By Dan Solovitz

The Mississippi Dunes Golf Course in southwest Cottage Grove closed its doors in 2017, citing financial and legal troubles. Five years later, the future use of its approximately 200 total acres of Mississippi riverfront land remains in question. Much has been made of what to do with the property, with no shortage of discussion and controversy between the City of Cottage Grove and many passionate local residents.

The Mississippi Dunes clubhouse and pro shop building went up in flames in the early morning of Aug. 5, 2021, called in at 6:42 a.m. by concerned neighbors noticing black smoke emanating from the property. Arson was quickly suspected. Police Chief and Director of Public Safety Pete Koerner noted at the time, “They did a good job. The building is a total loss.”

The fire has been under official probe since then. According to the Cottage Grove Police Department, to date the case still remains unsolved and no charges have been brought.

CGPD Sergeant Michael McCormick said, “The case is still open, it’s not been resolved. We’re still working with the State Fire Marshal. It’s still open and considered an active investigation.”

What to do with the property remains a controversial topic because of its unique location on the river. The Mississippi Dunes land has been game-planned in numerous ways by developers and the city in recent years.

A sizable single-family home development by Atlanta- based Pulte Homes was first proposed, and now with the approval of medium and high-density housing, due to zoning changes made by the Cottage Grove City Council, it could allow the construction of up to 499 residential housing units. While these plans offer a benefit for local tax revenue and city growth, some residents and environmentalists see the move as a potential misuse of the city’s available natural resources.

Due to significant in-person and online protests by local community members and environmental groups like “Friends of Grey Cloud”

See DUNES Page 9

A close up of a sign at Mississippi Dunes near the driveway entrance leading to the destroyed clubhouse. Additional access points to the property include the Mississippi River as well as a pedestrian underpass that runs beneath the nearby railroad and connects Grey Cloud Dunes Scientific and Natural Area with the former golf course. Photo by Dan Solovitz.

A gate off Grey Cloud Trail South leading to the destroyed clubhouse at Mississippi Dunes. Photo by Dan Solovitz. DUNES

FROM PAGE 1 and “Friends of the Mississippi River” (FMR), the exact plans for development remain undecided, but progressing nonetheless. A Change.org petition has been collecting signatures to try to keep the land for public park space.

Now overgrown and becoming reclaimed by nature after five years of lack of use, other concerns for potential development have arisen, including groundwater contamination due to existent PFAS Plumes from previous dumping in the area.

“There was some contaminated dumping next to the property on the Grey Cloud Dunes Scientific and Natural Area (SNA). A lot of Cottage Grove’s water is contaminated with PFAS from 3M. So this project would be on city sewer water, rather than well and septic,” according to FMR’s Land Use & Planning Program Director Colleen O’Connor Toberman.

“FMR has a long history of working in this area with the DNR to maintain Grey Cloud Dunes SNA. We‘ve worked with the city, we’ve worked with the land owners, and others who have had a development interest in the project at times, to advocate for more open space preservation and to try to offer the city some routes to make that financially and logistically possible,” said Toberman. “We’re advocates for the Mississippi River. That includes advocating thoughtful development, where we build and where we don’t, where we should be preserving rare wildlife habitats and where we should be adding density and developing in a way that makes it acceptable to everyone. Preserving public access to the river is one of our key values.”

The City Council has stated that they are not able to purchase the entire property for use as a public park, but several outspoken residents would like them to find a way to do just that. Recent proposals suggest nearly half of the land being planned for residential development, and about one fourth of the land being reserved for riverfront parks.

Mayor Myron Bailey said, “Our staff has been working hard to ascertain funds from different groups and agencies for purchasing land. And when I say purchasing land, I’m talking about for parks. One of them that we’re all very keenly aware of is that we’re trying to additionally purchase land along the Mississippi River and the Mississippi Dunes Golf Course area.”

Bailey continued, “We’re looking at a DNR Natural & Scenic Area Grant agreement with the City of Cottage Grove for $500,000. We’re working with the county to see if there are some matching components, and we believe that will happen, and this will help us purchase the additional acreage that we want to add on to a future park there.”

The larger picture of PFAS plume contamination following release of forever chemicals into the environment by 3M. Exact pathways depend on underground geologic features. The City currently filters its groundwater to remove PFAS contamination and stores these in carbon, with permanent water treatment plants still to be built. Image courtesy cottagegrovemn.gov via the “Clean Water for Cottage Grove” link on the upper left of the public works page.