3A - Community Character Action Plan

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groups and activities that strengthen the community. Eer ^'^, '^^^' Gt, deRtS ^ ..t^a th._ .. gal ,.f o^,..,^t Encouraging public art by students and local civic groups gives young people an opportunity to engage in their community, enforcing the concept that Pequot Lakes values its youth and takes pride in their education. Yearly festivals like Bean Hole Days, the 4th of July Celebration,Taste of Pequot and Music in the Park provide fun events that celebrate the City's heritage, bring together people of all age groups, and attract visitors from around the state. Pequot Lakes also has a tremendous asset with the Trailside Park area, the land between Highway 371 and Government Drive, adjacent to the Paul Bunyan Trail. The public space adiacent to the park needs to be reconfigured to provide better connections to the park.The park itself,which functions more as a central "square" than a traditional park, also needs some reconfiguration to make the space more usable.The current layout of the park has a random feel that has evolved through decades of uncoordinated projects.A better understanding of the role of this vital public space would give context to future improvements. Drror11419Nn6 OPPORTUNITIES FOR A BALANCED LIFESTYLE In Pequot Lakes, people have the opportunity to live where they vacation.The Paul Bunyan Trail, numerous lakes, and areas of publicly and privately owned land provide residents and visitors with a variety of active and passive recreational opportunities. The integration of recreation with everyday life prevails in the City. Citizens feel strongly that it is worth preserving, particularly as the population in Pequot Lakes grows and existing recreational facilities face increased pressure. Increasing affluence,leisure time,and a growing awareness of health and fitness issues all point to a greater need for recreational opportunities in Pequot Lakes. Until recently, Pequot Lakes has stayed on the periphery of growth and development in the Central Lakes Region, partially due to the fact that it does not sit on or near a four-lane highway. Continued growth through the regionoe&Ra' gFewth tF^^' combined with the widening and realignment of Highway 371 will soon change this. In order to maintain the existing community character, residents 400e ld- ili a to^R4^4r, want the City to capitalize on the 43ww;components that of community character. They wish to maintain the i..tegFit„of the l2eq et dive_Fse laR seapes whi^h is ,h"FnaRy peeple deride to^^" it h^^^^.small-town feel of Pequot Lakes by and resist growth the development pattern that has been adopted by all of the surrounding communities. POLICIES The following policies are proposed to guide all future growth and development and local government action in Pequot Lakes: Protect and enhance '^^' hus*Aesses7 landmarks, historic and archeological sites, social gathering places, and natural features in Pequot Lakes.The City of Pequot Lakes wants its community character—including the small town feel, natural features, social gathering places and events, and recreational opportunities - to serve as the foundation for economic vitality and quality of life. An increasingly large number of studies support this philosophy, with findings indicating that communities taking steps to actively protect their distinct community assets clearly enhance their economic potential, putting them at an advantage over other communities that don't identify and preserve the components contributing to their community character.