Rep. Mike LeMieur (R-Little Falls)

The Camp Ripley/Veterans State Trail made headlines again in the St. Cloud Times. A big thank you to Rep. Mike LeMieur for testifying in support of a $10M bill to fund the trail!

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A Little Falls legislator wants state funds to build a trail that supporters say could boost tourism in Morrison County. Hello everyone,

The proposed Camp Ripley/Veterans State Trail would start at the Paul Bunyan State Trail in Crow Wing State Park, go south along the Mississippi River through Little Falls, and end at the Soo Line South ATV Trail near Royalton.

Rep. Mike LeMieur, R-Little Falls, testified Tuesday for a bill that would appropriate $10 million to the Minnesota DNR for the proposed trail. Under LeMieur's bill, that money would come from the Parks & Trails Fund of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, a constitutional sales tax for outdoor and arts projects approved by voters in 2008.

But getting state money for the proposal this year likely won't be easy. The project's estimated price tag, at $22 million, coupled with the state's budget woes, will make it a tough sell to legislators, LeMieur acknowledged after Tuesday's hearing.

Supporters of the proposed trail say it would provide a long-sought link from the Paul Bunyan State Trail in the north to the Lake Wobegon Trail in the south.

Linking those two well-traveled trails would bring tourists through Morrison, Crow Wing and Cass counties, and through downtown Little Falls, says Bob Reinitz, who chairs a committee that's advocating for the project. Reinitz, of Little Falls, said his committee is trying to raise about $43,000 for a study of the proposal, which would be a paved trail to accommodate bikes, ATVs, horses and snowmobiles.

"I feel it's a way I can save my downtown," Reinitz said.

The trail also would connect with or run close to the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls, Reinitz said.

If state funds for the project don't materialize this year, LeMieur said he'll likely seek state bonding dollars for it in 2012. The Legislature has traditionally passed a large bonding bill for capital projects in even-numbered years.