The Big Lake City Council meeting on Sept. 24 opened with the usual formalities before quickly turning to the evening’s main discussion: approving upgrades to playground equipment in several city parks.

Playgrounds

The council voted to move forward with replacing aging and deteriorating playground structures at Lakeside Park, Lake Ridge Park, and Shores of Lake Mitchell Park. However, one neighborhood green space—Mitchell Farms Park—was left out of those plans, sparking debate among councilmembers.

Located in a quiet residential area off Teal Street, the playground at Mitchell Farms Park is roughly 20 to 30 years old and has been deemed unsafe and beyond repair. While the current equipment will be removed, there are no immediate plans to install new structures—effectively leaving the park as an empty lot.

For Councilmember Ken Halverson, that decision doesn’t sit right.

“This is a terrible injustice,” Halverson said, voicing frustration over what he described as the city’s sluggish approach to parks maintenance and upgrades. 

“We’ve neglected the system for so long. This is not how we make our community better—by taking things away.”

Mayor Paul Knier acknowledged Halverson’s concerns but pointed to budget constraints as the driving factor behind the decision.

“We don’t have unlimited funds for parks,” Knier said. “We have more needs than money.” 

He urged the council to take a more strategic, long-term approach and come up with a plan— “before we just keep spending.”

Councilmember Ken Geroux echoed that sentiment, suggesting the city needs to reevaluate how it allocates park resources.

“We need to make sure we’re funding parks correctly and resources are put in the correct areas,” Geroux said. 

He questioned whether replacing the playground at Mitchell Farms is even what residents want. 

“Has anybody thought to ask the people in that area if another ‘tot lot’ is what they want? Maybe they do—I don’t know. But we’re deciding for them.”

Still, some councilmembers felt leaving Mitchell Farms behind was shortsighted.

Councilmember Kim Noding said she would like to see Mitchell Farms included, adding that it might be “more beneficial to purchase the equipment now,” before costs rise further. She expressed hope that potential grant funding might help cover future improvements.

Halverson warned that delays would only increase expenses, placing a greater burden on taxpayers in the long run.

Despite the concerns, the council unanimously approved the motion to remove and replace playground equipment at Lakeside, Lake Ridge, and Shores of Lake Mitchell parks with updated structures.

Halverson then introduced a motion to revisit and reevaluate the cost of updating Mitchell Farms Park. That motion failed, and the council instead passed, on a 4-1 vote, a resolution to remove the existing equipment at Mitchell Farms—with no replacement plan in place for now.

While the city moves forward with upgrades at three parks, Mitchell Farms Park will remain without playground equipment—at least for the time being. Whether it stays that way may depend on future funding, community input, and a more comprehensive look at the city’s parks system as a whole.