$11M offer for Wilder Forest land to save Stillwater-area school comes too late, Wilder officials say

Mary Divine, Pioneer Press
·2 min read

An $11 million offer that would have allowed River Grove elementary school to remain at Wilder Forest in northern Washington County appears to have come too late.

A White Bear Lake-based foundation submitted the $11 million purchase agreement to Wilder Foundation officials on Friday, with terms that included five days closing and an immediate extension of lease agreements with River Grove, known officially as Marine Area Community School, and Big River Farms, a land-based education program for immigrant and refugee organic farmers and farmers of color, run by The Food Group.

The Manitou Fund owns the adjacent former Warner Nature Center land, which also is in May Township.

But Amherst H. Wilder Foundation officials said Monday that they plan to continue to negotiate in good faith with Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership toward the execution of a purchase agreement for the 600 acres of land.

“Should our efforts with Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership not result in a successful closing, we would be open to discussions with Manitou Fund and others who may be interested in purchasing the property,” Wilder Board Chairwoman Judy Kishel wrote in a letter to school officials sent Monday.

Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership plans to open an overnight summer camp and winter retreat center on the site, hosting up to 200 middle-school campers a week during the summer.

Manitou Fund Trustee Greg McNeely said Tuesday that the $11 million offer for the land was the Wilder Foundation’s asking price.

The Manitou Fund was created by McNeely’s father, Minnesota business magnate Donald McNeely, who died in 2009 at age 94. Donald McNeely also created the Lee and Rose Warner Nature Center in 1964 to honor his aunt and uncle and promote environmental education. Donald McNeely, who lived on Manitou Island in White Bear Lake, created the Manitou Fund to finance many of his family’s charitable interests. In 2009, the Lee and Rose Warner Foundation, another foundation started by McNeely, was merged into the Manitou Fund.

Wilder officials said Tuesday that they expect their deal with Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership to close in nine to 12 months.

The lease for River Grove, which has been located at Wilder Forest since it opened in 2017, expires at the end of June. The K-6 school has 225 students and is housed in several cottages that used to be leased by Concordia Language Villages.

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