State mulling Cecil development plan

The future of a long-sought redevelopment plan involving part of a wildlife area near Cecil is about as clear as mud.

Village leaders want Shawano County to sell part of the Mud Lake Wildlife Area for commercial development that then could be annexed into the village for new business growth.

County officials have shown support for the plan, but officials at the state Department of Natural Resources are not sure they want to go along.

Because the county used state funds to acquire Mud Lake property many years ago, state officials say the county cannot sell part of the wildlife area without state approval.

County officials say the situation has left them unable to move forward with the development while they wait for a DNR ruling.

County Supervisor John Ainsworth, chairman of the public property committee, said the state agency seems reluctant generally to give up any property, and seems in no particular hurry to respond to the Mud Lake proposal.

“We think they’re just kind of dragging their feet,” he said.

A DNR official said the agency is reviewing the Mud Lake situation, but doing so carefully.

Mary Rose Teves, director of community financial assistance, said DNR officials have ordered an appraisal of Mud Lake property as part of their evaluation of the county’s proposal.

Results of the appraisal are not being released, and Teves said it will take more time for officials to gauge the significance of the appraisal.

“We’re in a holding pattern right now,” she said.

Cecil leaders approached the county in February with a request to sell about 15 acres of the Mud Lake Wildlife Area, which borders state Highway 117 on the southern edge of the village. Village leaders believe the site is ideal for commercial development without disrupting the rest of the wildlife area.

Four years earlier, a village official tried to persuade the county to consider leasing part of the development site.

Shawano County acquired the estimated 320-acre conservation area starting about 50 years ago, agreeing to protect the site as a condition of receiving state funds for the acquisition.

Shortly after encountering signs of DNR opposition to the Mud Lake deal earlier this year, county officials adopted a policy of requiring closer consideration of possible long-term negative consequences before the county accepts any grants or other funding from outside agencies.

Cecil Village President Jeff Nolan declined to comment about the status of the village’s development plan.

Some conservation advocates have urged county officials not to sell Mud Lake property, because of concern that it would disturb a wildlife area that is used for hunting and other public recreation purposes.

John Hoeffs, chairman of the Shawano County chapter of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, said he was pleased to hear that state regulators were exerting some control over the Mud Lake situation. Especially since state funds helped create the wildlife area, Hoeffs said he is confident the DNR will block any sale.

“I think the department will make a good decision,” he said.

The public property committee has received regular updates on the matter, but has been unable to take any action without a clear indication of the state’s authority and intentions. Committee members learned earlier this week that the DNR had conducted an appraisal on the property.

Brent Miller, the county’s administrative coordinator, said officials were unsure why the state agency had done an appraisal of county-owned land.

“We have no clue,” Miller said.

Teves said the appraisal was conducted as part of a routine procedure for evaluating property over which the state feels it has authority.

DNR officials have no plan to yield to Shawano County on the question of whether part of the Mud Lake conservation site is put up for sale, Teves said. She also said that getting the property appraised does not mean the state is preparing to give its blessing for a sale.

“It could be that we end up saying no,” she said.