County agrees to pay up to $30,000 to clear Dutton Locks storage building for public parking

Becker County commissioners voted May 20 to offer up to $30,000 to the Pelican River Watershed District to secure abandonment of rights to a storage building at the Dutton Locks parcel, clearing the way for additional public parking and site improvements.

The county administrator summarized the structure’s history, noting the building was erected in 1987 after the county acquired the 56-acre Dutton Locks site in 1976 with federal and state grant support. The structure is an unheated storage building; county staff and commissioners said it is aged, not secure from rodents and unsuitable for long-term indoor storage without improvements. County staff estimated demolition or rehabilitation costs would be additional to any purchase amount.

Board members said the location is strategically useful for parking near lakeshore amenities and argued that reaching an agreement to have the watershed vacate the building would be less costly than repeated ad hoc access fixes. After discussion the board approved the $30,000 offer, with the condition that the watershed formally accept or deny the offer by July 1 and, if accepted, vacate the facility within 60 days of acceptance.

County staff said funding would be drawn from available county legacy/park-related balances and that further costs (site clearing, access improvements) would be budgeted after the watershed’s response. The board directed administration and legal staff to finalize a written agreement spelling out abandonment of claims and timelines and to return with implementation steps and cost estimates for parking improvements.