(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson county board of supervisors Tuesday heard a proposal from a representative of the Spirit Lake Baptist Church under which the church and its property southwest of the courthouse on Ithaca Avenue would be conveyed to the county…with some stipulations.
The church, built in 1873, is thought to be the oldest in Dickinson county. For that reason, the church council wants the building maintained as a church on a county-owned site–preferably the Kenue Park Management Area just north of Okoboji. A sign would also be put up designating the church as a historic site. The county’s obligation of maintaining the building would not extend beyond January 1st, 2029. All utilities would immediately be changed over to the county. Teh church would have to be moved to its new location within five years of the agreement being executed. In the interim, the county would be allowed to use the church for office space during the courthouse project.
The supervisors took no action on the proposal after meeting with representatives of the County Conservation Board, which manages Kenue Park. Board member Ron Walker outlined several concerns they have, including funding to move the church and maintain it. Walker says Tuesday was the first they had heard of the proposal, which had been negotiated behind closed doors for several weeks.
Walker added the Conservation Board wants to see the results of a long-term management plan being formulated for Kenue Park, and whether or not a church should be a part of the park, which also consists of a nature center and the former Westport school house. Walker says they won’t know the outcome of the plan until sometime this coming summer. He says a consultant working on the plan will be at the Nature Center this weekend for Winter Games to get input from the public.
