DEVILS LAKE — Two organizations visited the Devils Lake Park Board on Tuesday.
Both proposed projects, and each motion eventually carried.
The first visitor was Jason Pierce from North Dakota Freedom Foundation. He runs fundraising campaigns for veterans and current service members. He wants to build a war memorial at Roosevelt Park in Devils Lake.
Pierce gave the board members a rough sketch of what it would look like. He explained that it would be about a $100,000 project, and that it will take him a couple of years to raise the money. But he assured that there will be a minimal, if any, cost to the park board. He emphasized his intention to devote a lot of time into this and do it right so that it lasts for generations.
The memorial would have an arch shape, with loved ones’ names etched in bricks that lead up to it.
The exact spot is still to be determined, but Pierce and the board had it down between two locations. They discussed the pros and cons of each spot, and the board remained open to either one.
The board approved a motion to give NDFF access to start this project in either of the proposed two spots in Roosevelt Park.
Representatives from Devils Lake Youth Activities also stopped by.
They explained that they wanted to donate $60,000 to the park board to purchase two accelerators from Elliott Belquist’s speed and acceleration facility in New Rockford. Belquist, who serves as athletic director, football coach, girls’ basketball coach and track and field coach for New Rockford-Sheyenne Public School, helps train athletes from around the area year-round.
The discussion largely revolved around logistics. Ideally, the board said they’d want the equipment to end up at Dockside Entertainment, but there were complications around that. Members from DLYA said they can lease space at the School for the Deaf.
If this were to come to fruition, somebody from Devils Lake would need to monitor the equipment and run the classes, with Belquist’s help in the beginning. The equipment is very specialized, and multiple Devils Lake sports teams have interest.
It was brought up that a lot of kids from Devils Lake already drive down to New Rockford to use the equipment. If Devils Lake were to purchase it, many people would come to Devils Lake for it instead — especially those driving from Langdon, Cando, etc.
Danny Mertens, one of the representatives from DLYA, said that he spoke with Belquist a day earlier and that Belquist was on board with it. DLYA assured that the project wouldn’t cost the park board any additional fees.
A motion carried for the board to accept the donation and move forward with this project. In the immediate future, DLYA will be working with both Dennis Nybo — who’s set to retire soon — and Steve Geigle, who was recently hired to replace Nybo.
Later in the meeting, the Dockside managerial position was brought up. The board had previously approved the new job description during a special meeting. The board then agreed to offer the position to Jeff Brusven, who already works at Dockside.
Otherwise, the park board’s monthly meeting Tuesday was mostly in regards to transitioning into the late-arriving spring. The golf course is tentatively set to open Monday, April 27.
The board scheduled another special meeting for April 30, with its next regular meeting set for May 19.
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