By MaryHelen Swanson

With any luck, the last remaining round barn in Chisago County will stand proud for many more years and help provide area visitors with a history lesson.

The Moody Round Barn, as it is known, is being preserved with the encouragement of the Chisago County Historical Society and with park dedication funds from two townships.

At the very end of last weekís county board meeting, the board (minus Commissioner Lora Walker) voted 3-1 to allow use of $62,000 from the Chisago Lakes Township park dedication fees to help purchase the 25-acre Moody farmstead site, which has a price tag of $90,000.
Commissioner Ben Montzka was the opposing vote.

His contention was that the board should have waited one week until all the ducks could have been line up. He meant that a policy should be written for the use of the park funds, following the regulations of new state legislation that allows these funds to be used for park and trail acquisition.

And he wanted to wait for approval from the county attorney who is checking to be sure all paperwork is in order for the purchase.
But the drop dead day for being able to make an offer to purchase the property is May 1. That left too little time, the other commissioners felt, to properly complete a transaction for the purchase.

Chisago County Historical Society director Sherry Stirling was before the board asking the county to transfer the funds that belong to Chisago Lakes Township to the township.

Judy Chartrand, representing the township, also asked for the funds, saying the town board supported the project completely and never received a response to a March 9 letter asking for the fund transfer.

Commissioner Bob Gustaf-son, who serves on the county park board, told the others that the park board recommended half of the funds (75 percent of the park dedication fees that are collected can be used by the township, 25 percent goes to the county) or $31,200, be allocated for the barn site purchase this year and more next year.

But the cost of the property of $90,000 is needed this year by July.

The historical society had raised $20,000, but it was spent in moving and stabilizing the farmstead home across the road to the barn site, an area that is planned to be made into a park.

Commissioner Rick Olseen asked where the rest of the money would come from for the purchase.

It was noted that Franconia Township is also willing to provide some funding with their park funds. A figure of $5,000 was discussed, but no one knew exactly how much they would offer.

In talking with LeeAnn Vande Kamp, an historical society official, Monday, it was learned that combining the park fees of both townships could produce enough for the property purchase. But about $125,000 is still needed to set the house on a foundation, renovate the barn (it needs painting and much work) and other improvements to establish the property as a park.

She also noted that because township money is being used for the purchase, the park will most likely be a township park.

The county historical society will work in partnership, she said, to create and maintain the park. Plans are to call it the Heritage Park.

Park and trail fees are received from developers when plats are developed. The townships can use these funds to acquire land for parks and trails, but, as County Attorney Katherine Johnson noted, these fees cannot be used to maintain the parks.

The Moody Farmstead was homesteaded in 1871. The round barn was built in 1915 and the home was built in 1920.

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