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RECAP: Grand opening celebration at Lake Brophy Park

Below is a message from GMRPTC Executive Director Renee Mattson. You can reach her at renee.mattson@gmrptcommission.org.


On a beautiful afternoon with blue skies and fluffy clouds, Douglas County’s Lake Brophy Park hosted a grand opening celebration for the newly completed four-season shelter and visitor center.

Lake Brophy Park is a 160-acre park just three miles from Alexandria with 9,000 feet of shoreline on Brophy Lake and North Union Lake. The park development over time has added mountain bike and hiking trails, a popular and well-used playground, a water route connection to the Alexandria Chain of Lakes and the Long Prairie State Water Trail, as well as a connection to the Central Lakes Trail. In short, the park provides strong connections to the outdoors and access to other recreational activities.

The event kicked off with the first evening of the Rotary Club of Alexandria “Music in the Park” series, with more than 3,000 attendees settling in for music, food trucks, a beer garden, and plenty of games for kids and families on the beautiful gathering lawn between the new shelter and the playground.

Joe Czapiewski, Commissioner At Large Jen Foley, and I were thrilled to be a part of the evening with a booth and games featuring information about how Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment grant funding has helped projects like this come to fruition. We also got to say hello to former Douglas County Parks Superintendent and District 3 Commissioner Al Lieffort, who cut the ribbon for the new building.

Douglas County Parks Superintendent and District 3 Commissioner Brad Bonk and a host of current and past Douglas County staff worked to ensure the new shelter fits within the landscape and is both functional and beautiful. A task they hit out of the park!