Duluth's Chester Bowl builds new bridge, aims for new chalet next
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One hundred cheering summer campers marched across a new bridge at Chester Bowl Park in Duluth earlier this week, celebrating the completion of the first phase of an infrastructure campaign that park officials hope will culminate with the construction of a new ski chalet.
The $230,000 structure built with thick wooden beams spans the creek that cascades through the center of the park, connecting a small ski hill on one side, with an old chalet on the other bank.
The Chester Bowl Improvement Club, which runs programming in the city-owned park, is trying to raise $1.3 million to build a larger chalet, on top of the old building’s foundation.
“It is too small for our program demand. It is not ADA accessible. It is extremely energy efficient. And the maintenance needs are overwhelming right now,” said executive director Dave Schaeffer. “So this will allow us to completely expand and renovate the building.”
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Long and storied history
Chester Bowl is an iconic park in the center of Duluth that opened in 1888.
The park’s main attraction is the 175-foot ski hill, served by a single chair lift. It’s where several Olympic ski jumpers honed their craft in the early to mid 1900s.
The jumps were torn down several years ago, but the hill now serves about two thousand skiers and snowboarders every year, mainly families who volunteer making snow, selling concessions and overseeing youth races to help defray the costs of skiing.
That allows a family of three to rent gear and ski for the entire winter for about $500.
“Everybody in town feels like they can come here, it doesn't matter who you are. It's one of those places, you know, you come through those gates and you're just like everyone else,” said club board member Susan Schumacher.
Ambitious target
The club has raised about $600,000 towards its fundraising goal, Schaeffer said.
If it hits its $1.3 million target, the club plans to partner with the city to apply for a federal grant to cover about half the new chalet's total $2.7 million cost.
Schaeffer said there are a lot of memories in the old chalet, but a larger building is needed to serve its growing user base.
“We're finding that people just want to be outside. Our programs have doubled in size over the last ten years. So the demand is overwhelming.”