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Parks board announces $1.066 million DNR grant for new bath house; prefab option cuts cost
Summary
The parks board said a state DNR legacy grant of $1,066,000 was awarded to help pay for a new bath house, with staff saying a prefab option trimmed roughly $300,000 from the initial $1.3M request; construction is expected in 2027 if state funds are appropriated.
The parks board announced that the park won a $1,066,000 legacy grant from the state Department of Natural Resources to help build a new bath house, staff said.
David, who presented the parks report, said the commission’s final evaluations reduced the city’s request from about $1.3 million after staff explored prefab options. “They’ve come through for us with 1.066,” he said, adding that the prefabricated bath-house approach saved roughly $300,000 on the original ask.
Staff said next steps include a mandatory all-day meeting in St. Cloud for grant awardees and the usual environmental and historical-preservation reviews required for state grant-funded projects. Funds are appropriated in the state’s 2026–27 budget cycle and would become available after July 1, 2026, contingent on legislative appropriation, David said.
The board discussed design trade-offs. Staff noted a prefab unit can reduce cost and construction time but offers limited exterior features (fewer windows, no overhangs) and different architectural character than a custom design. David said the application included a local match commitment; the project team signed up for a 25% local match and described the city’s parks capital fund as having roughly $900,000 available to contribute toward the project.
On procurement, staff named Huffcut (Wisconsin) as a suggested vendor based on other parks’ experience but said they would explore alternatives, including modular builders used on recent nearby projects, before final selection. The board also discussed signage and interpretive elements that were included in the grant package; staff recommended using local designers and cited an example entrance-sign proposal included in the application.
If the timeline holds, staff said the foundation work could begin in fall 2026 with the bath house built in spring 2027. The existing bath house will remain in service through design and construction, staff said. The board did not take a procurement or construction contract vote at the meeting and emphasized that final design and contract awards will follow the grant-administration and appropriation process.
David said the LHB design team (referenced in the application) and local partners played an important role in keeping costs down and preparing the package that won funding. He closed by reminding the board that some design choices would affect the required local match and could change the timeline or scope.
