Northland Arboretum asks county to approve intent to purchase 118.89 acres so it can pursue regional designation

Trevor, identified as representing the Northland Arboretum, asked the Crow Wing County Committee of the Whole on Feb. 18 for two draft resolutions: one expressing the county's intent to purchase a northern parcel at the Arboretum under a long-term lease agreement, and a second designating the county as the lead applicant to pursue Greater Minnesota regional parks and trails designation.

Trevor said the Arboretum currently leases roughly 87.9 acres from the county and also owns several parcels; the request was to add the northern 120-acre parcel to county ownership to meet a municipal-ownership acreage threshold favored by the state classification, but he clarified that the net acreage would be 118.89 acres after removing a sliver containing the state-owned Paul Bunyan Trail. He said he would provide modified resolution language to reflect 118.89 acres and to include a clause that conversion to non-recreational use would require fulfilling original grant contract terms.

Trevor and staff described why regional designation matters: the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission recommends projects for state grants that fund acquisitions and infrastructure (for example, restrooms, pavilions and trails) but not routine operations; such designation would make the Arboretum eligible for legacy-funded grants. Trevor said the Arboretum has assembled letters of support from local partners, including the cities of Brainerd and Baxter and regional nonprofits and educational institutions such as Central Lakes College.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about ownership, appraisal and whether the county would be the entity applying for and receiving state funds; Trevor and staff confirmed the county would be the applicant and that a formal appraisal and master plan would be needed before purchase or designation could proceed. Staff and commissioners requested edits to the draft resolutions to change references (for example, to ensure the county signs by administrator rather than clerk and to correct the board/commission phrasing). Trevor said the Arboretum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that owns and leases various parcels within the overall site and that the requested county action is intended to clean up ownership to improve the Arboretum's designation ranking.

Commissioners expressed general support for pursuing the application and asked staff to bring the item to the full County Board on March 11 for formal consideration; Trevor said representatives from Greater Minnesota (Joe Kopishke and Renee from the evaluation team) would attend the March 11 meeting to answer technical questions. No formal vote was held at the Committee meeting; staff will revise the draft resolutions and present the request on the March 11 agenda.