FAIRFAX - The Friends of Fort Ridgely State Park are circulating petitions in the Fairfax area opposing a $700,000 office consolidation and upgrade project that would move Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) offices up the entrance road to the commissary building at the park.
Friends of Fort Ridgely President John Fritsche of New Ulm said interest continues to build against the project that would combine the DNR, Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) and the Nicollet County Historical Society.
"We just don't want the DNR leaving their location at the park entrance and moving into commissary building," Fritsche told The Journal Saturday. "We'd rather see the DNR keep its offices where they are. It just seems to make more sense for everybody."
Several weeks ago, the DNR and MHS hosted a public meeting on the issue attended by more than 100 people in the Fairfax Auditorium.
There was unanimous opposition to the part of the project that included moving DNR offices to the northwest corner of the park.
Minnesota District 23A Rep. Terry Morrow told The Journal in May that there is a chance the 2010 Omnibus Bonding Bill that includes the $700k office consolidation and and septic system upgrade project at Fort Ridgely State Park could be revised from its original form.
Looking at Chapter 189 of the Bill that includes a number of state park development projects, Morrow said language is specific regarding "office consolidation" but that doesn't mean it couldn't be changed.
"My reading is that the statute would need to be revised to allow different uses, such as building new rest rooms, etc.," Morrow said.
The bill reads that "most" of the money must be spent within 12 months of the effective date.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the Bonding Bill that includes safety improvements to a historic pedestrian bridge in Minneopa State Park, near Mankato, on March 14, 2010.
Morrow said whether or not the Fort Ridgely portion of the bill could be delayed until 2011 depends on the progress of other projects and the willingness of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) to consider project options.
Tom Ellig, MHS Community Outreach and Partnership Manager said his department has gone back to the Legislature and changed Bonding Bill language before.
Plans include closing the park's 20-year-old pre-fab entrance office and moving offices and sales space up the hill to the Commissary Building.
Officials with the DNR and MHS said the project was needed to enable more efficient service to park visitors, create handicap accessible rest rooms, replace non-compliant septic systems while increasing office hours, staffing and adding programming from the Nicollet County Historical Society.
Insulated windows and a new roof would be added to the Commissary Building this summer.
Dist. 21 Sen. Dennis Frederickson was among a number of people who voiced opposition to moving the park office to the Commissary Building, creating the need to shrink it's historical displays in the northwest corner of the park.
A horseback riding enthusiast who said she often used the park's horse camp said parking horse trailers in tight space near the Commissary Building would detract from the site with horse manure and urine odors.
Fritsche of New Ulm urged the MHS to return park artifacts.
"Those artifacts belong at the park, not in a state office in St. Paul," Fritsche said.
He added that he doesn't want park programming changed either.
Ben Leonard, Executive Director of the Nicollet County Historical Society (NCHS) told after the Fairfax meeting that his organization wants to offer more programming at Fort Ridgely State Park in the future, if a collaborative plan works out.
Leonard said the NCHS, which has provided interpretation at the Fort since 2006, would like to offer walking tours, more speakers and authors plus hands-on opportunities seven days a week.
"We've done those things for the past 4 seasons, but most of our contract funds go to fixed expenses including about $6,000 a year to heat the (Commissary) building for preservation purposes," Leonard wrote in an e-mail.
He added that a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning, insulated windows and building partners would cut the heating expense considerably.
Leonard said the Commissary's existing, decades-old exhibits would likely remain.
"This plan doesn't budget for new exhibits and/or interpretation, I think it positions the Fort for future bonding requests for items like a new interpretive plan," he added.
Leonard said he can see how some people would be apprehensive about changing how business is done at the Fort.
"But I think we're entered a time in our state and nation where things can't necessarily look like they did before," he stated. "Change is not only necessary, it's inevitable."
Leonard concluded that all groups at the Fort including the Friends of Fort Ridgely are committed to improving it, although there are some differing opinions on how to do it.
Leonard said he was unable to attend last Thursday's Friends of Fort Ridgely meeting that included officials from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) because previously scheduled to attend a conference in Bemidji, hosted by the Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums, of which he vice president.
Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.