Bemidji State ends boathouse lease, continues dedication to Outdoor Program Center

Sep. 15—BEMIDJI — While Bemidji State University offers students a diverse and quality education, another huge part of its identity is the unique opportunity to enjoy the many recreational activities the Northland experience has to offer.

But as BSU experienced a decrease in enrollment that led to financial headwinds and

a wave of layoffs in March,

rumors circulated about the future of the

Outdoor Program Center

— a program with a long history that is well connected to the college's identity.

In April, though,

BSU

President

John Hoffman cleared the air

assuring students and community members that BSU will not be cutting the OPC.

However, as the financial loss advanced and the lease for the rental boathouse at Diamond Point Park deadline drew closer, questions arose about whether or not the university was going to renew that lease.

According to Hoffman, the university will not be continuing that lease.

"Last time we talked about the outdoors program, there were some rumors going around town," Hoffman told the Pioneer this week. "We have never intended to stop with outdoor education and outdoor programming, that is a core commitment of the university. For our students, the primary question has been around that boathouse."

The boathouse has offered students and community members an opportunity to rent kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and other recreational items to explore Lake Bemidji for many years. Working in collaboration with the city, the university has been able to lease the boathouse property since the 80s.

With the discontinuation of the boathouse, the OPC might look a little bit different in the coming years. But as BSU revamps the program, Hoffman assures that the university's focus remains on providing vast opportunities for students and community members to explore Bemidji's lakes and other outdoor attractions at no cost.

"From here forward, our focus is going to be a little bit more on making sure that we are able to provide outdoor education and programs for our students while continuing to make the equipment available to them at no cost, it just won't be located directly at the boathouse," Hoffman said.

As BSU works on the logistics, such as where exactly the student rental program will land and what the city will do with the boathouse, Hoffman hopes to someday bring back some of the outdoor excursions that the University offered years ago that were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

"There's a couple of things that we're working on as we strive for efficiency in taking care of our students. I don't have a final answer on who exactly will be managing the rental equipment, but I can tell you, we are committed to doing it," Hoffman said. "We would love to be able to do more of those kinds of outdoor education experiences for our students, on top of just making sure that students have access to the lake."

Hoffman also mentioned another big reason behind the decision to not renew the lease was due to the recreational rental business boom in town to accommodate Bemidji's prosperous summer tourism season — the boathouse just wasn't bringing in enough profit to pace with the $20,000 a year to lease the building.

"So as you've maybe seen around town, there have been more and more companies that have been getting involved in the (recreational) rental market, especially during tourist season," Hoffman said. "And so our work with the boathouse just was not profitable. That was something we could not continue doing in our current budget situation and that's part of where we're going to look to secure savings to make sure that we can continue with our programming."

The OPC at Bemidji State has a long history. From taking students on trips to exposing them to the beauty of northern Minnesota, this program has helped students experience a whole host of activities to connect with the outdoors.

"We see that (the OPC) is a really important part of who we are and It's one of the things you love about Bemidji State: high-quality academics, athletics and access to the lake," Hoffman added.

According to Bemidji Parks and Recreation Director Marcia Larson, the city plans to utilize the boathouse at Diamond Point Park for programming and continue to provide rental access to the community.

One of the objectives is to expand the Kids in Motion Day Camp held every spring to offer children an opportunity to explore the outdoors through crafts, games and activities.

But in the past years, challenges arose including a lack of storage for supplies and campers' belongings as well as security of the camp and was eventually moved to City Park for more indoor space and storage.

The hope is to move the camp back to Diamond Point eventually to ensure a safe atmosphere to successfully operate the day camp. Not to mention, the easy access to the lake increases the opportunities to get out on the water.

Currently, the Parks and Recreation Department is operating watercraft and bike rental out of the Tourist Information Center located at Paul Bunyan Park. The city hopes to expand rental opportunities at Diamond Point — it's proposed to replace an existing window with a service window. This would ensure camp, programming and facility rentals could be held at the same time as the watercraft rentals.

Lastly, the motion to add a fishing pier on the beach area near the boathouse at Diamond Point is in place. According to the proposal plan, this has been requested by the community for some time and is based on the usage of the fishing pier at Paul Bunyan Park and a needed amenity.

"We are looking forward to the opportunity to provide new services and access to the community at Diamond Point Park," Larson said. "The idea of a fishing pier has been long discussed in the community and within the Parks and Recreation Department and we are excited to be working with the DNR to hopefully make that happen."