Even if the $18 million sale of 3,000 acres of U.S. Steel land to the State of Minnesota for a park on Lake Vermilion is made this year, funds to fully develop the park will likely have to wait for another two years.
That’s the take-away from THIS recent story in the Timberjay.
Jean Wagenius, the chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, thinks the left-over $2 million in the $20 million funding authorization for the park, will be enough to initiate park development until the next bonding year at the capital — 2012.
Wagenius opposes the call by two northeastern Minnesota legislators for a separate $30-million allocation for park construction this session.
With the $2 million from the purchase allocation, the Minnesota DNR plans to make pre-designs for park facilities and build interim day-use amenities.
The Minnesota DNR has a web page devoted to the proposed park HERE.