The city of St. Cloud has completed the construction of the lakefront concession stand and is now working on a lease agreement with a local vendor to manage it – Sno-Balls, LLC.

Services provided at the concession stand, which should be open to the public before the summer, would include refreshments, soft pretzels, nachos and cheese, root beer floats and ice cream. Operation hours have not been determined.

“City Council directed staff last year to look into the possibilities of opening a concession stand at the lakefront,” City Manager Tom Hurt said. “We determined that we had three options: build it and request bids for management, request bids to build it and manage it, or request bids to build it and then request bids for management. In the end, council decided we should build it and request bids for management.”

The new concession stand is located next to the playground and splash pad. It is a 20-by-16-foot building with front and side windows, an employee bathroom, a storage area, sinks with low-water fixtures and plenty of work space.

Sno-Balls, LLC, will supply its own equipment. The concession stand is a green building that was built about 90 percent in-house by building maintenance personnel at a total cost of about $75,000. OUC – The Reliable One provided $25,000. These funds were provided to city of St. Cloud for a partnership anniversary project.  

“The objective for opening a new concession stand was to create a safe, convenient, and affordable way for the community to get a quick snack while at the lakefront,” Hurt said. “The location of this concession stand makes it easy for parents to watch their children and it’s going to be great to see the public visit the concession stand on a daily basis and during special events at our lakefront.”