State Sen. Karin Housley criticizes Wilder Forest sale

Mary Divine, Pioneer Press
Updated ·4 min read
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State Sen. Karin Housley on Monday criticized the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation’s decision to sell the Wilder Forest property in northern Washington County to the Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership, saying that it was made with a “clear lack of transparency.”

Housley, R-Stillwater, sent a letter to the Wilder board on behalf of River Grove, an elementary school currently located on the 600 acres of land. In the letter, she blasted Wilder officials for keeping school officials “completely in the dark on the negotiations to sell the property to an out-of-state organization.”

Officials from the Wilder Foundation and Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership signed a purchase agreement on Sept. 27 after several weeks of negotiating final terms; closing is expected in nine to 12 months.

Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership, based in Medina, 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.

The partnership would own and run the camp, but have an operating agreement with Ohio-based Damascus Catholic Mission Campus “to lead adventure activities, songs and small groups,” said Tim Healy, the partnership’s president. Healy is a parishioner of Holy Name of Jesus in Medina.

SALE OF LAND

But Housley called the sale of the land “extremely disappointing.”

“This decision will uproot these (River Grove) children, put their education in limbo, and force (the school) to find a new home for their school to start again,” she wrote. “What makes this situation even more unsettling is that it all could have been avoided.”

The sale price was not disclosed, but the Wilder Foundation’s asking price was $11 million. The purchase agreement was signed just days after officials with Manitou Fund, a White Bear Lake-based foundation, submitted an $11 million purchase agreement for the property.

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

Wilder President and CEO Armando Camacho said Monday that he took “significant issue” with criticisms implying that Wilder had not been transparent regarding the sale of the land.

“Wilder has been transparent in our communications with River Grove and Manitou Fund at every turn, and we have acted in good faith with all parties involved,” Camacho said.

Wilder officials provided River Grove and Manitou Fund officials “ample opportunities” to make an offer to purchase the property, according to Camacho.

JUNE MEETING

At a meeting in June, Manitou Fund officials “offered their verbal opinion of the property’s value, which was significantly less than the appraised value,” he said. “That opinion of value was not accompanied by a letter of intent or offer on the property from Manitou Fund, despite Wilder sharing openly and repeatedly that another party was interested in pursuing a purchase.”

After Wilder officials decided to accept a letter of intent from Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership, Wilder staff reached out to River Grove, Manitou Fund and other tenants leasing portions of the property to inform them of the decision.

“We do not understand why, after our open communication with these parties, Manitou Fund opted to submit a purchase agreement in late September, after we had been in active negotiations with Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership,” Camacho said. “We have the utmost respect for River Grove and wish them the best, but we stand by our actions and our decision to pursue a sale with Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership.”

‘THE NEED IS GREAT’

River Grove school director Drew Goodson said in an email on Monday that he was thankful for Housley’s support.

“We are hopeful her message will be impactful with the Wilder Foundation,” he wrote. “As a public non-profit, Wilder has a responsibility in their actions, so our hope is that Senator Housley’s statement will cause them to reconsider or at least hold them accountable for their irresponsible behavior the next time they seek public funding.”

Healy said Monday that he looks forward to working with May Township officials on plans for the summer camp.

“We feel strongly that we are going to have a positive effect on all of the students who come through our camp throughout the years,” he said. “We know the need is great, and this certainly is one of the solutions — taking them out of their normal crazy noisy environments and bringing them into a beautiful natural setting. They’re going to love it there.”

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