Brooklyn Park Demands Champlin Park HS Water Hookup
Is Champlin Park High School in Champlin or Brooklyn Park? It’s a question that irks some Brooklyn Park City Council members. That’s because the building is in Brooklyn Park even though the school’s mailing address says Champlin. Now an issue over water has the city of Brooklyn Park demanding action from the school.
Council Members Raise Concerns
Some Brooklyn Park City Council members say the high school is benefiting from being in Brooklyn Park, but the city isn’t benefiting from the school the same way. Council members raised concerns over a routine vote over a resource officer the city would provide the school. Brooklyn Park City Council member Mark Mata said he wouldn’t support that motion since the school has yet to hook up to Brooklyn Park’s water system. Mata says Champlin is benefiting financially from the amount of water the high school uses when that shouldn’t be the case.
“I am not going to support us doing something for them. They have yet come to back and support the residents of Brooklyn Park. All they have done is be a tax burden here,” said Mata.
Mata pointed out that the school had a chance to hook up to city water during a parking lot project last year but the school didn’t it.
Champlin Park High School Will Comply
The Brooklyn Park City Council did approve the school resource officer. Council members felt the safety of students is more important than an ongoing issue between the school and the city.
However, the Brooklyn Park planning director says the city expects the school to hook up to Brooklyn Park’s water system when the school begins a $16 million expansion project that voters approved in a referendum. If the school doesn’t comply, city officials say a construction permit won’t be issued.
“We’ve made it very clear to them that they can’t proceed without the connection,” said Cindy Sherman, Brooklyn Park’s planning director. “The connection is in their plans and it’s documented in the permit that they are requesting.”
While officials with the Anoka-Hennepin School District would not speak on camera, they view the water hookup as a non-issue. They said that they will hook up to Brooklyn Park’s water system when they begin the expansion of the high school. School officials have yet to determine a construction start date.
