Battle Lake Improves with Age

by Steve Heriot, photo provided

At some time or another, most communities around the country grapple with what to do with their vacant and abandoned buildings. The rehabilitation of such buildings can have a very beneficial effect on the neighborhood and community. Property values in adjacent neighborhoods tend to rise, and investment in new construction and remodeling also sometimes increases. Civic pride, jobs, public health, safety, quality of life, and the environment can also be winners when old is replaced with new.

The Battle Lake Economic Development Authority (EDA) has organized an effort to rehabilitate the Hatchery Row neighborhood, a group of deteriorating, 100-year-old industrial buildings on the north side of Henning Street in Battle Lake. The first step included meeting with a group of residents to come up with ideas for use of the property. Through that process, Duet Designs & Architecture, a local Battle Lake firm was hired to complete a Visioning Study of the area with the help of grant funding from the Blandin Foundation. The findings of the study prompted the EDA to purchase the property and start development.

This is not the only example of recent improvements in the town. Ten years ago Battle Lake began a renaissance of sorts, with a community vision that has now come into focus in the form of a road reconstruction project, a new 12-mile bike trail from Battle Lake to nearby Glendalough State Park, storefront renovations, and other infrastructure upgrades. Planter boxes and decorative light posts have been installed, professional landscaping has been done, and public art has been created. Combined, all of these efforts have become the impetus for a positive economic revival in Battle Lake. Since the beginning of these projects, over 20 new businesses have opened in Battle Lake, including several restaurants and a hotel. “There used to be only one restaurant in town that stayed open all winter, and now there are four or five,” says City Clerk Val Martin.

From roads to new trails, from renovations to new construction, Battle Lake continues to find innovative ways and resources to improve and upgrade the already charming community.