By Dave Baumeister, County Correspondent
SIOUX FALLS – Although details are still in the early stages, Minnehaha County Commissioners were briefed on a walking/bicycling trail project being planned in the Wall Lake area during the Tuesday, Nov. 12 meeting.
This presentation was an abbreviated version of the talk given at an open house in Hartford on Monday, Oct. 28.
At the commission meeting, the board was made aware of the trail’s future timeline and were told at some point, they would be asked for $25,000 yearly, although that request will be a long time in coming, as the trail isn’t expected to be completed until 2027, according to organizers Tesa Schwans and Chad Hanisch.
It seems more likely that the county will be called upon to be a partner with the non-profit Friends of Wall Lake for the purpose of applying for available grant funds available.
Hanisch of Infrastructure Design in Sioux Falls explained that one of the grants is usually awarded to government entities, which would make working with the county necessary.
Schwans, a Wall Lake resident and leader of the project, spoke of her vision for a trail that would be of benefit to area residents, as well as fitness-minded people from all around the county.
John Parker with the Minnehaha Conservation District went over figures from a much smaller walking trail currently in the area where the new trail is planned.
He said that a 2-mile crushed asphalt trail exists just to the west of the proposed area at the Dewey Gevik Nature Area, but while it is good for walking, it “isn’t the best for biking.”
He added that the conservation district had set up “trail cams” along that route, and they have recorded 3,000 to 3,500 people per year on the path, so it seemed clear to him that a larger, more accessible trail would be very popular.
Hanisch and his company became involved because they did a similar project at Lake Kampeska, near Watertown, and, although he now lives in Garretson, Hanisch said he was originally from the Wall Lake area.
While there was no action on the trail taken at the meeting, commissioners expressed their appreciation to area residents for taking on this project.
“I look at this as a quality of life issue,” Commissioner Cindy Heiberger said as she talked about the dangers from the higher speed traffic along Highway 42 north of the lake.
In other business, commissioners voted unanimously to raise compensation for the six citizens serving on the Minnehaha County Planning and Zoning Board.
Director Scott Anderson said that the pay for those position has not changed in over 15 years, and he put together a package that would only cost the county $690.
The plan, which will start Jan. 1, 2020, calls for a per meeting raise from $15 to $25 and increase the mileage allowance members receive to 42-cents per mile.
Also, the proposal would add $5 per member for an annual “recognition” dinner that the board currently takes at different establishments throughout the county.
They currently receive $10 per member toward this dinner.
Commissioner Jeff Barth, who serves as the liaison to this group said, “Being on Planning and Zoning is not all roses. Some people can become quite irate! But this is an important job for the county.”
In a matter that has become somewhat contentious over past months, county treasurer Pam Nelson was very positive in reporting that all past bank statements have been reconciled.
She also said she is in contact with Jeff Schaefer at the state auditor’s office, who will be assisting the county in setting new policies and practices for keeping track of funds in the future.
The Minnehaha County Commission has its regular meetings each Tuesday at 9 a.m. on the second floor of the county administration building at 6th and Minnesota in Sioux Falls.
These meetings are open to all, and public comment is always encouraged.
