by Theresa Andrus
One of the biggest assets in the Maple Lake area will soon get quite a bit bigger.
Robert Ney Memorial Park, just north of Maple Lake on County Road 8, is the beneficiary of a land purchase that will add 240 acres to the 360-acre park. With the additional acreage, only Stanley Eddy Memorial Park at 658 acres in French Lake Township will exceed the size of Ney Park in the Wright County Parks system.
Ney Park was established in 1968 thanks to the donation of land by Albert Ney in the name of his son, Robert, who was killed in World War II. In addition to the initial donation of land, Albert Ney established a trust fund, managed by Maple Lake resident Ed Raiche, which was used over the years to purchase adjoining parcels that have allowed the park to grow.
That trust fund is gone, but a grant of $450,000 from the Local Grants Unit of the Minnesota Department of Resources was approved in June. County Commissioner Ken Jude, who worked for the Ney Park acquisition with Wright County Parks Director Marc Mattice, said the DNR grant funds are provided by the Minnesota State Lottery proceeds
“Now you are seeing the local gambling dollars at work,” Jude said. “And we’re bringing them home to Wright County.”
The total cost of the park land acquisition was $831,000, with the remainder of the purchase funded by county park dedication fees paid by developers and $174,000 from county funds.
Mattice said the process to enlarge the park began a year ago when the land owned by Dennis Havel of Rogers went on the market. Negotiations began and Mattice said the agreed upon price came in at $24,000 under the appraised value of the land. Jude said Havel was also patient while the county proceeded with the grant process.
“This gentleman was willing to wait until September 2001, when he would either have sold the land to someone else or developed it,” Jude said.
The addition to Ney Park is located on the east side of the current park and its location will provide the additional benefit of connecting Ney Park to a 260-acre parcel of State Wildlife Management land that in effect forms an 800-acre wildlife preserve in the center of Wright County.
“And you can’t get anymore centered than Maple Lake,” Mattice said.
Ney Park’s central location in the county was a key attribute in the effort to pursue the land acquisition.
“It’s a great asset to the citizens of Wright County,” Jude said. “We are providing more park area to keep up with the fast-paced population growth and to enhance what we already have instead of trying to establish new parks.”
Mattice agreed with that assessment.
“I think this acquisition will enhance the outdoor recreation opportunities for the entire county,” he said. “It will provide more space for the protection of natural resources and an area for educational programming.”
With the construction of the Environmental Learning Center at Ney Park in 1994, students and residents from throughout the county have traveled to the park for a wide variety of educational classes, interpretative programs and special events that have at times packed the building. The Ney Park nature center is the only such facility in the Wright County Parks System.
And Mattice said that Ney Park’s location at the northern edge of the Big Woods also makes it unique as a combination of the Big Woods, Oak Savanna and the other habitats in the county. “We’ve got a microcosm of Wright County right here,” he said.
Ney Park currently offers 3.5 miles of hiking trails, a self-guided interpretive trail, a public access to Lake Mary, and groomed trails for cross country skiing. With the new land acquisition, Mattice said that the Wright County Parks Commission will develop a concept plan for recreational features such as trails, picnic areas and perhaps some primitive camping areas. The plan would then be sent to Minnesota State in Mankato where students would develop the concept plan by determining the best locations for trails and other desired park features.
Jude said the increased prominence of Ney Park in Wright County may serve to aid recent local efforts to construct a bike/pedestrian/roller blade trail from Maple Lake to the park. He said prospective grantors would likely look favorably on connecting the city with such an important environmental and recreational resource, particularly in light of the fact that the city shares ownership of Ney Park with the county.
“I think we have an excellent opportunity to connect the City of Maple Lake to park facilities,” Jude said. “And it’s a golden opportunity because of city ownership in the park.”
Jude and Mattice said expansion of the park was also a golden opportunity before the rapidly expanding county population and rising land prices make such park improvements impossible. Mattice said a late start by Hennepin County in preserving natural resources has resulted in the inconvenient location of park lands on the western side of that county. He also cited proposed park expansions in Benton and Stearns counties with land prices ranging from about $7,000 to $10,000 per acre.
“Our county board is getting parks developed throughout the county,” Mattice said. “They’re ahead of the game right now.”
And Jude agreed.
“We’re buying it not only for today,” he said. “We’re getting it for the future. I’m usually a very conservative person, but when the opportunity is there, you take it.
“We’re trying to be visionary by placing parks in strategic areas and providing parks big enough to accommodate the growing population.”