The deal for the city to purchase the Mexico Lindo property is a good one, but we have an out-of-the-box suggestion for the site, too.

Here’s the money part:

The city pays $25,000. The remaining $470,000 is donated. The city would have to pay $14,000 to remove asbestos, and it would use some of its labor to tear the former restaurant down. It’s a bargain.

There were other concerns, though. Councilor Al “Minnow” Brooks had it right when he was worried about it becoming nothing but grass. He voted for it because, fortunately, as parkland, it has many possibilities. Being next to the channel — the start of the Shell Rock River — it obviously has appeal to anglers.

But it also could be a site for a pavilion or restrooms or both.

So here’s our idea:

We urge the city to consider those two options and more: Adding an amenity not found in the Albert Lea parks system.

Considering this is a high-traffic site that someday could be part of a master plan for the channel between the lakes, we urge the city to consider a pavilion with restrooms that would have space to lease to a food provider.

Our example comes from Tin Fish at Lake Calhoun in the Minneapolis parks system. The vendor Tin Fish leases the space in the pavilion overlooking Lake Calhoun. Customers walk up to a window, order and pay for food and drinks, then wait a few minutes to hear a number, then get their food at a second window. They sit at tables, some under the pavilion and some in the sunshine.

Moreover, because it is near Lake Street and at the junction of bike trails, the Lake Calhoun pavilion is at a high-traffic site for bikes, pedestrians and autos.

The channel already is on a high-traffic street: East Main Street. And it is popular among people who like to fish. Now imagine if the path that someday will connect Fountain Lake bike and foot traffic to the Blazing Star Trail goes through or near the new park, it would only make having a food vendor all the more appealing. The vendor would draw people to the park and, in the long run, benefit the park budget.