Park Rapids City Council

Community

Park Rapids City Council

Welcome to Park Rapids! Ryan Leckner

BY MAYOR

RYAN LECKNER

Welcome to Park Rapids ‒ a city whose true heart is the heart of its people.

Our friendly community of 4,000-plus is nestled among the beautiful Fish Hook River and multiple area lakes. Park Rapids is renowned for its unique downtown area, which features center parking on Main Street surrounded by many quaint stores, trendy restaurants and the historic Park Theater. The downtown area provides a charming venue for community events, like 2nd Street Stage, which showcases music and talent all summer long.

From great schools to parks and playgrounds, from farmers’ markets to the arts, from health clinics to public safety, Park Rapids has you and your family covered. We are located 20 miles south of Itasca State Park, which highlights the headwaters of the Mississippi River.

Come ride and walk on our many miles of maintained bike and snowmobile trails. Celebrate the Fourth of July with our wonderful fireworks show and famous Professional Bull Riders bull ride. We enjoy four distinct seasons packed with events and activities that provide entertainment all year long.

Being born and raised here, I am proud to call Park Rapids home and warmly welcome you to visit our city and enjoy all that our family-friendly destination has to offer.

Hope to see you in Park Rapids soon!

rjleckner @live.com

Erika Randall

erikachrandall @hotmail.com

Liz Stone

lzstone301 @gmail.com

Tom Conway

conwaythomasj @aol.com

Bob Wills

rawills14 @gmail.com

The city of Park Rapids, population 4,145, is the county seat for Hubbard County.

Services provided by the city include law enforcement, fire protection, stormwater, sewer and water utilities, maintenance of streets, parks, and the public library, which is a member of the Kitchigami Regional Library System.

The city has a zoning ordinance; building permits are required and are available at city hall.

For businesses wishing to expand or locate in the Park Rapids area, assistance is provided through the Heartland Lakes Development Commission. The city also operates a municipal airport and liquor store.

City hall is located at 212 2nd St. W. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 218-732-3163. The city’s website is ci.park-rapids.mn.us.

The Park Rapids Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. at city hall. Ryan Leckner is mayor, and council members are Erika Randall, Liz Stone, Tom Conway and Bob Wills.

DEPARTMENT HEADS

City Administrator .. Angel Weasner...............218-237-2748 ..............aweasner@arvig.net City Clerk ................ Beret Ramstad Skoyles ..218-732-3163 ...bramstadskoyles@arvig.net City Planner ............ Ben Oleson, AICP .........320-759-1560 .. oleson@hometownplanning.com Public Works ............ Scott Burlingame ..........218-237-2713 ............pworks@unitelc.com Police Chief .............. Jeff Appel ......................218-237-2711 ... jappel@co.hubbard.mn.us Fire Chief ................. Joe Carlson ...................651-343-2054 ......gjoesmarine@gmail.com Liquor Store Manager .. Scott Olson ...................218-237-2750 ..........prspirits@unitelc.com

Appel passes five-year mark as Park Rapids Police Chief

Police Chief Jeff Appel has served the city of Park Rapids since Oct. 17, 2016. Prior to his appointment, Appel was a captain with the Savage Police Department with 17 years of law enforcement experience, seven of them in a supervisory role. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement.

Chief Appel is one of 13 sworn officers in the Park Rapids Police Department. Under his supervision are two patrol sergeants, one detective sergeant, eight patrol officers and a school resource officer. In addition, the department has one full-time administrative staff member and a K-9 officer.

“All staff with the Park Rapids Police Department are proud to serve the citizens of Park Rapids and those visiting our community,” Appel told the Enterprise. “Our goal is to serve each and every day by upholding the values in our mission statement: professionally providing excellent, community-oriented law enforcement services to the City of Park Rapids with the highest level of integrity while respecting the rights of all people in a courteous and dignified manner.”

The police department is located in the Public Safety Building at 1425 Fair Ave. and can be reached from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at 237-2711. To file a report or make a complaint, call dispatch at 732-3331. If there is an emergency, dial 9-1-1.

Community

EV charging comes to town

The ability to charge an electric vehicle (EV) battery came to downtown Park Rapids in 2020.

The city’s first “Type 2” medium-speed charging station went online in October in the public parking lot at Pleasant Avenue and 3rd Street, adjacent to Pioneer Park. It can recharge an electric vehicle’s battery in 2-4 hours.

Previously, the nearest charging stations that appeared on the PlugShare app’s travel map for EV users were a “Type 1,” low-speed outlet at AmericInn and another at the Vagabond Village campground.

Putting Park Rapids on the EV charging map was a priority of an ACTION Park Rapids working group and involved grants from Enbridge Energy and Minnesota Power to cover installation costs, as well as equipment donated by Minnesota Power.

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