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There’s a year-long agreement in place now,  following a 4-0 vote by Center City Council to lease South Center lakeshore to Nordic Inn owner/operator Nic Kirvida.  The inn has its own dockage on the east side of the property,  in another bay, but in order to access a new alcoholic beverages and convenience store on the west side of the inn site, the city will lease a landing area, on Grand Avenue,  for $2,500.  (Council approved an off and on-sale liquor license for the inn-related business at its regular meeting. Story Press May 16.)

Council met in special session Thursday  May 16 and with member Lloyd Vetter absent, unanimously adopted the shoreland lease.  

Mayor Jill Behnke mentioned that the city will work with Kirvida and monitor any issues that may come up and any conditions on the lease can always be revised for next year if there are concerns.  Center City can cancel this agreement if the “public” is not being served, according to the lease.  Kirvida has first rights to renew the land lease, for five years, twice, as stated in the lease.

The plan is for two docks with one for general pull-up boat use and the second as a base for Kirvida’s Chisago Lakes Boat Rental LLP operations.  Materials, permit and other concerns are to be compliant with DNR rules.

The applicant did not attend this meeting, but council understood one dock is for use by customers of the rental enterprise and /or customers at the recently rehabbed Nordic Inn.  

The second dock is for the “public,” but this is not tightly defined.  If the need arises for any restrictions such as length of time a vessel can be docked or policing dock activity becomes a problem— they will be up to the lessee to address.

Center City has dockage for public use on North Center Lake.  You can get there under Highway 8 in the channel, between South and North Center.

These publicly-owned docks are allowed by special permission with Chisago County, which oversees County Road 9 that runs between the lake and the old town Center City business district. 

Council member Ryan Pease commented that he was hearing from constituents that this set of public docks should have been  installed in time for fishing opener.  He was advised that dock parts were on-order and the city staff did its best to be prepared.

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