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The Friends of Fort Ridgely held their regular board meeting last Thursday at which several options were discussed about where to head in the future regarding planned park renovations they disagree with.
While their plans at this time remain confidential, Friends of Fort Ridgely President John Fritsche emphasized that they are proceeding with caution as they move forward.
“We’re waiting to see what the next options will be,” he said.
Much of the meeting was spent discussing a prior meeting the Friends held with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) on Tuesday, Aug. 17.
Overall, the Friends were less than thrilled with Tuesday’s meeting. They feel that despite their objections, MHS and DNR officials still plan to get rid of the existing park office and move it into the historic commissary building.
“[DNR official] Jeff Sieve kept saying we have to do this, we have to do this,” explained Friends board member Dave Nelson.
In a statement read by the Friends at Tuesday’s meeting, it was clear where they stand on this issue.
“Friends of Fort Ridgely will not be part of any discussion or plan that would involve combining the DNR site office with the MHS commissary/museum building,” they read.
Instead of moving the park office into the historical site, the Friends proposed a list of repairs they feel are a higher priority to keep Fort Ridgely sustainable in the future.
Some of these suggestions include making repairs to the commissary to make the building more energy efficient, replacing the campground road, creating handicap accessible bathrooms for the campground and completing the bike trail into the park.
On Thursday, Nelson emphasized that the joint DNR/MHS-proposed plan should be stopped for two reasons. The first he described as philosophical: a state park office doesn’t belong in a historic site like the commissary.
Secondly, Nelson described his other reason for opposing the plan as logistical. He doesn’t feel it makes any sense to have the check-in station at the opposite end from the park entrance.
Others at the meeting explained that DNR and MHS officials keep saying this project must be done this year due to the language of the 2010 Bonding Bill. However, they feel relying on this reason for pushing the project forward is just an excuse.
As emphasized by one person at the meeting, the bonding bill states that most (but not all) approved projects needed to be completed in the next 12 months. Thus, the group feels there is room for interpretation either way on this project.
The Friends of Fort Ridgely held their regular board meeting last Thursday at which several options were discussed about where to head in the future regarding planned park renovations they disagree with.
While their plans at this time remain confidential, Friends of Fort Ridgely President John Fritsche emphasized that they are proceeding with caution as they move forward.
“We’re waiting to see what the next options will be,” he said.
Much of the meeting was spent discussing a prior meeting the Friends held with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) on Tuesday, Aug. 17.
Overall, the Friends were less than thrilled with Tuesday’s meeting. They feel that despite their objections, MHS and DNR officials still plan to get rid of the existing park office and move it into the historic commissary building.
“[DNR official] Jeff Sieve kept saying we have to do this, we have to do this,” explained Friends board member Dave Nelson.
In a statement read by the Friends at Tuesday’s meeting, it was clear where they stand on this issue.
“Friends of Fort Ridgely will not be part of any discussion or plan that would involve combining the DNR site office with the MHS commissary/museum building,” they read.
Instead of moving the park office into the historical site, the Friends proposed a list of repairs they feel are a higher priority to keep Fort Ridgely sustainable in the future.
Some of these suggestions include making repairs to the commissary to make the building more energy efficient, replacing the campground road, creating handicap accessible bathrooms for the campground and completing the bike trail into the park.
On Thursday, Nelson emphasized that the joint DNR/MHS-proposed plan should be stopped for two reasons. The first he described as philosophical: a state park office doesn’t belong in a historic site like the commissary.
Secondly, Nelson described his other reason for opposing the plan as logistical. He doesn’t feel it makes any sense to have the check-in station at the opposite end from the park entrance.
Others at the meeting explained that DNR and MHS officials keep saying this project must be done this year due to the language of the 2010 Bonding Bill. However, they feel relying on this reason for pushing the project forward is just an excuse.
As emphasized by one person at the meeting, the bonding bill states that most (but not all) approved projects needed to be completed in the next 12 months. Thus, the group feels there is room for interpretation either way on this project.
Thursday’s meeting was the latest development in a controversy that has been brewing at Fort Ridgely State Park since the 2010 Bonding Bill was signed by the Minnesota Legislature in March.
It was at this time that members of the Friends group and other park users learned that $800,000 had been designated to make renovations at Fort Ridgely.
The bulk of the proposed project involves turning the commissary into a shared administrative center for park staff, MHS and the Nicollet County Historical Society.
DNR and MHS proposed this project for a variety of reasons. For one, the current park office built years ago was meant to be a temporary structure. Also, the commissary building is in need of many serious repairs.
Outside of facility needs, the project is being proposed with the hope of sharing expenses between the three entities. Thus, each group feels they could be open additional days and offer more programs.
