Douglas County Board Meeting November 4, 2025

Thanks to generous donors, a replacement vehicle for the Douglas County Veterans Service Office will be mostly paid for with private money. At the November 4 Douglas County board meeting, Veterans Service Officer Jake Turner shared with commissioners that two more donors have stepped up to help pay for a new vehicle to transport veterans to medical appointments. The previous vehicle was recently totaled in a rear end collision. Marlo and Marvel Steinhorst donated $10,000, the VFW in Osakis donated $2,500, and the VFW Auxiliary #936 in Alexandria donated $2,000. Commissioners voted to accept the donations which are in addition to ones made at previous meetings.

Land and Resource Management

A proposal to expand the Lake Darling Resort generated considerable discussion, including from a nearby resident who used his permitted time under the Items from the Floor segment of the meeting.

Commissioners were asked to vote on a Preliminary Plat of land near the current resort, which was described by Land and Resource Director Dave Rush. He said the request is for permission to subdivide the property and plat it. The property cannot be put into resort property until, and whether, a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) is approved. Commissioners approved the Preliminary Plat and listened to additional information on the CUP which was tabled by the Planning and Advisory Commission (PAC) at its October 28 meeting.

Rush explained the owners of Lake Darling resort want to add in 5 and a half acres of land on the south side of County Road 22 which is across the street from the current resort property. They also want to add in 1.5 acres immediately to the south of the resort which currently has the former resort owner’s home on it. That home would be torn down and replaced with a restaurant which would be accessible by water and land. The resort owner’s hope, Rush said, is to also add docks and expand the recreational vehicle rental business.

Rush added there were about 35 people in attendance at the PAC meeting that hears Conditional Use Permits before they go to the county board. He said those in attendance were not excited about additional traffic in that area.

More input came from a Lake Darling resident at the end of the board meeting. Scott Belsaas said that he, and the others who attended the PAC meeting, feel the addition of a restaurant and bar and watercraft rental will not benefit Douglas County or the people who call Lake Darling home. He said the idea just doesn’t fit, there won’t be room for parking, and he questioned whether the resort owners had been required to adhere to conditions set on the original project.

Commissioner Tim Kalina is the county board representative on the PAC. He said he made the motion to table the Conditional Use Permit because the resort owners didn’t come with a plan. He said he told the resort owners, “Until you come back with a plan so we know the square footage of the building, where the cars are going to park, where the pedestrian stuff will go and where the docking is going to be there’s no way I’m going to approve it.”

The next county board meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 18 at 9 a.m. All board meetings are held at the county Administration Building located at 821 Cedar Street in Alexandria.