Coon Lake Highway & Park Shop Replacement

The Coon Lake Highway & Park Shop was built in 1971 and is used in the winter by the Highway staff and in the summer by the Parks staff. Highway uses the shop to store 3 trucks and 1 loader. Along with storage, they have 3-4 staff that are housed out of the Coon Lake Highway & Park Shop during the winter months for plowing and 1 Highway staff in the summer for mowing.


The Coon Lake Highway & Park Shop serves as the hub for what we call the "East Side" parks maintenance operations during the summer and fall months (April - October). The East Side includes not only Coon Lake County Park, but also the various facilities in Martin-Island-Linwood Regional Park. The East Side oversees maintenance demands at Sandhill Crane Natural Area as well.


By having a hub for this cluster of parks, we gain measurable efficiencies over running operations out of the much more distant Lake George Shop or Bunker Hills Shop. One park keeper and one seasonal staff report to the Coon Lake Highway & Park Shop during the April - October period. Equipment and supplies sufficient to maintain these various park spaces are kept here and save staff from lengthy and time-consuming trailering of equipment and supply procurement. The shop also offers work, meeting, and break time space out of the elements. Staff organize operations and administration in the office space.


Parks Equipment kept in this shop to support these operations are:

  • 1 pick-up truck
  • 1 utility vehicle
  • 1 trailer
  • 1 loader/grader
  • Various small equipment and hand tools

The demands of the busy Coon Lake Park, with its picnic spaces and pavilions, trails, beach, and boat access clearly require on-going work space, storage, and supplies materials. The current building state is deteriorating; there seems to be structural damage. The panels are rusting out and corroding due to no curb block, beams and bolts are rusting out, the septic tank is not in compliance and will more than likely need a new septic system as well. The current layout is too tight for the vehicles we currently house. For future needs, we would like room for 4 trucks plus 1 loader. Also, currently there not an appropriate staff area.


The Highway-Parks coordinated use of the Coon Lake Highway & Park Shop has been highly beneficial to Parks operations and having regular presence and maintenance in the facility in the summer months is a deterrent for vandalism and such. It has been a positive relationship and effective year round use of a County facility.

Project Location

Coon Lake Highway & Park Shop

55100 197th Ave, East Bethel, MN 55092

2020-2024 Capital Improvement Program