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County Parks:

  Bend in the River

  Benton Beach

  Mayhew Lake Park

  Rose Anna Beach

  St. George Township Park

  St. Regis Park

  Wapicada - Mayhew Park

  Lakeview Center

Reservations/Fees

Park Rules

Master Plan for Parks, Trails and Open Space

Master Plan for Bend in the River Regional Park

Parks Commission

Top Questions
  1. Where are the County Parks?
  2. Do you have picnic shelters for rent?
  3. Do you have space available for meetings or receptions?
  4. Can I bring alcohol to the park/campground?
  5. What is the Parks Commission?
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Benton County Departments

Services
Open Space and Parks Planning: Glads, Sads and Mads

Group 1— Recorder Norm Esterberg

GLAD of

  • cooperation of all government agencies
  • appropriated money for plan
  • changing park dedication fees similar to Sherburne County 7% - 10%

SAD of

  • should be more involvement in all aspects of government; state input money for County, Township and Cities
  • small interest groups work against common good to get goals accomplished

MAD of

  • non-productive meetings—needs to be simpler
  • too many political games

Group 2— Carrie Tripp

GLAD of

  • nice rural lifestyle; opportunities for business
  • people happy that they can support Benton County Parks, example—sports club, also Veterans and Budget Committee
  • budget committee membership
  • create opportunities for park users with visual impairments
  • interested staff and commissioners to come up with parks and open space master plan

SAD of

  • not enough involvement with Park Board
  • population expansion, loss of rural quality
  • no decision on Sauk Rapids bridge
  • residents’ under use of existing parks
  • parks not used as often as should be

MAD of

  • revenues outside of budget, lack of funding
  • water quality down in Little Rock Lake
  • people who don’t contribute at right time in process
  • not everybody has hat like Duane Walters

Group 3

GLAD of

  • coordination, cooperation and participation of multiple agencies
  • happy about current opportunities
  • active and passive activities present are good

SAD of

  • little opportunity to participate (public notice not as good as it could be)
  • under utilization of existing facilities
  • not necessarily looking at opportunities to incorporate recreation into rebuilds/ infrastructures

MAD of

  • lack of agency cooperation in the past
  • funding
  • cooperation of agencies

Group 4

GLAD of

  • grew up in county in mid-1900s
  • Township board member for 40 years
  • decent job, family, place to live, kids come home to Benton County
  • small communities, good schools, safe
  • being a part of planning process

SAD of

  • Peace Rock not preserved
  • Zoning member 12 years, disappointed way of current planning, development patterns
  • over-regulation in some areas and under regulation in others (I.e., snowmobiles)
  • County not living up to sanitary regulations
  • limited amount of money/people to make improvements

MAD of

  • Little Rock Lake water quality deterioration

Group 5

GLAD of

  • natural areas remaining
  • park fee for developers
  • peace ad quiet of rural life
  • landowners seeking opportunities to conserve resources, conservancy on own property
  • effort to buy Gray’s property

SAD of

  • encroaching residential development on farms
  • wetland loss
  • revising development increases
  • land price increases (impact on farms and new farms)
  • park planning process—20 years overdue—lost resources
  • society not putting resources/money to maintain quality of life children not comfortable today in nature, indoor oriented
  • Recreational vehicles damage wetlands

MAD of

  • loss of unique natural areas
  • corporate farming increases, family farming decrease
  • billboards
  • lack of money for natural resources

Group 6

GLAD of

  • Gray’s farm purchase
  • Rice area sportsman club land purchases
  • diversity in development around Sauk Rapids in a sensitive manner
  • Parks planning process starting for future of Benton County

SAD of

  • County Biological Survey points out loss of vegetation
  • Surveyed urban sprawl
  • lack of regional coordination outside of Benton County
  • loss of habitat (forests)

MAD of

  • lack of support from legislators
  • waited too long to do park planning
  • waited too long to do budget for planning
Contact Information
Jim Whitcomb
Park Operations and Maintenance

Phone: 320-968-5190
Email:
jwhitcomb@co.benton.mn.us

 

Pam Sklenicka
Park Reservations

Phone: 320-968-5291
Email:
psklenic@co.benton.mn.us

 

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