Minot announces plans for new parks, trails

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - A park district in northern North Dakota is planning to add new parks, trails and recreation areas for residents and visitors.

The Minot Park District announced plans for cross-country, mountain bike and multi-use trails, a neighborhood park and a new 18-hole golf course and recreation area.

“There’s a lot of neat terrain in this area. These are not super-expensive projects either,” said Parks Director Ron Merritt. “This is a huge outdoor recreation area that won’t be at a huge expense.”

Merritt told the Minot Daily News that the district is seeking approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its new trails, which would be located on a former Superfund site.

The neighborhood park planned for east Minot includes a multi-use sports court, playground, dog park, restrooms and parking. Merritt said the park’s development is still a year or two away.

The park district is working with architects to move forward with the golf course. The district purchased the 240 acres for the course about a year and a half ago. The recreation area may include trails, a tubing hill, a playground and an outdoor skating rink.

“The end goal of this project is truly for all our citizens, whether they are golfers or wildlife enthusiasts or just a family, to get out and enjoy this piece of land because it is beautiful and we want everybody to be able to use it,” said Elly DesLauriers, director of marketing and development for the park district.

Merritt said the district has enough money set aside to get started on the golf course.

Merritt said that the park board has been financially preparing the district for these projects without burdening taxpayers. He said the park board has remained thoughtful in how many projects the city can take on, when considering the costs of maintaining the Minot’s park system.

___

Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com