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Camp Ripley commander briefs Little Falls City Council on operations, training schedule and museum plans
Summary
Colonel Troy Fink, Garrison Commander at Camp Ripley, told the Little Falls City Council on April 7 that the training center expects heavy summer activity, a new main gate design, a 40,000-square-foot museum opening in July 2026 and prescribed burns on nearly 15,000 acres this year.
Colonel Troy Fink, Garrison Commander at Camp Ripley, told the Little Falls City Council on April 7 that the training center will see heavy troop throughput in June, is moving forward with a new access-control gate and expects to open a 40,000-square-foot museum by July 2026.
Fink said the base’s operations generate “just shy of $83,000,000” in regional economic impact and employ between 800 and 1,000 people, with seasonal surges pushing staff higher during the summer training months. He described Camp Ripley as a level 2 training center and said it regularly hosts units from the active Navy, Air Force and Marines as well as state law enforcement and other agencies.
The update matters to Little Falls because Camp Ripley’s training schedule brings noise, traffic and public-safety coordination to nearby communities while contributing significant local spending and jobs.
Fink described several near-term and ongoing items: design work for a new main gate west of the existing Highway 115 entrance to meet Army force-protection standards; the museum project, which he said is on schedule to open in July 2026; expansion of child-care options with three on-base independent providers now operating; partnerships with state agencies including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota State Patrol; and environmental stewardship efforts that have earned awards. “We’re pretty proud of that fact that...we open up our doors and we train,” Fink said, noting Camp Ripley served a high throughput of soldiers in 2024 and ranked third nationally behind two level-1 centers.
Fink also told the council the base will conduct prescribed burns this spring and early summer and plans to burn just short of 15,000 acres in 2025. He asked that residents who see smoke consult social media or local radio notices and, if they encounter unexploded ordnance, contact 911 or the camp directly and “please don’t touch it.”
On the museum, Mayor Zilka asked about progress. Fink said the facility is “right on schedule” and repeated the planned July 2026 opening. When asked about size, he said the museum will be about 40,000 square feet and that displays from the current site will be moved to the new facility.
Fink mentioned the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program as a federal tool Camp Ripley uses to limit development near the training area. He characterized ACUB as offering landowners compensation aligned with market value in exchange for easements that reduce encroachment and related complaints.
Fink closed by inviting questions and reminding residents that Camp Ripley coordinates with local agencies and posts public outreach information, including a biannual open house scheduled for September.
The council did not take formal action on the briefing; members thanked Fink for the update and adjourned to the next agenda items.
