EMILY – Crow Wing County Commissioner Doug Houge was one of the first to be convinced of the benefits of tax-forfeited land for a park near Emily.
Houge spoke during the grand opening of Little Emily Lake Park on Thursday, August 8, on a blustery and unseasonably cold day with whitecaps on the steel-gray lake. But the cold wind did not dampen enthusiasm for the park.
“When we first came up here and looked at this beach, I just fell in love with it,” Houge said. “… I think it will be well used up here. It’s nice to have another park in the northern part of the county.”
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From 1948 to about 2019, thousands of acres of public land were used for timber sales. In 2019, the county deeded the land to the town of Emily with the intention of creating a park, but got the property back when the town encountered obstacles in creating the park. The property was returned to county tax-forfeited land. Last year, the County Council approved implementation of the park plan. Houge said a lot has happened in a short period of time, including construction of the park pavilion, fishing pier, canoe and kayak launch, restrooms, parking, playground and trails.
Commissioners Paul Koering, Rosemary Franzen and Jon Lubke were at the park for the opening, along with State Rep. Josh Heintzeman (R-Nisswa), Emily Mayor Tracy Jones, county and city staff and area residents. Commissioner Steve Barrows was out of town.
Jones said he was happy that the park was finally completed after the entire park committee worked for many years to make it a reality.
“We couldn’t get the ball across the finish line,” Jones said. “The county stepped in and took care of it.”
Jones said there was disagreement in the council about what land a park should be built on, but supporters remained steadfast in their support.
“It looks great,” Jones said.
Heintzeman asked about the future of the park in terms of multi-use beyond the beach area and trails. Houge said trail expansion is wide open. He pointed out that there is already an ATV trail and snowmobile trails along the edge of the property.
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“The possibilities are endless,” said Houge.
“Look, this is fantastic,” said Heintzeman. “This is exactly what we need.”
Heintzeman cited the multiple use aspect as a plus in terms of further funding potential, whether it be proposed to the Legislative-Citizen Committee on Minnesota Resources or even a direct allocation of funds to expand the multiple use aspect.
“It’s about making sure everyone has a place to connect and use public land. I
“I love what the county is doing here,” said Heintzeman. “The collaboration with the city – really, really great.”
Houge said early on there were fears the county would remove the ATV trail, and he said they would not do that.
“If anything, we will add more,” Houge said.
When asked for further comment from the board, Koering laughed and said, “I was about to say that we are only concerned about one thing: that the state will make a bad impression.”
Koering even inspected the playground equipment and noted that he would like to add it to South Long Lake Park in his district.
Emily Town Clerk and Treasurer Cari Johnson, Assistant Clerk Amy Prokott and Land Use Planning Officer Sue Fahrendorff were on hand for the dedication and toured the new beach, playground, walking trails and fishing pier.
Fahrendorff said they get a lot of calls asking if there is a public beach.
“This is important for a lot of people who don’t have access,” Johnson said. “Emily initially had a plan to do this, but not to this extent – which is unbelievable. Truly unbelievable.”
They pointed out that the district also has more resources for the creation and maintenance of park facilities.
“It looks great,” Prokott said.
“You know, not everyone lives or owns property on the lakeshore, so it’s important to be able to get people to a fishing pier so they can fish. They don’t have a pier or a boat,” Fahrendorff said. “You know, it’s just a nice thing to have in this northeast corner of Crow Wing County.”
The Crow Wing County Board discussed the creation of the park at Little Emily Lake in February 2023, thinking that the area could be used to create different types of trails. At the time, Houge said, the town of Emily had tried to build a park on the land a few years ago but was unable to secure funding, so the county got the property back. Now, Houge said, they believe the county could make a go of it with its funding options. Little Emily Lake is within the city limits of Emily and is located on Highway 6. The park is located on the southeast shore of the lake.
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The conversion of the site into a public park was not without controversy and local residents feared that a public beach would grow into the forest.
Johnson said the county has really worked with people to discuss their concerns, held many informational meetings and tried to involve the public in decision-making, and taken on board a lot of feedback. Johnson said the county’s decision to build a fishing pier and limit boat access to kayaks and canoes has really helped.
“They’ve received feedback and I think they’ve created a beautiful public beach despite the neighbors’ concerns,” Johnson said.
Little Emily Lake Park is located at 21517 Papoose Road, Emily, and is accessible via State Highway 6.
Other Parks in Crow Wing County
The county’s six parks are free to the public and open from sunrise to sunset.
- Paul M. Thiede Fire Tower Park: 5230 County Road 11, Pequot Lakes.
- Milford Mine Memorial Park: 26351 Milford Lake Drive, Crosby.
- South Long Lake Community Park: 13694 County Road 22, Brainerd.
- Rollie Johnson Nature and Recreation Area: Located on Upper Whitefish Lake near Crosslake.
- Rush Lake Island near Crosslake.
Reach Renee Richardson, editor in chief, at 218-855-5852 or [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter @DispatchBizBuzz.
