Fisherman’s Inn to become Lake Zumbro Park

(ABC 6 News) – The Fisherman’s Inn building on Lake Zumbro is being demolished this week to pave the way for renovations on the land.

The goal is to improve the experience of those who enjoy outdoor recreational activities, including new boat launches, fishing piers, and increased accessibility for people with disabilities.

In 2019, Olmsted County purchased the land, located just north of Rochester, which currently has two overlooks consisting of 25-foot-long wooden structures with handrails, an old beach area, and a grassy area with picnic tables and fire pits.

“This park gets a lot of heavy usage with fishermen, all the locals using this as a fishing spot. The new public landing is really big for getting in and out of the lake access over here. We’ve been seeing lots and lots of usage of that, and then just a general nice area for the locals to come out and have a nice picnic," said Ryan Waldee, Oxbow Park foreman.

Improvements to Lake Zumbro Park are estimated to cost roughly $837,000 and have been phased into short (0-5 years), mid (5-10 years), and long-term (10+ years) time frames. Costs provided are planning level estimates that need to be further refined with detailed planning.

For more information on the project, click here.