No Legacy funding for OHV Park in Renville Co., Minn., in 2013

OLIVIA — Legacy funds will not be available to develop a proposed Off Highway Vehicle park in Renville County in 2013, but proponents of the park remain committed, according to information presented to the Renville County Board of Commissioners.
Commissioner LaMont Jacobson, who represents Sa-cred Heart Township, told board members he recently attended a meeting where the president of the Minnesota Valley ATV Riders told club members that the grant application for 2013 had been unsuccessful.
Renville County had applied for $500,000 in Legacy funding toward development of an estimated $1.3 million, 272-acre OHV park in Sacred Heart Township in the Minnesota River Valley.
Jacobson said the news was obviously disappointing to the club members, but that they reiterated their interest in developing a park.
The members discussed the possibility of using some of the seed money already raised towards getting a start on the project.
Jacobson said there was also a consensus that they don’t want to do it on the cheap. They are committed to developing an OHV park with the ability to draw riders from a five-state area, he said.
The Minnesota Valley Riders is seeking to develop riding opportunities in the region. The proposal for an OHV Park is Renville County is also supported by organizations promoting a recreational and tourism economy.
The Renville County proposal had also come under fire from neighboring residents of the proposed site in sections 22 and 23 of Sacred Heart Township. They charged that the site’s natural beauty and quiet would be adversely affected, and that it would not provide the anticipated economic benefits due to its location more than 10 miles from Sacred Heart.