County to Submit Another Grant Proposal for Purchase of Aiple Property

The Washington County Board of Commissioners has agreed to submit another grant proposal asking for $2.5 million in matching funds to purchase the Aiple property along the St. Croix River in Stillwater.

The Board on Tuesday agreed to submit a grant proposal to the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council for the funds. Last month, the Board approved a similar request for funding for this project from the Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.

Washington County and the city of Stillwater are working together to consider acquiring the 15-acre parcel of land in north Stillwater—which includes 3,500 feet of riverfront property—to “preserve the ecological integrity of the land and increase public access to the river.”

The Aiple property parallels the Brown's Creek State Trail, and is one of the longest stretches of St. Croix River frontage remaining in single ownership in Washington County.

The county would purchase the property and the city has agreed to accept the ownership and future management of the land and costs.

The city will restore the property to a more natural condition and will provide recreational uses such as shore fishing, transient dockage, walk-in boat launching, walking paths, nature observation, picnicking, and trail access.

The Aiple family has agreed to work with the county before putting it on the market for possible development, according to this post on St. Croix 360. An appraisal is underway and the project cost and the final amount requested will be updated when the appraisal is complete.

The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council is accepting grant proposals for funding beginning July 1, 2014. With this proposal, the county is asking for funds to match county and city funds to acquire the property.