DETROIT LAKES – The planned Toad Mountain County Park appears to be at the end of its life after three of Becker County’s five commissioners expressed doubts about the project.

Commissioners Erica Jepson, Barry Nelson and Richard Vareberg all expressed skepticism about the Toad Mountain park proposal, largely due to a lack of local support for the idea.

Several park opponents spoke in the open forum of the Becker County Board meeting Tuesday, including former county commissioner Gerry Schram. He pointed out that the site is a former horse camp, said horses bring a lot of flies, and he said the park would be a “bottomless pit” for the county. “Just say no,” he urged commissioners.

Clark Lee, who lives at Toad Lake, told the panel he had concerns about the scope of the project and would like to know how much it would cost the county to build roads, parking lots and possible campgrounds, as well as the annual maintenance and operating costs of the park.

“It just keeps going on,” Lee said, noting that the Toad Lake Town Council has voted against the proposal twice. Lee urged the county council to “scramble” it because it is “ridiculous for so many reasons.”

Dave Knopf of Lakeview Township also opposed the plan for a regional park at Toad Mountain, even though the 630-acre site would be purchased with grant money. “I’m against the project,” he said. “Grant money is taxpayer money…if we want the federal government to stop its excessive spending, maybe we need to start at the county level.”

Doug LeSage, owner of the Bambi Resort on Toad Lake, also spoke out against the park proposal.

“Who cares about the taxpayers?” he asked. “The proposal says nothing about what it will cost in the long term. The project seems to be trying to find a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.”

Former Commissioner Larry Knutson also spoke out against the plan. “We spend thousands of dollars on our EDA to increase our tax revenue – this will shrink our tax revenue (by $6,000 to $7,000 a year),” he said. “It’s just a bad idea.”

The Toad Lake Town Council is against the plan and “if the community is against it, it’s going to be a hard sell,” said Commissioner Barry Nelson. Most people who live in the area apparently want it to remain undeveloped, but the land on Toad Mountain is zoned for commercial use and a private investor could buy it and develop it if the county backs away from the park idea. “Be careful what you wish for,” Nelson told park opponents. “You might get it.”

A recent public poll conducted at the Becker County Fair found that far more people support than oppose the idea of ​​the county acquiring the Toad Lake property “for future public use as a county park or recreation area.” The poll found 159 people support the park idea and 84 people oppose it, a 65% to 35% split.

To complement the County Fair survey, county staff created a map showing potential uses for the Toad Mountain site. The map includes locations and trails for possible short-term camping, mountain biking or cross-country skiing, as well as day-use areas for picnicking, hiking and swimming. The park would be limited to non-motorized use and would be left in its natural state, with limited development.

The park would include forests and meadows on and around Toad Mountain, as well as 900 feet of shoreline on Toad Lake. The property has one of the highest points in Becker County and offers scenic views. It also has established hiking trails and a handful of buildings from when it was a horse camp.

Although the purchase price of the $2.5 million property is expected to be largely funded by state and federal grants, Becker County would still have to spend about $250,000 on the property, including about $54,000 for a master design required to even be able to apply for the grants.

The Becker County Assessor’s Office estimates the value of the entire Toad Mountain property at approximately $1.3 million.

The County Council took no action on Tuesday as the park was on the agenda as an information item and will take up the issue again at its meeting on September 17.

Bowe covers the Becker County Board and the court system for the Tribune and oversees the opinion pages for the Tribune and Focus. As news editor for both newspapers, he is the go-to guy for readers and the general public: breaking news or critical news tips, article ideas, questions and general feedback should be directed to him.