County parks staff briefed the Crow Wing County Board on Nov. 18 on usage trends, maintenance and planned park improvements.

“Last year, we were pretty pleased and surprised to see that we broke a 100,000 users that enter our parks,” a parks presenter said, noting the 2025 total (through November) is roughly a 6% increase over 2024. Staff explained counts come from buried car counters and infrared counters and that the raw count is divided by two to estimate unique visitors where appropriate.

Presenters described several capital and maintenance items: an ongoing Milford Park expansion that will add about 2.2 miles of trail and a South Long Lake project that added approximately 700 feet of new trail and upgraded existing segments for accessibility. Staff said the Department of Natural Resources paid for a 20‑foot extension to the fishing pier at Little Emily and noted plans for a proposed 164‑foot pier at South Long Lake and a shorter pier on Papoose Lake for 2026.

Maintenance and operations work highlighted small equipment purchases (a box blade attachment to improve trail grading), routine boardwalk staining and mosquito/weed treatments conducted roughly monthly. Staff acknowledged vandalism incidents — signs shot, occasional graffiti and one vehicle backing into a fire‑tower fence — and said cameras (solar, app‑accessible) and coordination with local police have helped in some cases.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about counter methods, seasonality on ATV trails and whether parks are open year‑round; staff said parks are open sunrise to sunset year‑round and that OHV season closes Nov. 1 per DNR rules. No formal action was taken; commissioners thanked staff for the work.

The presentation served as an informational update ahead of upcoming planning discussions and routine maintenance budgeting.