Report: Extend ‘16’ if need arises

A hotly-debated proposal to extend Lake County Highway 16 in Fall Lake Township seems destined for even further debate.The results of more than a year of research and public input were displayed Tuesday during an open house at the Fall Lake Town Hall, with both friends and foes of the project finding things they liked about the scoping report authorized by Lake County.The report, drafted by the Howard R. Green Company of St. Paul in consultation with representatives of the township, county, U.S. Forest Service and other interested parties, finds no imminent need for an extension that would link Highway 16 with Highway 1.But the report also found that travel time and maintenance cost reviews show that there is a potential for significant cost savings by providing a more direct connection, and there was stakeholder support for identifying a corridor to preserve for a future extension.The report also recommends that the Lake County Highway Department initiate the process for preserving a road corridor in what’s known as the Kawishiwi Triangle area.It’s up to Lake County to decide what to do next, and while the county board could opt to proceed with an environmental assessment and mapping, the report may give project foes another tool to fight an extension.Consultant Scott Reed, who worked on the report for the St. Paul company, said the draft calls for need to be shown.“The road would be built only as access needs arise,” said Reed. “If there is no need, then it would wait.”And even if Lake County were to proceed immediately, assessments would take 18-24 months and construction could be years away.That’s good news to Jo Kovach, one of the Fall Lake residents who led vocal opposition against the project.“I was opposed to a road without a plan,” said Kovach. “The reasons we were given before to build this road did not hold water.”More than a year ago, public opposition led county officials to hold up the project, hire the consultant and gather more data.At the time, the county was studying plans to extend Highway 16 on an eastern route that would cross the Kawishiwi River, a central route between the bridges over the river, and a western route that followed the Sunset Road alignment.The county received over 260 written responses, most from opponents of the extension and a plan to build a new bridge across the river.But the county also heard from supporters of the project, many of whom lived in the Kawishiwi Triangle area. The Fall Lake Town Board also endorsed the development.Nick Milkovich, chairman of the Fall Lake Board, said Tuesday that he continues to support the project.“This was a good process and got everybody involved,” said Milkovich. “I’ve been in favor of it and I haven’t swayed. But I think it was good that everybody got to get a chance to say what they think.”Milkovich and other supporters have argued that an extension would provide another route out of Fall Lake in case of an emergency.Andy Hubley of the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission led the steering committee through three meetings, when they identified several priorities, including: • Developing access to private property in an organized fashion to minimize impacts to state and federal land;• The pursuit of land exchanges;• Preserving existing trail networks.They also found that private landowners in the triangle had no specific timetable for developing their property.The ARDC identified three scenarios, one in which the county would identify a specific route and pursue construction, the second in which the county would identify a corridor for development ‘as needed,’ and a wait and see approach in which the county would not take an active role in an extension.Members felt a proliferation of private roads could develop under the third option, and endorsed the ‘as needed,’ route.They also identified an east-central route that would avoid critical resources identified by the stakeholders.The report also calls for private developers to share in the cost of any road extension.Consultants said they were looking for a ‘win-win’ solution and that the report offers an alternative that could quell the controversy.“It’s very easy to say I don’t want a road,” said Reed. “What we said was ‘Let’s come up with a plan and see if we can find a solution where everybody get something.’”“Development will happen,” said Kovach. “Let’s plan ahead for development and control it.”