(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson county board of supervisors Tuesday heard a request for funding from the Spirit Lake Protective Association which is spearheading efforts to renovate the historic shelter house at Minnewaukon State Park on the north side of Big Spirit Lake.
Spokesman Joe Ulman told the supervisors the project, which includes renovating the existing building and putting an addition onto the east side that would include three restrooms, has a price tag of a million dollars. That figures includes the start up of an endowment for future maintenance of the facility, as well as the lodge at Gull Point State Park.
The association is requesting the county contribute 50-thousand dollars a year each for the next three years, for a total of 150-thousand dollars.
Ulman says they’re forced to go to governmental entities to seek funding assistance because typical grant sources aren’t available due to the fact the facility is on state owned land.
Ulman says time is of the essence as the significant structural damage is occurring to the building, which for the most part is now open to the weather.
While supervisors seemed to agree there’s a need to preserve the Minnewaukon shelter house, the funding request got a cool reception. Supervisor Mardi Allen responded by saying the request couldn’t have come at a worse time as the county is struggling with severe budget shortfalls thanks to the economic downturn. She says the only way the county could come up with the 150-thousand in addition to making up a one million dollar shortfall in the General Fund budget as a result of expenditures surpassing revenue due to the economic downturn would be to raise taxes.
The supervisors Tuesday took no action on the request.
