ST. CLOUD - With the transformation of St. Cloud's Eastman Park/Lake George basically done, the Rotary Club of St. Cloud was looking for their next service projects for the community. Two new projects are getting financing, and fundraising, support from the the Rotary Club.

Mississippi RiverWalk:
They're giving a $25,000 cash donation to the Mississippi River Partners for a planned RiverWalk. Dave Laliberte says the $3.4 million project will be similar to the boardwalk along Lake Superior in Duluth.

Similar, except maybe one or two components. One is the shoreline restoration. In Duluth you walk along the lakefront and it's a beach filled with pebbles and rock. What we're planning on is in about a three-quarter mile stretch along the Mississippi is to rehabilitate a shoreline.

The Rotary Club's donation will be used to help write grants for the project, which is planned for the riverfront that stretches from downtown St. Cloud to Hester Park.

Possible features include: antique streetlights, fishing piers, and an amphitheater. The timeline for the project is 3-5 years.

St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson. Photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice
St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson. Photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice
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COP House:
The new COP House being created in south St. Cloud will receive $50,000 cash, and another $25,000 in matching funds, from the Rotary. St. Cloud Police Commander Jim Steve says the house will serve a variety of purposes.

The community can engage with police and public safety. A wide variety of things, neighborhood watch programs could be hosted out of there, maybe some after school programming. Really revitalize the house, revitalize the area. And really give a strong community presence in an area that needs it.

The police department received a $375,000 federal grant for three full-time officers for three-years to staff the house near the SCSU campus area.

They're hoping to buy the house in the spring, and have it open by the fall.

Besides the fundraising, the Rotary Club is also committed to putting sweat equity into the house to get it ready to open.

Community donations for both projects are being accepted through the Central Minnesota Community Foundation.

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