Often I get asked why it's so difficult to restore the upper post, why we don't "just do it." For those of you who have insomnia, here are the major issues involved in this large and complex project.

In 1971 Area J of the upper post was turned over to Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) with the stipulation that it can only be used for recreational purposes. The DNR's portion of the site is called Area J because it's J shaped when you look at it on a map. Unfortunately, this narrow definition has locked out most forms of development, such as commercial, educational, and the like. We can't put in a hotel, youth hostel, office building, housing--anything that isn't strictly recreational.

At the moment, people are working with the legislature to open up the definition of recreational so more forms of development are allowed. Oft times people joke that it would take an act of Congress to get something done, but in this case it's true.

People ask "So why not pass the ownership to another entity that doesn't have this restriction?" The rules state that the land has to be returned to the Federal government rather than simple be transferred to another state agency. This means the post would go through the Federal surplus land program, which could easily take 5 - 10 years. The buildings would crumble to ruins by then.

In the 1800s treaties were made with the Indians giving the Federal Government use of the land that became the Fort Snelling reservation. At one point the reservation stretched from the Five Corners area of St. Paul down to Shakopee, with additional land on the south side of the Minnesota River for a ferry crossing.

This issue needs to be resolved because developers aren't going to invest millions of dollars if there isn't a clear title to the site. They're very risk adverse and don't want to see a large investment taken suddenly disappear when someone opens up a law suit.

In 2006 it was estimated that it would take $65 million to rehabilitate the site. This is just to fix up the buildings and not to remodel them so a tenant can move in. It also doesn't include landscaping, parking, and any new buildings put on the site. Just as a guesstimate I would say it'll take $150 million+ to make the project fly.

Quite frankly though I'm not too concerned about the funds as I'm confident it can be raised through private, commercial, and tennant funds. Add in tax incentives for preservation, Sentence to Services labor, volunteer labor, and assistance from a preservation school to train future leaders in the preservation movement and you've got a real powerhouse in terms of financing, expertese, and helping hands.

There are quite a few government and non-government organizations (NGOs) who have a stake in the game, each one of which has rules, regulations, and goals they have to follow and work towards. The short list of stakeholders includes

• Federal government
• State of Minnesota
• Hennepin County
• Prairie Island Indian Community
• Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community
• Department of Natural Resources
• Minnesota Historical Society
• Metropolitan Airports Commission
• Preservation Alliance of Minnesota
• Mississippi National River and Recreation Area National Park Service
• Fort Snelling Association
• Veterans Administration
• United States Army
• United States Air Force
• City of Richfield
• Minneapolis Park Board
• National Trust for Historic Preservation

I'm sure there are some I've missed. If so, let me send out an apology right now because the people who have worked on this project should be lauded for their outstanding efforts. Normally when people think of the government the first thing that comes to mind is bureaucracy, inefficiency, and politicians involved in scandals. But the people here fit anything but that stereotype. The progress at the site these last couple of years has been largely through efforts of the men and women at these agencies. Far from being obstructionist, they've worked hard to turn this from yet another missed preservation opportunity into a gem for all to enjoy.

In order to make this project fly, we'll have to get tenants for the buildings once they're fixed up. There are plenty of ideas that have come and gone through the years and many more ideas on the table, including a hotel, youth hostel, education facilities, race track, horse riding facilities, and housing. Some are excellent ideas and some, well, not so much. But in all cases the devil is in the details. Once the above issues are solved and the site fixed up, we have to find or create an organization to run the youth hostel or riding stable. The rent has to be cheap enough that the tenants can make a profit, yet high enough that the developer can do the same as well as save money for the inevitable improvements that need to be done. It won't be enough to take the money and run--there has to be enough to pay into a capital fund so the roof can be replaced in another 30 years.

And then there are the technical details, such as asbestos abatement, sewer, water, and electrical access, recreating missing architectural elements, and the like.

It's a tough nut, but I haven't seen one problem though that can't be overcome with hard work and perseverence. The money is there, the expertese is there, and the political willpower is there. All we need are volunteers to roll up their sleeves, pitch in, and do the work. If you've read this far and I haven't scared the daylights out of you, drop me a note and we'll get you plugged in.

Together we can do it!