building construction by Lake Region Co-op on property next to its Highway 55 facility.

Re-christened as Maple Lake Wine & Spirits, the new store featured 5,000 square feet of space which provided room for expanded lines of merchandize. At the end of a busy year, the net profit was estimated to be $49,000, compared to $22,020 in 2010.

In a report to the council, Liquor Store Manager Carole Bestland said that store traffic was good, sales were up, many new products were offered, and no borrowing of money was involved in the project.

In May, the liquor store conducted the first wine tasting event for its Wine Club at Madigan’s Pub & Grill with 17 people attending. Throughout the year, wine tasting events were held at other locations that included Irish Blessings Coffeehouse, the Old Town Creamery, Maple Lake Bowl, the Maple Lake VFW, and the Maple Lake American Legion Club.

Water tower painting In December of 2010,

the city council approved a contract with Utility Service Company for painting of the water tower in 2011 and its continued maintenance.

The water tower had been constructed in 1993 and it had not been repainted in the intervening years.

Within the contract, the city pays $68,250 to the company for the first three years, then from $20,000 to $30,000 per year over 17 years. That arrangement allowed the city to spread the estimated $167,000 cost of preparing and painting the water tower out over time, while paying in advance for the second painting of the water tower in 17 years, in addition to inspections, regular maintenance, and a lifetime warranty of the paint coating.

The tower was emptied for painting for three weeks, with high service pumps taking over during the painting period.

The painting project concluded on July 8, with the color of the water tower remaining the same. The city’s logo on the water tower was also the same except for a shamrock added within the maple leaf in keeping with the city’s official logo.

Irish Stadium upgrades In 2010, the Maple Lake

Lakers were selected by the Minnesota Baseball Association to host the 2013 state tournament in partnership with Delano and Howard Lake. Maple Lake and Delano will serve as the tournament’s main sites with Howard Lake as an additional site.

The tournament typically draws more than 10,000 fans over three weekends in August. The Lakers last hosted the state tournament in 1997.

To prepare for that event, the Lakers began their fundraising effort in May with a spaghetti feed and raffles at Madigan’s Pub & Grill. Volunteers had begun work on Maple Lake’s Irish Stadium, with projects to include replacing lighting and existing wiring, grandstand improvements, fence upgrades and enlarging the dugouts.

In September, the city approved a plan by the Lakers to replace the lights at Irish Stadium with a much more efficient system that would improve lighting while cutting down on energy costs. Selected was

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