2018-2020 Pine River Fish Passage Project (PRFPP) Update

In March 2018, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a public waters permit for construction of PRFPP Phase 2.  Later that month, the Crow Wing Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) received bids from three general contractors that were all well in excess of the $450,000 grant awarded to SWCD under the DNR’s Conservation Partners Legacy (CPL) program.  The SWCD team was faced with either having to pursue a larger grant through the unrestricted Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Fund (LSOHF) program or having to cancel PRFPP Phase 2 altogether.  Thankfully, SWCD received permission from its board to submit a Request for Funding (RFF) to the LSOHF and a $1.245 million RFF was subsequently submitted in May 2018.  In August, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC) recommended full funding for the PRFPP.  The SWCD team testified before the LSOHC in August and a final funding recommendation was made to the MN legislature in December 2018.

In May, 2019, the MN legislature passed the bill that formally authorized the full amount of funding requested for the PRFPP.  Those funds became available in July 2019 and PRFPP Phase 2 “rebid” packages were released to contractors by SWCD on July 30th.  Four bids were opened by SWCD on August 20, 2019, ranging from $888,013 to $1,198,000.  Minnesota Native Landscapes, Inc. (MNL) was deemed to be qualified, was the low bidder, and was therefore selected to be SWCD’s PRFPP Phase 2 general contractor.  A pre-construction meeting occurred on December 11, 2019 and MNL began mobilizing for construction on January 15, 2020.  MNL completed PRFPP construction on April 6, 2020.

The project turned out better than virtually anyone could have imagined.  Not only is it functional from a habitat improvement perspective, but it is stunning to see and absolutely blissful to listen to.  And as a water control structure, the new arched riffle dam is performing flawlessly, as of June 2020.

In 2013, Crow Wing County (CWC) funded a feasibility study that became the impetus for the PRFPP to take shape and move forward.  Then, in September 2015, a plan emerged to form a structured public-private partnership (PPP) team to develop the PRFPP in earnest.  The initial PPP team was assembled by BPLA and consisted of SWCD as the lead government agency that would apply for grant funding and develop and oversee construction of the project.  As the project’s owner, CWC funded SWCD’s construction costs and was later reimbursed by SWCD through the LSOHF.  The MN DNR Fisheries Division played an integral roll in working with SWCD’s North Central MN Joint Powers Board’s Technical Services Area 8 (TSA-8) engineering team to develop the arched riffle design; the DNR was also the project’s primary permitting authority.  The City of Crosslake took responsibility for reconstruction of Big Pine Trail, if necessary, which reduced contractor costs by over $300,000 as compared to the original Phase 2 bids.

In the end, the project took nearly five years to complete from start to finish.  As they say, good things don’t come easily and the PRFPP is a very “good” thing for Big Pine Lake property owners, outdoor enthusiasts, and conservationists alike.

BPLA appreciates and greatly values the contributions of all PRFPP stakeholders, including the LSOHC, MN Senator Carrie Ruud, MN Representative Dale Lueck, the Crow Wing County Board of Commissioners, City of Crosslake Mayor Dave Nevin and former Crosslake Mayor, Patty Norgaard; SWCD’s entire organization; Crow Wing County’s Highway and Finance departments; the MN DNR; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Pine River Dam Operations team; and finally, Minnesota Native Landscapes’ entire team for their outstanding work and commitment to safety and quality.

Lastly, BPLA extends special and sincere thanks to SWCD’s PRFPP Project Manager, Beth Hippert; SWCD’s Lead Engineer, Bill Westerberg; TSA-8’s Project Engineer, Brad Kennedy; SWCD’s District Manager, Melissa Barrick; MN DNR Fisheries Division’s, Owen Baird; CWC’s Assistant County Engineer, Rob Hall; CWC’s County Engineer, Tim Bray; and USACE’s Crosslake Operations Manager, Corrine Hodapp.

Many, many thanks to all!