Washington County approves riverside park in Cottage Grove

The Washington County Board has agreed to use grant money to help pay for a riverside park in Cottage Grove that would see almost 20 acres in the Mississippi Dunes area set aside under a conservation easement.

The city is expected to close on a $1 million deal with the land's private owner later this month. The county agreed to reimburse Cottage Grove for half the cost of the property, or $500,000, using Land and Water Legacy Program funds. The plan calls on the state Department of Natural Resources to cover the remainder of the cost.

The site at 10351 Grey Cloud Trail S. overlooks the Mississippi River and Mooers Lake across from what will become Grey Cloud Island Regional Park, according to a statement from the county. The prairied and wooded site will remain largely as it is now, with the addition of some trails. A public opening date has not been announced.

The parcel was once part of the Mississippi Dunes golf course. The new park is the first of several land deals expected in the area as portions of the nearly 200-acre golf course property are divvied up to become a city park, an expansion of the 237-acre Grey Cloud Dunes Scientific and Natural Area or the site of a new housing development.