HASTINGS, Minn. - A revised plan for improvements to Dakota County's Lebanon Hills Regional Park passed Tuesday morning, paving the way for less drastic changes to the park's natural landscape.
The Dakota County Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 to at Tuesday's Board meeting to approve the plan, which had sparked controversy between those supporting increased access to the park and those who didn't want to spoil the wild feel of Lebanon Hills.
Board members took the recommendation from the Dakota County Physical Development Committee and eliminated several features from the original draft master plan. Lighted ski trails and the construction of camper cabins were removed from the plan to create less disruption to natural elements.
Plans for a hotly-debated 6-mile paved connector trail were approved, but scaled back: The paved trail will be just 8-foot-wide, instead of the 10 foot wide trail that was originally called for.
Project planners say the 6-mile paved trail and a new .5-mile paved loop around McDonough Lake will impact less than 1 percent of the 2,000 acres in Lebanon Hills, while 99 percent of the park will remain wilderness. They maintain the less-than-1-percent change will increase use of the park for all ages and abilities, including families with strollers and disabled residents in wheelchairs.
For more on the Lebanon Hills Master Plan, visit the Dakota County Parks website.
