Lac qui Parle County Park Plan

Public Meeting to review the Master Plan for the Lac qui Parle County Park
On May 8^th, the public is invited to review the Master Plan for the Lac qui Parle County Park. Locations include: Dawson from 5 – 6 pm at Riverside Town Hall (along 212, north side of town), and in Madison from 6:30 – 7:30 at Madison City Hall.
The Lac qui Parle County Park Board has been working with the Upper Minnesota Valley Regional Development Commission (UMVRDC) along with a landscape architect firm, Damon Farber, for the past eight months to put together this plan. Staff will be at the public meeting to answer questions and show maps of the park with potential improvements.
Public input was gathered through a survey in the fall of 2017, and was used in the plan to decide how the park will be developed in future years. From this public input, a vision statement was created:
Lac qui Parle County Park should be ecologically resilient, accessible to all abilities, and engaging to a wide range of users. Its natural and cultural history should be preserved and highlighted to educate visitors. The park should retain a rustic quality while increasing programming, amenities, and usage.
The Lac qui Parle County Park is in the process of pursuing Regional Park Designation. Achieving regional designation shows the park meets a very high standard for natural-resource-based outdoor recreation and is part of a regional system across Greater Minnesota. It also makes the park eligible for the Regional Parks and Trails Legacy funding program where an estimated 8 million per year will be available annually. The Lac qui Parle County Park needs to complete this Master Plan before it can be formally designated and eligible for funding.
The plan shows that the first phase of projects the Park Board hopes to see implemented in the park are the west entrance road, a bridge and the park loop trail on the west side of the park. Phase two includes the trailhead on the west side of the park, with a bathroom/shower building, parking and lighting. Phase three includes more the trail system improvements and additions.
Loren Femrite, Dawson area resident and Park Board member said, “This is an exciting time for the Lac qui Parle County Park. Come see what the Park Board imagines for preservation of the county park and future improvements.”.
Contact Kristi Fernholz at Kristi.fernholz@umvrdc.org or 320-289-1981 x106. for more information on the park plan and process. The Lac qui Parle County Park: Preserving a rich heritage while educating today’s generation and conserving substantial pristine natural resources for future generations!
Click on the links below to view the master plan and maps: