Two Scott County Parks waiting to happen

"ENTRY PROHIBITED," the sign along a highway in southern Scott County declares. "Not open to public use at this time."

Mark Themig would love to pull it down -- the sooner the better.

The sign and a locked gate bar anyone from venturing onto land that has been designated as one of the "Last Best Places" in the Twin Cities area.

A gracefully sloping parcel that ends along the edge of a prime recreational lake, it's the centerpiece of what is intended, some day, to be a 300-acre regional park -- a destination for people throughout the county and beyond.

The county acquired it in 2006, before Themig, the county's new parks program manager, was even hired. But it is five miles from New Prague, far from the main body of suburban growth. And the Metropolitan Council, which oversees the regional parks system, has had it listed for full development -- a process that costs millions of dollars -- sometime after the year 2030.

The sign, however, may come down a lot sooner than that--possibly next year.

The county is exploring ways to finance public access to the property, known as Cedar Lake Farm, and to another parcel of similar size in Prior Lake.

"We own all this land that isn't doing anything," Themig says as he drives through the property, gesturing toward the lake.

Members of the county board agree, though the board's chairman, Bob Vogel, puts the point a little differently. "We've been buying things we didn't know how to fund," he said. "I opposed the Cedar Lake acquisition: We had no operating budget, yet here we were, acquiring land."

He's also cautious about allowing public access to property that isn't really ready for it. "You have to have a well-thought-out plan. Will you allow hunting? Trail bikes? We have no rules."

The sentiment that has prevailed at the government center, however, is that there aren't many chances to acquire land this perfect for a park: a parcel that was used for many years as a day resort, with a picnic shelter, ballfields and other features.

If people are to be admitted to the site decades earlier than intended, the trick will be how to pay for it.

One hope for both sites -- not only Cedar Lake but also the equally undeveloped but even larger Spring Lake regional park site, to the north in Prior Lake -- is to find partners who would help cover the cost of, for instance, making sure whatever facilities exist are up to code.

At Cedar Lake, that partner could be a private concessionaire, using the site on weekdays as a staging ground for things like corporate events, much as it was years ago. The public could use it on weekends.

At Spring Lake, partners could include the city of Shakopee, which has been searching for an off-leash dog park where owners could let their pets run free. "Shakopee has been looking for a site for years," Themig said.

Modest use of the two could help unskew what Themig admits is the "skewed" nature of the county's major existing parkland -- run by Hennepin County's parks authority -- which is located on the eastern side of Scott County.

The county's surveys of public sentiment have shown a strong interest in parks and open space, said Lisa Kohner, the county's spokeswoman. And that desire holds up even when people are asked about willingness to pay, she said.

"We've found an interesting dichotomy," she said. "An even split between those who see that more as a means of protecting land, and those who see it more as a way of blunting growth," the pace of which worried many of those responding.

The Spring Lake site offers lakeshore both on Spring Lake and Prior Lake. All but 19 of an eventual 392 acres have been acquired. The hope is to offer trails and camping while keeping the park mostly natural.

Both sites are marked off publicly as parks in one form or another. Yet neither invites anyone in, and Cedar Lake explicitly warns folks away. Themig would love to see that change.

"It might take some creative funding," he said. "But we need to take a look at what opportunities exist. People call us and say, 'Why can't we go in?'"

David Peterson • 952-882-9023