If the state of Minnesota completes the purchase of land for a new Lake Vermilion State Park, will the Department of Natural Resources have the funding to move forward with development efforts?

With a purchase price of $18 million, the $20 million funding authorization, which dates back to 2007, certainly won’t be enough to develop the state-of-the-art facility that DNR officials and Gov. Tim Pawlenty have called for.

But it likely will be enough to move forward with park planning and the development of minimal day use facilities. A DNR analysis, provided to the Timberjay, provides a breakdown of how the remaining $2 million might be used. That analysis includes:

‰ $500,000 for pre-design work on major amenities, including campgrounds and other lodging facilities, a visitors center, trails, and associated infrastructure.

‰ $500,000 for development of interim day use facilities, which could include public access from the lakeshore to points within the park’s interior. The facilities and amenities at the site could include road improvements, temporary parking, vault toilets, water supply, hiking trail access, a picnic area, and possibly a carry-in boat launch.

‰ $1,000,000 for investigation and provision of initial utilities to the temporary day use facilities. Other activities, including boundary surveying and posting could be accomplished with this funding, according to the DNR.

Rep. Jean Wagenius, who chairs the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, cited the DNR’s budget breakdown in opposing a recent attempt by two northeastern Minnesota legislators to attach a $30 million allocation for park construction to the House bonding bill. Wagenius said she believes the $2 million remaining after acquisition of the 3,000 acres of US Steel property for the park, will be sufficient until the next bonding session, two years from now. She said she would support park construction dollars at that time, although she did not specify a funding amount.