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The Chisago County Parks comprehensive plan was recently adopted by the county commissioners,  setting the stage for doing regional park plans for a couple sites, in order to qualify for State Funds.  Fish Lake and Ki-Chi-Saga Parks are proposed to potentially go for regional park designation.  Review and any action on regional designation most likely won’t happen until 2017, the Board was told.

The county park board members, parks director Laird Mork and county planner Ken Roberts were commended by the county commissioners as they went about adopting the comprehensive plans.  

Commissioner George McMahon commented that without detailed future planning documents, Chisago County would not be able to apply for various outside grants and aid,  leveraging non-local taxpayer dollars.  And, County Environmental Services Director Kurt Schneider said the plan took many hours and the county was grateful for the attention given to the task by the Park Board citizens.  

The last Plan was adopted in 2002.  Schneider added that the Park Board and staff also recently completed Master Trail Plans for Sunrise Prairie and Swedish Immigrant bike trails to provide them with the required review information and data needed to qualify for state aid.

Chisago County manages about 800 acres of public parks and trails, with about 100 acres improved as ballfields, trails, beaches, recreational facilities, etc.

Highlights of the Comprehensive Plan’s future amenities are:

Ki-Chi-Saga Park
~ installing a dock on South Center Lake, off the Glader Blvd side of Ki-Chi-Saga Park, for fishing.  Possibly lighting the fields and charging a fee for night use.  Add a trail and overlook of Linn Lake on south end.  Play equipment additions closer to soccer fields.

~ Kost Dam Park
Do a small dock for carry-in boat launching on lake. Designate a water trail route from Pool #1 in Carlos Avery to the dam.

~ Fish Lake County Park
Create a BMX type bike trail on east side.  Provide kayak and/or paddleboard rentals.

~Dennis Frandsen County Park perhaps an off-leash dog area on the peninsula, trail and parking enhancements. The county has authorization for shoreline cleanup (process known as muck-sucking) until 2020.  

~ Checkerboard County Park beach and play area improvements and maybe a BMX style biking trail. (This park has a large fenced dog area.)

~ The county also owns a 150-acre “North Preserve”  46984 Government Road, in Sunrise Township acquired when it went tax forfeit. This is being maintained for passive use only at this time for habitat and wildlife.

Chisago County contains a number of state-owned and state-managed areas,  set aside for conservation, scientific research, wildlife management, hunting, etc.  These parcels can be found in the state DNR data base and use rules are developed by the state.

In general the county’s comprehensive park plan also supports expanding of vendor options for contractors who have business or services that compliment park uses.  “Naming rights” is also mentioned as a possible revenue generator.  Parks that present growth potential are identified.

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