ABOVE: Repositioning of the boat ramp on the Budd Lake side at Gomsrud Park in Fairmont takes place on Wednesday afternoon as work on the project finishes up.

FAIRMONT– This week work picked back up on the north parking lot and boat ramp on the Budd Lake side at Gomsrud Park in Fairmont. The project, which has been in the works for several years, is expected to be completed in early May, ahead of the fishing opener.

Fairmont’s Public Works Director, Matthew York, said this part of the project was basically a redesign of the parking lot and boat ramp and had the addition of a retention pond basin needed to meet storm water requirements. ADA improvements were also made on the dock which Let’s Go Fishing accesses.

Planning for the work started back in 2022 when the city council signed a contract with SGA Group for planning, concept, schematic designs and community engagement for Gomsrud Park improvements and parking lot repairs. All of that though was pushed on the back burner when the council approved putting some funds toward the channel wall repairs, which were completed in 2024.

Also in 2024, Bolton & Menk had first presented the council with several different designs for the north parking lot, but the park board’s input was desired too so a joint meeting was had in June 2024.

After a design was agreed upon by the council in a 4-1 vote, bids for the project came in too high so the council directed staff to rebid the project for late summer 2025 and the bids came in lower even than the engineer’s estimate. Ulland Brothers is doing the work for $825,448, which is being paid for with liquor store funds.

Work officially started in August of last year, which York explained was intentional.

“We started late because we wanted to get through Fourth of July and the heavy season of people using it,” he said of the parking lot and boat ramp.

The work was always planned to be finished up this spring and York said it should be done by May 1, with the exception of the retention pond plantings.

“The interior of the new pond is going to have different plantings to assist with the cleansing of the water before it goes back into the lake,” York explained.

He is glad to see the project on its way to completion ahead of the summer season.

“The former parking lot was in dire need of repair,” York said. “There will be more pull through parking spots as part of this one and the ADA accessibility to the dock will be greater.”

He also added that it will help the overall appearance of the park and the boat ramp, which he said may be the most heavily used one in the city.

Some new concrete at the boat ramp will be poured today and the striping on the parking lot is also expected to be done soon, which are some of the project’s finishing touches.