Kids help stock fish pens at Collins Lake
Dozens of children formed a bucket brigade at Collins Lake on Thursday and helped transport juvenile rainbow trout from trucks to fish pens as part of the annual trout net pen program.
The November event typically sees school kids participate during field trips, but because of distance learning this year the participating children were brought by their parents.
Jacob Young, assistant manager of Collins Lake Recreation Area, said their annual event is one of the last fall fish plants they do every year before winter. About 50 children helped in the effort this year.
“The kids get to be hands on with the fish. Getting that up close and personal, unless they’ve been fishing or something, many of them have never been that close to fish,” he said. “It’s also an educational process because we get to tell them what we do with these fish during the winter and they get to ask questions, so we are able to educate them and their parents.”
In total, approximately 2,400 pounds of trout will be stored in a dozen pens at
and suites.
“Consolidating services into a single location makes it less complicated for our customers to get the services that they need,” Link said. “Many of our customers have little access to transportation, so a single site with good public transportation access has always been a goal. In addition, a single site means better coordination
and collaboration in the delivery of services, which helps to achieve efficiency in administering our vital safety net programs.”
The building has been vacant since December 2014. The county entered into a lease agreement for the building in June 2017 for a monthly fixed-rate of $16,125.
Once the due diligence period is completed, Link said the county will have a far more concrete path forward and
better idea of timing. The county is still assessing the cost of a remodel for the building, which will be in addition to the purchase price.
“Delays are not unusual in this type of transaction. We continue to work through all challenges and are moving forward,” Link said. “…The timeline will depend on the result of the findings from the due diligence period, which ends in midFebruary.”