​The annual release of butterflies at Pelican Woods Cemetery was a beautiful place to share the planning efforts of the Breezy Point Community Center Task Force. There were residents and visitors of all ages that participated in Saturday’s event. Many people were delighted to hear about the planning of a potential community center and were excited to share their thoughts via the presentation boards and the now LIVE online survey. We continued to hear the strong desire for Pickleball courts and heard a few new requests, such as a dog park, for example. Overall people are so excited to see what the future holds for Breezy Point.
 
This was the second of three community events the Task Force will be present at. Please join us for our last event, Night to Unite at City Hall on August 3rd. 

Touring a facility is a great way to get introduced to what other cities have decided to incorporate into their community centers and allows us to ask great questions about what works well and possibly, what doesn’t. The Breezy Point Community Center Task Force selected three unique facilities in the region to tour.

 
1. Maslowski Wellness & Research Center: Wadena, MN

In Wadena, ‘The Mas’ has something for everyone. The center contains a six lane lap swimming pool, zero-entry recreation pool, 90’ water slide with various other water features. A sauna/steam room, whirlpool, warm water therapy pool, two racquetball courts, state-of-the-art fitness facility with walking track, and a multipurpose gym that contains court standards for 3 volleyball courts, 3 basketball courts, tennis and pickle ball courts. The center also has meeting rooms to host gatherings up to 400 people. Check out their great website for additional information : https://wadenawellness.com/index.html


2. Crosslake Community Center: Crosslake, MN

Next up was the Crosslake Community Center with its impressive outdoor complex. Located in the building is a full court gym, book room, weight and aerobics fitness rooms. At the center of the building, a kitchen supports activities in the gymnasium or a multipurpose room, which can be subdivided into two smaller spaces. An artwork-filled corridor connects to the new building addition, which houses an impressive community library and grants outdoor access to beautiful gardens and walking paths. The exterior site provides space for a covered picnic shelter, playground, baseball diamonds, winter sliding hill and ice skating rinks. Also, the inclusion of tennis courts, basketball courts and the newest pickleball courts provide many athletic options for all to try.


3. NorthPark Recreation Center at Grand View Lodge: Nisswa, MN

Lastly, we visited NorthPark Recreation Center at Grand View Lodge. Even though this facility is located at the resort, family memberships are available to those in the area. This was the newest of all of the facilities we toured and had a wonderful vacation-friendly spin to its design. Fitness spaces included a multipurpose room for small classes and access to online resources, as well as a full weight and cardio room overlooking the indoor pool. There are two pools located here, both mirror images of one another. One being located outside, adjacent to a large hot tub and one on the interior, which as a bonus, has a waterslide.

 
Key Takeaways
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Over the course of the three tours, our group had many takeaways and even started to hear some common themes. Unanimously, all of the facilities lacked proper storage for the various activities which occur within each building. We learned of multiple approaches to memberships and fees, as well as which amenities are crowd favorites (more pickle ball please!). Our tour guides were also open with us about the steep operating costs of aquatic facilities and the operating costs of indoor and outdoor spaces. The information gathered on these tours will greatly impact the Task Force’s decisions while planning the Breezy Point Community Center. 

It was a beautiful sunshine filled day at the Golf Cart Rodeo. At this event Police Chief Brian Sandel gave a presentation on Golf Cart Safety. At the end of the presentation Tom gave a wonderful explanation of the process we are going through with the feasibility study for the Community Center. We set up boards to inspire conversations on use and amenities at the community center over by the ball fields and invited attendees to put notes on post-its and discuss their thoughts with Task Force Members in attendance. We had a wonderful turn out by the Task Force, great conversations, and some unexpected suggestions were made by community members that attended. It was a great event. If you were unable to make this event, we hope to see you at future events such as the Butterfly Release or Night Out.