouse, with Eggebraaten performing from 3-6 p.m. and the Walsh Brothers from 8-11 p.m.

Later that evening, the Holiday Inn will host the Castaway DJ, and Troubadour will rock Zorbaz on West Lake Drive. Both of those shows start at 9 p.m.

On Sunday, July 2, Island Time will bring its tropical vibes to Long Bridge, playing from 2-6 p.m., while the Castaways will perform at the Holiday Inn Beach Bar from 3 to 6 p.m. Mike Morse will play the Cormorant Pub from 7-10 p.m., and Adios Pantalones will wind down the day's live music with a 9 p.m. performance at Zorbaz in Detroit Lakes.

On Monday, July 3, Tim Eggebraaten will play for the third time in as many days, performing at Shady Hollow Flea Market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Stella band will rock Long Bridge from 6 to 10 p.m., and Brianna Helbling plays the Cormorant Pub from 8 to 11 p.m. Adios Pantalones will take to the Zorbaz stage at 9 p.m., playing until the wee hours of the morning on July 4.

Long Lake will be holding its annual fireworks show on Monday, July 3 this year. The show starts at 10:30 p.m. and is funded through private donations.

The Lakes Area Patriots will be staging a ceremonial reading of the Declaration of Independence on the lawn of the Becker County Courthouse at 10 a.m. on Independence Day. The ceremony will conclude with a group sing-along to the historic anthem, "God Bless America." As with any of the outdoor events planned this weekend, bad weather could result in the cancellation of this event.

The annual Melissa and Sallie Lakes Association July 4 Boat Parade is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. sharp. Boats will meet at the Shoreham channel between Melissa and Sallie, then proceed counter-clockwise around the two lakes, simultaneously. Decorated boats of all shapes and sizes will be participating. All lake residents are encouraged to decorate themselves, their docks, homes, and properties in celebration of Independence Day. Traveling trophies will again be awarded for the best-decorated boats and best-decorated lake home and/or dock. No registration is required. All watercraft are welcome, decorated or not. Shoreline spectators are also encouraged to come wave to parade participants as they circumnavigate the lake.

Both Big and Little Floyd Lake will host boat parades this year, according to a Facebook post from the Floyd Lakes Association.

Big Floyd Lake boat owners should meet at the Floyd Lake Point sandbar at 10:45 a.m. for registration, while over on Little Floyd, registration will begin at the same time on the Nodsles' dock. Parades will get underway simultaneously at 11 a.m., with boats traveling counterclockwise around the two lakes.

Prizes will be awarded in several categories, with the trophy going to the overall winner, so make sure to deck out your boats (and yourselves) as colorfully as possible. Contact [email protected] with questions.

The Long Lake Boat Parade is set for 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Boats will gather at the public access, then proceed around the lake. Spectators are encouraged to wave their flags (or arms) from the shore as the boats pass by.

Several other area lake associations are planning morning boat parades as well; check with your local association for more information on start times and locations.

That afternoon, Island Time returns to Long Bridge, playing from 2 to 6 p.m., while Fourth Wave takes the stage at Cormorant Pub later that evening, playing from 8 to 11 p.m. The music comes to a close with a performance by DJ Pretty Ricky and Big Mike at Zorbaz in Detroit Lakes, starting at 9 p.m.

Shortly after 10 p.m., the annual fireworks display will get underway on the City Beach.

"We like to wait until it's dark (for maximum visibility)," said Fritz, noting that the sun is usually down by 10:15 p.m.

The fireworks, which are staged by a professional company, will be launched from three different barges floating on the lake.

Everything about the annual display is funded through "generous" donations from the local business community and a handful of private individuals, Fritz said, as well as contributions from both the city of Detroit Lakes and the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce.

"We spend a little over $30,000," Fritz said. "It's a fantastic show

Fritz said that he and fellow Lakeshirts founder Mike Hutchinson started organizing the annual fireworks show about 30 years ago; this year, they have a co-chair, Todd Simison of TS Dock and Lift, whom Fritz said has "made a huge difference" in the planning.

"TS Dock and Lift helped us get two more barges (instead of one), and that changed the dynamic of the show so much," he added, noting that with multiple barges, they can launch fireworks from three different locations at once.

"It's made all the difference in the world," he said. "For the last few years, it's (the show) really amped up, and that's fun to see."

For a community of just under 10,000 people, Fritz added, Detroit Lakes "can do some pretty cool things. It's great to be a part of that."