Detroit Lakes residents voice concerns over City Park tailgaters

Residents near City Park in Detroit Lakes have had enough of kids and young adults tailgating near the exit of the park.

The loud music, possible alcohol and drug use, fights and verbal harassment of area residents have triggered a myriad of calls to the police department with some residents giving up hope that the behavior of the tailgaters will ever change.

During a meeting of the Detroit Lakes public safety committee, Elizabeth Marroquin Galvez, a North Shore Drive resident, said the constant harassment from the individuals has driven her, and her family, to the breaking point.

“I’m really reasonable about noise, but I think that things have gotten crazy,” said Marroquin Galvez. “Now, it’s to the point where I feel like I can’t be outside in my yard. There’s constant screaming, swearing, racial slurs coming from the park. My 3-year-old little boy is asking me, ‘why are they saying achoo?’ Well, that’s not what they were saying.”

She also said some of her neighbors have altered their evening walks to avoid the park area because they did not feel safe.

“When there are 10, 15, 20 cars with guys just milling about all day long and into the night, how would you feel walking through, it’s uncomfortable,” said Marroquin Galvez. “And (the park) is not being used by other people in the community. And that’s just sad. It’s really sad to me.”

Tim Kessler, a neighbor of Marroquin Galvez on North Shore Drive, said no one should have to deal with being called a racial slur.

“I’ve been told that I’m part of the problem because I go over and confront the kids, we’re not supposed to do that,” said Kessler. “I have a lot of experience with firearms, but I have not owned one ever, but I’m starting to feel that I should arm myself because this nonsense doesn’t seem to get under control.”

Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve Todd said officers and dispatchers have also noticed an uptick in incidents at City Park this spring and summer, and added he plans to continue extra patrols and station an extra officer in the park as often as he can to keep the rowdiness down.

Members of the city council also discussed installing more cameras at the problem area, but were worried that, after the more than $10,000 camera installation, the tailgaters would just move to another part of the park, or someplace else in the city.

Changing the hours of the park, creating a loitering ordinance for the city and adding more police officers to the department’s roster were also discussed during the meeting as possible solutions to the park problem.

Member of the city council and Chief Todd both said they plan to address the issue until the situation is resolved.

No official actions were taken during the public safety committee meeting on Monday or at the city council meeting on Tuesday, but members expect to try multiple solutions to address the public’s concerns in coming months.

Road work starts on Ridgewood Road June 19; drivers encouraged to find alternate routes

Road work is scheduled to begin June 19 on Richwood Road.

According to the Becker County Highway Department, the pavement between Highway 34 and Tower Road on Richwood Road will be removed and replaced.

The road will still be open to local traffic, but longer delays should be expected as drivers will need to follow the directions of construction flag workers and follow a pilot car through the construction zone.

Thru-traffic on Richwood Road is encouraged to find alternative routes to avoid delays during construction.

The road replacement is expected to be completed by July 14.

Construction updates can be found on the Becker County website, under the highway department tab.

Becker County Museum aims to land high-profile exhibit

The Becker County Museum received a $5,000 sponsorship from the Detroit Lakes city council for a potential, high-profile exhibit that could land in Detroit Lakes this September.

Becky Mitchell, executive director of the Becker County Historical Society and Museum, said this exhibit kind of fell into the museum’s lap because of a cancelation and would be a true draw for the town, if we can raise the funds to snatch it up.

“This is a high-end exhibit that we could bring to our community and I explained earlier that the museum, the science center opened a few months ago and we are busy, busy, busy,” said Mitchell, during the city council meeting. “We are seeing lots of new memberships, and all of that is good, but we are also seeing very high bills with the new building and new utilities, so I’m trying to boost beyond our community. Bringing in greater tourism and greater (interest) from outside the area.”

Mitchell and members of the city council both agreed the exhibit would be a huge hit with school-aged children for potential field trips, but would also be worthwhile for older residents and history buffs alike.

She added, typically, this exhibit would cost upwards of $160,000, but she was able to negotiate the price down to about $90,000. Unfortunately, they will need to raise about $45,000 in sponsorships before they can official book the exhibit tour.

“It checks all of the buttons,” she said. “It’s history, science, art and it will touch not only our facility, but our neighbors as well. So, I’m just really wanting to bring in this exhibit and offer it to our community as a very strong educational component. In talking with other entities that have had this exhibit, we should expect to see large school groups, and we should expect to see … that tourism component while keeping (the cost) reasonable for our school groups and our members.”

Following the presentation, council members voted unanimously to approve $5,000 to go toward the exhibit and also said they may want to contribute more funds to limit the cost burden on the Detroit Lakes school district, if the museum raises enough money to officially book the exhibit.

If any resident or business is interested in learning more about exhibit tour, or sponsoring the 4-month exhibition, they should contact Becky Mitchell at the Becker County Museum for more details.

Otter Tail County inmate rushed to hospital

An inmate of the Otter Tail County jail needed to be rushed Lake Region Hospital in Fergus Falls following a suicide attempt.

According to an Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office news release, on June 13 at 6:33 p.m., a corrections officer noticed an inmate in medical distress following a routine wellbeing check.

The corrections officers immediately performed resuscitative measures to revive the inmate before EMS personnel arrived to the scene.

The inmate was transferred from Lake Region Hospital to a Fargo Hospital for continued treatment.

The incident remains under an active investigation.

3 Juveniles injured in two-vehicle crash near Walker

Three juveniles were injured in a two-vehicle crash involving a semi-tractor trailer on Highway 200, near Walker, Minn., on Monday.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, on June 12 at 11:50 a.m., emergency dispatchers received a report of a vehicle crash with possible injuries in Shingobee Township.

A 2012 Kia Sedona passenger van was northbound on Highway 371 when the driver attempted to make a turn during a red light at Highway 200. A 1995 Western Star tractor trailer was eastbound on Highway 200 and struck the Sedona in the intersection.

Airbags deployed in the Kia Sedona during the crash.

The driver of the Sedona, a 16-year-old female, and her two passengers, 13-year-old Nora Warrington and 9-year-old Lyla Warrington, both of Akeley, Minn., all suffered injuries during the crash and were transported to Sanford Hospital in Bemidji.

The driver of the semi-tractor trailer, 47-year-old Larry Neil Hadrava, was not injured during the crash.

All vehicle occupants were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the collision.

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