Commission recommends extending Sunfish Lake Park hours for Oct. 11 stargazing event

The Lake Elmo Parks Commission on July 21 voted to recommend that the City Council extend Sunfish Lake Park’s hours to 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, 2025, so the Saluenz-era interpretive program can host a stargazing event.

Verdi Davis, a program manager who organized last year’s event, told the commission the prior event drew about 40 attendees and included a presentation by the Minnesota Astronomical Society. The group capped attendance at 40 last year because of logistical and food-service limits; Davis said the proposed event would again be limited to 40 people and would run roughly to about 9–9:30 p.m. or later depending on programming. Minnesota Astronomical Society members would provide a star presentation and telescopes; organizers noted weather and sky visibility cannot be guaranteed.

Staff flagged that the event goes beyond normal park hours (dusk) and therefore requires a formal recommendation to the city council to extend park hours for that evening. Commissioners raised safety concerns about pedestrian movement in an unlit parking lot; organizers said building-mounted lighting and volunteer flashlights were used successfully last year and that staff would assist with safe egress and volunteer escorts to cars.

Motion: A commissioner moved to recommend the city council extend Sunfish Lake Park hours until 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, 2025; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.

The commission did not attach additional conditions to the recommendation but discussed safety planning; organizers said they will limit attendance to 40, prepare volunteer escorts and work with staff on logistics. The recommendation now goes to the City Council for final approval of the one-night extension.