Rebuilding, rebranding Eddys Resort

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is nearing completion of a major redevelopment of the Eddys Mille Lacs Resort on the western shores of Mille Lacs Lake in Onamia.

The redevelopment, anchored by a new lakeside hotel and restaurant, is meant to position Eddys as a world-class resort and restaurant on the lake, says the band.

Construction is scheduled to be done before the 2015 spring fishing opener. As far as the projects developers are concerned, the timing couldnt be better.

Mille Lacs Lake, long known as an ideal place to wet a line, is being rebranded as a destination that offers more than good fishing, said Joe Nayquonabe, CEO of Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures, the projects developer.

Its actually a great recreation lake, too sailing, canoeing, kayaking in the summer and kite boarding in the winter, Nayquonabe said. We realized that we needed to play a part in that rebranding and bring new amenities to this area. Our opportunity was a rebuild of Eddys Resort.

The band isnt disclosing the cost of the project. But the construction cost for the hotel and restaurant is $10 million, according to a Mille Lacs County building permit.

Amenities include 64 new hotel rooms, a Parlour suite, and two- and three-room cabins north of the resort across the access road. The new space will offer a large meeting room, a restaurant, a marina, and a retail/bait shop, he said.

One big change includes moving the building closer to the lake so visitors can better enjoy the views. Previously, a parking lot stood between the hotel and the lake.

You are not looking at the parking lot and the lake; you are looking at the lake, said Darin Engelby, project manager for PCL Construction in Burnsville, the projects builder.

The project, designed by Minneapolis-based BKV Group, comes at a time when the Mille Lacs Band is diversifying its investments.

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Rebuilding, rebranding Eddys Resort