Anyone who has paddled the Sugar River just above Paoli or biked down nearby Range Trail can imagine the possibilities for the adjacent land, soon to be in public ownership.
Dane County officials announced Monday a proposal to preserve nearly three miles of frontage along the Sugar River south of Verona, land currently owned by the Bruce Co. The $3.1 million deal — subject to County Board approval — includes the county buying 340 acres and purchasing development rights on another 126 acres. It may well be the most significant public land acquisition in county history.
“I think public access to the water is the big thing,” said County Executive Joe Parisi in an interview. “The eco-tourism opportunities are there, too.”
The 2.5-mile section of river that flows through the land was once degraded by farming runoff but is now known for its trout fishing. The Sugar was removed from the National Impaired Waters list in 2004.
Initial ideas for the site include developing it into a county park with riverfront camping facilities.
Parisi notes the land has significant archaeological resources and the county will look to coordinate volunteer efforts in the future to assess the significance of the land. The county also hopes to work with other groups like the Natural Heritage Land Trust or Trout Unlimited to secure additional funding.
For the Bruce Co., whose landscaping business was hit hard by the downturn in new home construction, the sale also is beneficial. The company had originally planned to develop a golf course and homes on the land, which stretches from the intersection of Highway 69 and Sunset Lane south to Paoli and east to Range Trail.
But when the real estate market went south, the company put the property up for sale. There were several bites from developers until Dane County stepped in and discussions got serious.
“This has been a great thing for both the Bruce Co. and the county,” says Bliss Nicholson, president of the 60-year-old Middleton-based firm. “It preserves this land so we can all have a park to play in.”
The Bruce Co. will maintain the right to harvest existing nursery stock planted there.
One sharp-penciled member of the County Board, conservative Dennis O’Loughlin of DeForest, says the acquisition seems like a good idea.
“We could use a park down in that part of the county,” says O’Loughlin. “I plan to support it.”
While county land purchases under former County Executive Kathleen Falk had sparked opposition among some conservatives and local talk radio hosts, Parisi says this deal can stand the toughest scrutiny.
“If you look at this in the context of the sprawl that has taken place in Verona, while it may have slowed down, it’s going to come back. Being able to protect something like this for generations to come is a tremendous opportunity,” says Parisi, who is not facing opposition in the spring election.
The county’s largest-ever purchase overall was approximately 1,000 acres in Mazomanie at the Walking Iron Wildlife Area in 2008. That transaction cost approximately $4.3 million. This will be the second-largest amount of acreage purchased.
The Bruce Co. has taken its lumps in the recession and had to reduce its workforce by 20 full-time employees last year. With this land sale the company will still own 700 acres on which to plant and harvest trees or shrubs for its business.
Nicholson says the firm will continue to operate as usual and the sale will have no impact on the company’s viability or staffing going forward.
“I’m a trout fisherman and know the property well,” he says. “I guess I’ll have to give up a little of the privacy but in this case, that’s OK.”
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