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Committee approves festival permit, trail reroute and land swaps; tables deed transfer
Summary
Sawyer County committee approved a recurring mountain bike festival permit, a snowmobile Trail 30 reroute and a proposed county/private land trade; it also approved minutes and recorded a sale of surplus parcels while tabling a deed transfer to a town pending clarification.
At its July 15 meeting, the Sawyer County Forestry, Parks and Recreation Committee approved several routine permits and land management actions and recorded updates on tax‑forfeit parcel sales.
The committee voted to approve the recurring mountain bike festival application for county forest lands. County staff said the application and insurance were in order and that the event is a recurring permit; a motion to approve carried with a voice vote.
The committee also approved a proposal to reroute Snowmobile Trail 30 off a residential portion of Chippewa Trail onto existing county forest roads and a mix of county and private parcels where the Snowmobile Alliance has permission to cross. The motion carried; committee members noted the reroute will also require Town of Hayward permission and subsequent county board approval because it is a new trail alignment.
A land‑trade proposal brought by county forestry staff — swapping a county 40‑acre parcel that lacks legal access for a nearby private 40‑acre parcel that would consolidate county ownership and improve management access — was approved. Staff said the swap would require an appraisal and a withdrawal from state county forest enrollment for the county parcel before any exchange is finalized; the committee authorized the county to proceed with the appraisal process.
Committee members also discussed tax‑forfeit parcel sales. The treasurer reported 26 of 37 parcels sold for about $270,000 and said staff will continue efforts to sell the remaining 11 by lowering minimum bids and contacting neighboring landowners. A request to deed a remaining roadway parcel to the Town of Spider Lake was tabled until staff can confirm whether the parcel is truly public roadway or private access.
Other routine actions included approval of minutes from the previous meeting and a motion to pursue a land swap related to the Fish Trap Dam replacement project; the latter will be brought to committee and county board in coming months as plans and state reviews advance.
The meeting’s consent‑style approvals were taken by voice votes or consensus; items that require additional jurisdictional approvals (new trail alignment, dam land swap) were noted as requiring follow‑up with the county board or state agencies.
