The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board approved plans to rebuild the Bde Maka Ska concessions pavilion, which was destroyed in a fire in 2019.
The concept, designed by Cuningham Group following months of public engagement and tens of thousands of dollars spent on design, was unexpectedly rejected by the board's Planning Committee on May 5.
Commissioner Meg Forney suggested relocating it to the northwest corner of the lake to break up the clutter of amenities on the northeast side.
The pavilion plan was resurrected in the Planning Committee on Wednesday and passed with a reconciliatory amendment from Forney directing staff to work with the Minneapolis Sailing Center to begin the process of moving it, along with the Bde Maka Ska boat launch, to an unspecified location away from the northeast corner.
Reducing congestion had been a key focus of the 2017 master plan for the lake.
Another amendment from Committee Chairman Chris Meyer removed the gas fire pit from project plans. Members of the public had objected to the carbon emissions produced by gas fire pits at an earlier meeting.
Park Board President Jono Cowgill raised the pavilion for a vote by the full board during the same meeting. It passed unanimously, with the exception of Commissioners Brad Bourn and AK Hassan, who were absent.
"I appreciate the work being done to bring this forward again and look forward to our next steps in ironing out the funding, and putting together the final plan, and really realizing some aspects of the master plan as well," Cowgill said.
The pavilion will cost $5.1 million to build. To date, funding sources have been lined up for about half that.
They include insurance claims from the fire that razed the original building, the Metropolitan Council's regional park funding and park dedication fees.
Next, the architect will finalize schematic plans. Construction is expected to begin in 2022, with the pavilion opening in 2023.
Susan Du • 612-673-4028
