Crow Wing County approves intent to purchase 115.9 acres from Northland Arboretum and supports regional designation application

The Crow Wing County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved an intent to purchase 115.9 acres from the Northland Arboretum and passed a second resolution authorizing the county to enter into a contract with the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission to pursue regional park and trail designation.

Trevor Pumnia, executive director of the Northland Arboretum, told commissioners the proposal had been refined to remove a roughly 2.99‑acre sliver on the west side of the Paul Bunyan Trail so the arboretum would retain that parcel; Pumnia said the arboretum would retain options such as sale or eminent domain should development occur in the distant future. Joe Chipaschi, system plan coordinator for the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission, described the second resolution as the standard authorization the commission requires to accept an application from a city, county or tribal facility and said the resolution would allow the county to serve as the legal authority for the application.

Nut graf: The purchase approval is contingent on securing funding from the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission; the designation resolution grants authority for the county to enter a binding contract with the commission as part of the regional designation process.

Board action and conditions: Commissioner Franzen moved to approve the county’s intent to purchase the 115.9 acres contingent on funding procurement from the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission; Commissioner Lee seconded the motion and the board recorded aye votes from all commissioners present. The board then voted to approve the resolution authorizing the county to enter into the required contract with the commission (motion by Commissioner Franzen, second by Commissioner Levke), again recording unanimous aye votes.

Background and next steps: Pumnia said the county’s approval is the initial local step in a process that, if funded and approved by the regional commission, would result in the site becoming part of Greater Minnesota’s regionally designated parks and trails system. The approvals recorded at the meeting do not themselves transfer property or funding; the purchase remains contingent upon procurement of the external grant or funding specified in the resolution.

The board thanked arboretum staff and liaisons from the cities of Brainerd and Baxter for letters of support recorded in the application packet.