Non-stop growth

The Brainerd lakes area is growing and expected to grow even more.

• Photos

Back | Next

Back | Next

Back | Next

State demographers report that the Brainerd area has had the highest projected growth rate in the entire state. Growth is expected to grow by 65 percent between 2000-2030 in Crow Wing, Cass and Aitkin counties. Growth shows that there will be more persons over 65 than school-age children in 2020.

Heavy traffic flowed north along Highway 371 in Baxter and will multiply as growth in the Brainerd lakes area continues to escalate. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey » Purchase reprints of this photo.

The big question: Is Brainerd ready for it?

Brainerd has been preparing for the growth through an initiative that was formed in 2008 called Brainerd for a Lifetime. The initiative was made possible through a grant undertaken by the Central Minnesota Council on Aging. The initiative brought members from the community, businesses, nonprofits, law enforcement and organizations together who met through committees who identified where the community is falling short in providing services in the areas of access to health care opportunities/care giving, safety and security, housing and transportation/walkability.

Sharon Orser (front left), Jan Roberts, Renee Rolfes, Eva Juntunen (back left) and Joan Anderson took a break from their painting class at the Lakes Area Senior Activity Center in Brainerd to take a walk. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey » Purchase reprints of this photo.

The grant has since expired and now is under the Lakes Area Senior Activity Center's umbrella. The name of the initiative now has changed to Brainerd Lakes for a Lifetime.

DeAnn Barry, senior center director, said the name may have changed, but the mission is the same. Barry said the senior center is going to make sure that the mission of Brainerd Lakes for a Lifetime continues and those involved will continue to access the concerned areas to move forward in having a healthy community.

The Paul Bunyan Trail offers a nice atmosphere for residents for walking in the lakes area. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey » Purchase reprints of this photo.

"What we've found out is what's good for seniors is good for everybody," said Barry. "Everything we do intertwines. We all need to work together. This affects everyone. We need to make sure the needs in the community are being met."

One of the needs that Brainerd Lakes for a Lifetime has established that will help seniors is it put together a Crow Wing County Senior Heath Care and Care Giving Resource Directory.

The resource directory includes information and phone numbers related to senior citizen issues, including home care, health care, transportation, volunteering opportunities, assisted living facilities, long-term care, prescription drugs, Medicare, dining programs and everyday things, like finding someone who does repairs around the home.

Barry said a directory like this has never been available in Brainerd. Barry said the directory is not only for seniors, but also for caregivers or adult children planning for their parent's future.

The directory may be viewed online at brainerd.com/lifetime.

Barry said Brainerd Lakes for a Lifetime found during its discussions and doing the directory that the assisted living facilities and apartments and nursing homes in the area have the space to fill the need of the aging population in the future.

"This is not an issue in the community right now," said Barry. "Most of the facilities have openings and if it does become a concern they will look at it."

To help address safety and security, a Triad meeting is being planned at the senior center sometime in the near future. Triad offers participants the opportunity to learn how they can protect themselves. Triad's main focus is to work to reduce criminal victimization of the elderly through education and enhanced delivery of law enforcement services.

Brainerd City Council member Bonnie Cumberland, who facilitated the safety and security committee, said with more growth there will be more scams and seniors, who may be more vulnerable and need to be careful. Cumberland said the Triad meeting will help inform seniors.

Cumberland said seniors need to be aware of their surroundings and neighbors should keep a watchful eye on their elderly neighbors to help alleviate crime.

Brainerd is looking at adopting a pilot program to reduce lighting in the city. Cumberland said a study was done in Brainerd in the past few years that showed that there was no definite correlation between lights and crime and that if the program is enacted, seniors or anyone shouldn't have to worry more about crime.

"If someone is going to commit a crime, they're going to do it day or night," said Cumberland. "Seniors need to be alert. We don't want them to feel comfortable because they have a street light."

Cumberland said the walking trails in the city are coming together to provide people the opportunity to walk to more places, including the trails along Crow Wing County Road 48 and Laurel Street.

Bob Sherman, who facilitated the transportation committee for Brainerd Lakes for a Lifetime, said having the trails expand has been a slow process, but that was no surprise.

Sherman said when the committee first met last year members took a tour of the city to see how easy it would be to walk or bike around. He said the group found out that the city wasn't easily accessible. Sherman said there were sidewalks in some areas of the city, but not everywhere.

Sherman, who sits on the city's planning and zoning commission, said the commission is looking at revising the zoning ordinance to expand the city's sidewalks and trailways. Sherman said the city will first need to hold a public hearing in the near future.

"I think it's going in the right direction if the city adopts the installation of sidewalks and trailways," said Sherman. "If not then there could be a problem."

Sherman said the city's transit system is serving the public adequately so that is not a Brainerd Lakes for a Lifetime issue.

Brainerd for a Lifetime also focuses on housing in the community.

Mark Ostgarden, Brainerd city planner, who facilitated the housing committee, said members have had difficulty this past year "getting their arms around it (the housing issues) and how to address it" because of it's enormity.

Ostgarden said Brainerd has a high rental rate and the community needs to decrease that and increase its home ownership; and the community needs to make its neighborhoods' overall appearance more pleasing to the eye.

"How do you bring those pieces together," said Ostgarden. "No one group can handle this. If we really want to address it and really want to develop a strategy it's going to take the community to do it."

Ostgarden said it will take many different people from the community to address the housing issues, including people from the lending institutions, the college, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood associations, the religious community, seniors, young people and more.

Ostgarden said the housing group hasn't met for awhile. Ostgarden said now that the initiative is under the senior center's leadership, it will be up to the center if it is interested in resurrecting the housing discussion. Ostgarden said if the center is interested, the planning department can help facilitate the meetings.

Ostgarden said during the committee's past meetings, it recognized that many houses in the city have fallen in disrepair and/or are vacant creating a "blighting affect on the neighborhood." The committee discussed that the community needs to improve the overall appearance of its neighborhoods.

Ostgarden said there are neighborhood associations who are working on improving their neighborhoods. Ostgarden said it's difficult for neighborhood associations because a few people do a lot of the work and others in the neighborhood don't become involved until there is a major issue or crisis.

Ostgarden said Brainerd is submitting an application into the Initiative Foundation's Healthy Communities Partnership program. If Brainerd is selected for the program, the city would participate in an 18-month visioning process to help it better define where the community is going.

"One area that hopefully will be part of that visioning process is housing and neighborhoods," said Ostgarden.

Ostgarden said while the Brainerd Lakes for a Lifetime process looked specifically at what members need to do to make the community ready for the aging population, the Healthy Communities Partnership process takes a broader look at the community and will be an opportunity for all residents to be involved. Ostgarden said the Lifetime's work will be helpful in the partnership's process.

Barry said the senior center will continue Lifetime's efforts and will move it forward.

Cumberland said the old saying is "if it's not broke, don't fix it." Cumberland said the new saying for Brainerd Lakes for a Lifetime is "if it's not broke, break it." Cumberland said if the community lets things stay the way they are it will lead to run down housing, poor health care and transportation and Brainerd will become a "ghost town."

"We need to break things now so we have a future," said Cumberland. "We want quality housing and a housing stock that is attractive and want our citizens safe. We can't wait until we need it. We need to set the standard now."

JENNIFER STOCKINGER may be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.