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Council approves Lakeside Park shoreline repairs and temporary trail replacement after winter ice heave
Summary
Council approved a contract with Forest Lake Contracting to repair ice-related shoreline damage at Lakeside Park, authorizing base repairs and removal of existing pavers with a 10-foot bituminous trail as an add-on; staff will pursue insurance and permit coordination with the Minnesota DNR.
Forest Lake City Council approved repairs at Lakeside Park to address winter ice heaving that displaced shoreline rock and raised a paved path. The city authorized a local contractor’s base bid for shoreline repair and approved an alternate to remove damaged pavers and install a 10-foot bituminous trail while preserving memorial pavers for reuse elsewhere in the park.
Dave (city staff) summarized the damage and procurement. He said the city obtained a bid from the original contractor that installed the shoreline and that the League of Minnesota Cities preliminarily approved spending up to $23,100 toward the total cost. Staff said they are also exploring errors-and-omissions coverage for riprap boulders to see if insurance can cover additional elements.
The low base bid for the shoreline repair (contractor base bid reported at approximately $119,965) covers reconstruction and resetting of riprap and other immediate repairs; the add-on allowance for replacing the paver walkway with a 10-foot bituminous trail was estimated at roughly $45,000. Dave told council he provided a conservative (“worst case”) worst-case estimate for the length of trail replacement (about 350 feet) but believes the actual extent requiring replacement is likely smaller once the ground fully settles.
Councilmembers discussed design alternatives, risk of future heaving, material choices and DNR coordination. Staff noted the DNR has expressed reservations about piled boulder seawall-type designs; staff is exploring alternatives — including naturalized backfill, plantings and other approaches — and will continue discussions with DNR staff. Contractor work as presented would attempt to salvage existing memorial pavers and reset boulders and rock where possible; council directed staff to identify a temporary storage or display location for donated memorial pavers if they must be removed.
After discussion, a motion to approve the contract with Forest Lake Contracting, including the base bid and the allowance to remove pavers and replace the trail with a 10-foot bituminous surface (approx. $45,000 add-on) and to relocate the customized memorial pavers within the park passed by council vote.
Staff said the city must obtain DNR permit approvals; the earliest construction start was constrained by permitting steps and the need to sod disturbed areas for summer use. Council asked staff to prioritize a repair approach that reopens the park for summer activities while avoiding unnecessary long-term expenditures before planned larger shoreline stabilization work shown in the capital improvement plan (CIP) in later years.
