Friends and neighbors of the Lake Links Trail gathered with elected officials, community leaders, and others at Bellaire Beach Park June 20 to celebrate completion of the South Shore segment of the Lake Links Trail with a ribbon-cutting by Ramsey County commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, who played a key role in allocating resources to make the project possible.
Also in attendance were Ramsey County Public Works deputy director for program delivery John Mazzitello, who represented the county in organizing the discussion around the project with the city and township, and representatives of the Rotary Club of White Bear Lake, Rotary District 5960, White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce, the Lake Links Trail Association, the City of White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, and more.
Commissioner Reinhardt applauded the collaborative spirit that made the trail possible, and expressed appreciation to local residents for putting up with inconveniences during the construction phase.
Lake Links chair Mike Brooks attributed the success to participants’ commitment to two key “Cs” – compromise and civility. By being “hard on the problem, and soft on the people,” advocates were able to work together to complete the massive project despite complications brought on by the Covid pandemic.
With the addition of the South Shore segment, the Lake Links Trail is now three-quarters complete. The remaining sections are on the northeastern and north sides of the lake in Dellwood, White Bear Township, and White Bear Lake.
“The participation of the county, city, and township in the execution of South Shore’s re-imaging is the template for the yet-to-be-completed segment along Highway 96 at the north end of the lake, where a public engagement study is about to begin,” Brooks said.
Comments