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A developer has stepped forward with a plan to build a hotel-restaurant and private villas within Camp Ojiketa. There would also be some parkland set aside for public use and public access to Green Lake retained. The Camp Ojiketa lodges and some cabins would be part of the development plan as well.

Larry Abdo of Anxon Inc. in Minneapolis presented a development concept to the Chisago City Planning Commission that preserves some of the open spaces and historic amenities of the 80-year old camp.

Abdo told the Chisago County Press after the planning commission meeting that the city seems agreeable to the concept, which is what he was looking for. He estimates this at a $50 million project so he wasn’t going to get in too deep into without getting a feel for the concept’s plusses and minuses.

Abdo is certain he has Camp Fire’s consent to flesh out this plan although the sale of the parcel was not negotiated as of late last week. He said Camp Fire is a great organization that’s been around for about 100 years and he’s invited director Andrea Dwyer and Camp Fire officials to become as involved in the project as they want.

As for petitioning to annex Camp Ojiketa out of Chisago Lake Township and into Chisago City-- that’s going to be a while.

Abdo said he has engaged a team of architects and designers and he seeks an excellent property management group for this site. It won’t be ready to present for approvals for quite some time.

Abdo mentioned he has a summer house near the Chisago-Lindstrom Lakes channel and he’s very familiar with this region and with Green Lake. He believes his concept for Ojiketa will benefit this area, “...and it does a lot to preserve the camp history.”

Camp Ojiketa Preservation group spokesperson Judy Montgomery said the Anxon Inc. plan isn’t the worst that could happen on the pristine parcel. She mentioned many camp alumni and preservation group members continue to hope the area can be retained as undeveloped. She added, Camp Fire has the parcel listed at $5 million and as long as that’s the price Chisago City can’t realistically be expected to preserve Ojiketa on its own.

Montgomery said if the camp can not be preserved at least the Anxon concept saves the large lodge and proposed public trails and lake access sustain some of Camp Ojiketa’s heritage.

Whatever happens Montgomery expects the preservation group to continue its “...strong alliance with Chisago City and we’ll all work toward a positive outcome.” Donations that have come in to the Preservation Group are being held and checks will be returned if the camp is sold for development.

City Administrator John Pechman told the County Press the concept looks feasible, but it’s up to Abdo and the Board of Directors of Camp Fire to come to terms on the sale.

Pechman hoped to have a good idea of what’s going to happen by December so Chisago City can work in this upcoming legislative session for regional park funding or LCMR grants to help save the lakeshore and wooded/wetland acreage.

“We don’t want to lose another legislative session,” Pechman said, alluding to the poor timing last spring of Ojiketa’s announced liquidation. Chisago City did qualify for a Natural and Scenic Area matching grant of $500,000 from the DNR, but that was about the best the city could do on such short notice.

As for the conceptual public spaces in the plan the city doesn’t know if Abdo expects the city to acquire these acres or if they’ll be given to the public. “We haven’t gotten that far,” Pechman concluded.

Abdo said if the city wishes to continue its efforts trying to get public or private funds to buy the camp that wouldn’t matter. He doubted a final proposal would be ready to show the city before the upcoming legislative session.

If there’s a parallel effort moving along and “...the city finds a better plan or gets the money needed,” Abdo said the city would be justified in pursuing that.

A couple ideas that went nowhere in the last legislative session were to use lottery gambling proceeds dispersed under recommendation of the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources to save Ojiketa. There was also a bonding package proposed where the state would match private dollars ie: one for three to buy Ojiketa.

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