(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson county board of supervisors Tuesday approved a maintenance agreement for the proposed extension of a recreational trail along the west side of Big Spirit Lake.
Under the agreement, the county would maintain that part of the trail that would run along the right-of-way of county road M-49, or old Highway 276.
Whether or not the trail will be built hinges on the acceptance of a grant the Dickinson County Trails Association is applying for. Even then, they say it could be atleast three or four years before construction would start.
Approval of the agreement followed a considerable amount of discussion. Supervisor Wayne Northey was in favor of the agreement, saying it was necessary for the association to have that for its grant application. Supervisor Paul Johnson is concerned over cost. He’s worried the county could be entering into an open-ended agreement. But Northey feels that can be negotiated later.
Dave Murphy, a spokesman for the Trails Association, says he’s thinking about asking the association to approve a proposal to charge a user or membership fee for the trails. He says that would do away with the need for local governmental entities to have to come up with funding for maintenance.
