A full-service restaurant, a summer concession stand and new recreational options are planned next year for the Como Lakeside Pavilion in St. Paul, replacing a vendor to whom the city paid $800,000 to settle a breach of contract lawsuit.
City officials said Thursday they've chosen Como Dockside — a group that includes Jon and Jarrett Oulman, owners of the Amsterdam Bar in St. Paul and the 331 Club in Minneapolis, and Amsterdam co-owner Josh Mandelman — to operate and maintain the city-owned pavilion through 2020.
The management agreement, which requires the new vendor to invest $200,000 in the pavilion up front and guarantees annual revenue payments to the city of at least $100,000, will be reviewed by the parks commission next week and go to the City Council for final approval on Dec. 17.
If the council approves, Como Dockside will take over operations Jan. 5 and throw a grand opening for the renovated pavilion in May.
"I'm actually really excited about this agreement," Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hahm said. "It's everything we wanted to have for this facility."
After the renovation is complete, the pavilion will have a new restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, a concession stand off the walking trails, rentals including kayaks, canoes and Surrey bikes and at least 100 annual stage events.
Hahm said those amenities are a response to more than 1,000 comments from residents on what they hoped to see at the pavilion, the centerpiece of one of the metro area's most popular parks, with 4.4 million visitors each year.
Black Bear Crossings took over the pavilion in 2000 when the city decided to contract out the business, and signed its most recent lease in 2009 with the city's encouragement.