Anoka County wetland sale turning into a quagmire

The 10 acres of Columbus wetlands is virtually worthless, claims its owner, who said he paid less than $18 in property taxes on the land last year.

But this property in northern Anoka County has the Department of Natural Resources and the land owner battling Anoka County and the city of Columbus in what County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah called Tuesday "the DNR's largest land grab with no compensation in Minnesota history."

At issue is a proposal by state Sen. Satveer Chaudhary, DFL-Fridley, that would allow the DNR to acquire, without approval of the county's Wetlands Review Committee, 101/2 acres of land owned by Don Steinke of Columbus. That land, property experts say, is worth an estimated $235,000, but is expected to net far more for Steinke.

By the law, the County Board can approve or deny DNR land acquisitions, but must vote within 90 days of the DNR's request. On Tuesday, the board voted to table the issue for further discussion, but not before Sivarajah called the proposal that would allow the purchase of the land "vindictive."

"To single out two wildlife areas ... It is vindictive," Sivarajah said.

In addition to Steinke's land, she was referring to the DNR's other proposal -- since withdrawn -- to acquire 160 acres owned by Gerald Dederick and Dullum Levitan. Both parcels would be added to the Lamprey Pass State Wildlife Management Area in Columbus.

"The metro area is developing, but we, in Anoka County, are at a disadvantage as far as having places that could provide jobs for our residents," Sivarajah said. "We have a greater share of wetlands and wildlife management area than anywhere else in the metro area. Frankly, we've become a playground for the rest of the metro area -- and without compensation for that."

Commissioner Dennis Berg argued that laws restricting the use of land within 150 feet of the designated wetlands would keep neighbors from developing property they've owned for years. And those neighbors, many of them farmers, were not contacted about the proposed sale of Steinke's land, Sivarajah said.

Steinke, who said he paid $17.56 in property taxes for the land in 2007, had accusing words of his own. He said the county and city have a vendetta against him after he led an anti-gambling group that took the owners of a proposed harness race track to court. The Steinke-led suit was dismissed in court and the Running Aces track opens Friday in Columbus.

"Was it the track?" Steinke asked Tuesday. "Yes. That's it.

"I was on the Rice Creek Watershed District board and when my reappointment came up in November, I was told there's no way I'd ever be appointed for anything again," Steinke said. "That should tell you all you need to know about this case."

Accusations called off track

Sivarajah denied Steinke's accusation about his harness track opposition, noting that she, too, opposed the track when it was first proposed and has never been a fan of gambling.

"His history with the harness track is not an issue for me," she said. "This is not about the harness track or the Steinkes or the Levitans," she said. "It's about the DNR trying to acquire land without compensation, without consulting neighbors.

"We value the things they value, you know, that 'up north' feeling we have here. But there needs to be a true partnership with the DNR, not a rubber stamp. If you disagree with them, suddenly legislation is thrust upon you, so basically, you have no say."

The Anoka County Board next meets April 22.