BEMIDJI 鈥� Sitting along the shores of Lake Bemidji, the newly rebranded Jiigibiig boathouse now offers fishing kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and facility rentals for community members to use and enjoy.
After being out of use for some time, the city of Bemidji Parks and Recreation Department has taken over operations at Bemidji State University鈥檚 former Outdoor Program Center boathouse in Diamond Point Park under the name Jiigibiig, meaning 鈥渁long the shore鈥� in Ojibwe.
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The temporary closure of the OPC boathouse was the result of budget cuts due to Bemidji State falling into a $9 million budget deficit in 2023, which has since led to the elimination of dozens of positions and funding cuts to several programs.
The boathouse was not originally set to be cut from the budget, however, BSU was not breaking even with the $20,000 a year lease for the site. So, when the lease expired in September 2023, the university chose not to renew it, leaving unknowns about what would become of the building.
After BSU鈥檚 lease on the boathouse expired, Parks and Rec expressed interest in taking over operations in 2023, but chose not to start up right away in 2024.
鈥淚t gave us time to kind of plan a little bit better and try to figure out how best to staff it, what equipment people would want to rent, and then just kind of get some more feedback from the community,鈥� Marcia Larson, director of Bemidji Parks and Recreation, explained.
Jiigibiig will offer watercraft, such as tandem, single and pedal-assist kayaks and paddle board rentals while camps, programs or facility rentals are happening. Starting on Wednesday, June 25, bike rentals will be available to the public.
鈥淥ur Kids in Motion camp is also here, so it鈥檚 been a really nice home for them in this park,鈥� Larson noted. 鈥淲e are focusing a little bit on the fishing kayaks and just encouraging more fishing out of this site, so people can use the fishing pier or get on the water without having a boat (of their own).鈥�
Parks and Rec has been renting out watercraft and bikes from the Tourist Information Center in Paul Bunyan Park the past few summers and has seen great success, but Larson is excited to see the offerings grow with the addition of the Jiigibiig site.
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鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to getting this open and available to the community,鈥� she added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really fun to see the use of this building and all the parties and the kids play here and now a way for people to rent equipment.鈥�
She also mentioned that community members can offer suggestions to the department on other ways they'd like to get out on the water or spend time at the park, as it is always open to ideas and feedback.
Jiigibiig will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday, with final call on rentals at 5 p.m. Larson hopes that by June 25, the operating days will expand to Wednesdays through Sundays during the summer months.
鈥淧eople can register or reserve all of our kayaks and bikes online,鈥� Larson said. 鈥淲e have a new online system, so we can reserve them online and come and just pick them up to make it as easy as possible.鈥�
Here's a look at the current rental prices:
- Tandem fishing kayak: $18 per hour
- Single fishing kayak: $13 per hour
- Single fishing kayak pedal assist: $13 per hour
- Paddle boards: $14 per hour
- Bike rental: $12 per hour
Equipment and facility reservations can be made through the Parks and Recreation website at
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