Detroit Mt. leaders visit county board
About a dozen members of the grassroots group dedicated to pursuing the project appeared at the county board’s open forum to make a plea for the board’s support.
Jeff Staley, president of the group, said they were in the process of forming a non-profit dedicated to creating a year-round recreation area on the Detroit Mountain property, which is located east of Detroit Lakes.
One of the group’s first tasks, Staley said, was to put together a feasibility study on the project. A rough outline of the feasibility study’s scope was prepared for Tuesday’s meeting by Shelly Stowman, who also spoke briefly at the meeting.
The study would include an analysis of the project’s capital requirements, potential funding sources, and a market analysis of its economic potential.
The vision of the group, Staley said, is to make the property into “much more than just a ski area.” Its stated mission is “to promote sound environmental recreation and educational programming to develop the health and wellness of children, families and communities.”
There are currently about 2,700 people who have signed on in support of the group, Staley noted.
Mark Fritz, the group’s vice president, said there had been “a lot of enthusiasm” for the project, which had sparked a lot of ideas about the property’s recreational possibilities.
Former county commissioner Bob Bristlin also spoke in support of the group.
“I’ve never seen such an ambitious group as they are,” Bristlin said. “If anyone can get it done, they can.”
Bristlin said he feels the project is “amazingly worthwhile.”
“I’d like to ski there one more time,” he said.
Becker County Sheriff Tim Gordon also spoke briefly on behalf of the project, saying that the group would work closely with the county to make sure the interests of all entities, including the affected townships, were considered.
“They want nothing more than a true partnership with the county,” he said.
The commissioners, for their part, all said they felt the project was at least worth looking into further.
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” said Commissioner Harry Salminen. “I’m just not sure the county should be involved.”
Salminen said he would only be in favor of the county acquiring the property if it could be done without cost to the taxpayers.
“I just don’t want to see it (the cost) levied on the taxpayers,” he said.
Salminen also said he doesn’t feel the county should get involved with the actual operation of the property once it’s acquired.
Commissioner Barry Nelson said the next step for the board would be to determine whether it would be financially feasible for the county to acquire the property.
“If it’s not reasonable, then I don’t know where it would go (from there),” he said.
Both Nelson and Board Chairman John Bellefeuille said they were impressed with the group’s efforts in spearheading the Detroit Mountain project.
“When we started this (discussion), it was to stimulate interest, and we’ve done that,” said Commissioner Larry Knutson.
He added that he felt “uncomfortable” discussing the project further until it was formally added to the board’s agenda for a future meeting.
“We haven’t even had a real discussion about the acquisition of the property at the board level,” Knutson said.
Commissioner Gerry Schram said he would reserve his opinion on the project until after he had attended the annual meeting of the Erie Township board (set for Tuesday night).
“We need to put this on the board’s agenda in the very near future and have an open discussion,” said Bellefeuille.
The commissioners asked County Administrator Brian Berg to put further discussion of Detroit Mountain onto the board’s April 13 agenda, and to gather more information about the feasibility of the county acquiring the property — including contact with the property’s current owners, the Bekkerus family.
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