by Ben Sehnert
news@thenewsleaders.com
Stearns County commissioners reviewed and approved a tentative master plan for the development of Kraemer Lake-Wildwood County Park on Aug. 2 at the Stearns County Administration Center in downtown St. Cloud. As it currently stands, the plan exists as a four-phase implementation of various improvements, including a picnic shelter, canoe launch, beach and ecological restoration.
Kraemer Lake-Wildwood County Park is located west of St. Joseph on CR 51 and is comprised of 265 acres of woodland and 3,000 feet of shoreline. Stearns County purchased the property in 2007 and has since worked with local residents in developing a master plan for the park’s future.
The county expects to cover $3.11 million in development costs partially through the state’s Legacy Amendment, adopted by voters in 2008. The master plan proposed by the Stearns County Parks Department is itself a condition of receiving future funding from the state.
However, for the county commissioners, some questions concerning expenses and funding remain unanswered insofar as the extent of state funding remains unknown. Although Parks Director Pete Theismann intimated revenue could be generated from the park itself by means of shelter rent and vehicle permits, the commission decided to review the question again once the state had stipulated the amount of grant funding.
“If we decide to go ahead with the (state) grant, depending on how much of a county (tax) levy match it would take, the master plan could be tweaked as time goes on,” said Stearns County Commissioner Mark Bromenschenkel, who represents St. Joseph, “This is more of a guideline for us now.”
The county commissioners also requested Theismann’s office develop an overall projection for both capital and operational costs of the plan.
A further point of debate concerned the possibility of creating a motorized boat launch that would give the general public access to the lake. Currently, only the St. Joseph Rod and Gun Club has a private motorized boat access on Kraemer Lake.
“I know a lot of residents do not like motorized access, but this is a public body of water,” said commissioner DeWayne Mareck, who represents a portion of St. Cloud. “I am challenged with restricting access to the public on a public body of water. If residents on the lake have access and can use motorized boats, it seems to me the public should be able to do so as well.”
Stewart Crosby, an SRF consultant who has worked alongside the county in developing the plan, asserted building a motorized boat launch would not only make the plan considerably more expensive but would have a heavy impact on the lakeshore itself. However, the question of equity remained predominant for both the commissioners and the parks director.
“I would request the plan as it’s stated be approved with the caveat that both those for and against non-motorized access sometime in the next year bring to the park commission some proposal for more equitable access to the lake,” Theismann said.
The commissioners then voted unanimously to approve the plan – but only on the condition that the process suggested by Theismann would be realized in the coming year.
