ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Rochester will use nearly $30 million to enhance the recreational experience with feedback from the public during Thursday’s open house.
Rochester Public Works and Rochester Parks and Recreation are working alongside to transform the Silver Lake area.
“Two different projects, two different department teams, working side-by-side,” Parks and Forestry Division Head Mike Nigbur said.
Nigbur mentioned Parks and Rec is spending nearly $11 million in city funds, state grants, and a 2020 referendum to upgrade the nearby aquatics center, skate park, playground, and more.
“The idea being is that we’ll want to wrap up and get the aquatics opened up next June, the playground this fall, confluence this fall, and the skate park, as soon as we can the following year,” Nigbur said.
Public Works Development Manager Matt Crawford said his department will use upwards of $17 million from taxpayers to drain Silver Lake, tear down the current dam, and construct cascading pools for public and environmental safety.
“We’ll start dewatering it right away, potentially in October,” Crawford said. “So, it will be drained down until we get the sheet piling wall back in. We’re trying to look at March or April to start filling the lake back up.”
Silver Lake Boat and Bicycle Rentals Owner Ben Owens was positive about his expectations for the improvements and projected them to attract more business when it’s all said and done.
“When they’ve had to lower the water with the dam before, when they [did] the North Broadway construction, they’ve contacted me,” Owens said. “So, I anticipate that the communication will be there at a time, so we can plan in advance.”
Both city departments will also be allocating funds to form an assortment of new trails, including a pedestrian bridge on the north end of the lake, across the Zumbro River.
“Think of it as, the money we have provided for our trail project, is the icing on the cake of their project,” Nigbur said.
Public Works is also assisted by the DNR and the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge Silver Lake and reconstruct the dam.
Both projects are expected to be completed by late summer/early fall of next year.
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