'Mini park' is OK with

park panel

Park would be

located in proposed Lakeside Village

Addition

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- After considerable discussion Monday, the Park and Recreation Commission voted to recommend the City Council approve a 1.4-acre "mini-park," basically a playground only park, for the proposed Lakeside Village Addition in northwest New Ulm.

It quickly became apparent the commission did not want to put the burden of providing 5 acres for a park on Susan and Peter Rothmeier who are developing the 50.23-acre addition with 94 lots for both accessible and market-level home owners.

However, the question became how much should the Rothmeiers provide? City Councilor Clark Tuttle, who serves on the commission, asked the Rothmeiers what they were willing to do. After caucusing with an associate, they proposed Lots 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and part of 31 in Block 6 as their choice for a playground area.

This land is on the southeast edge of the addition, bordering on the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad tracks. A 69 KD power line also traverses that plot of ground, but Community Development Director Dave Schnobrich said the power line is the trees and hardly visible.

Park and Rec Director Dave Bechtold steered the commission toward the mini-park compromise, saying, "We need playgrounds for the kids for the next 20 years, but we don't necessarily have to have ball fields (as a 5-acre park would have)."

There are two smaller, adjacent developments where, the commission hopes, equally small amounts of land can be put together with that of the Rothmeiers' addition for additional park uses.

"I believe it's important not to put the burden on any one development," said Commissioner Jim Unke.

Schnobrich reminded the commission that the Rothmeiers were planning on developing in phases so all those lots won't be coming on line at one time.

"You've got the trailer court and other developments, and it's not right to ask the Rothmeiers to carry the full load of a park," Mayor Joel Albrecht added.

"You have options (in establishing parks), but I think you don't want to get too small from a management standpoint," Schnobrich said.

However, Bechtold said he felt smaller parks, like the 2.8-acre Washington park, are easier to handle because the larger parks with ball fields require more work on the part of Park and Rec staff.

In seeking preliminary plot approval, the Rothmeiers had told the City Council that if they were required to provide 5 acres for a park, in addition to the 8-acre lake and 2 acres that are unbuildable, the project wouldn't be feasible.