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"There is the possibility we could purchase an additional 30 acres adjacent to Evergreen Park...The landowner is offering the park the first opportunity to purchase it," said Parks Chairman James Bowerman.

"We feel we would not be doing our job if we do not attempt to get a grant to purchase it."

Bowerman said the 30 acres is south and west of the park, which is located on M-53 about 10 miles north of M-46. The South Branch of the Cass River runs through the park, and the 30 acres is higher ground out of the flood plain.

They have scheduled a public hearing for 7 p.m. at the county conference room on Sept. 24 to take public comment on the proposed expenditure of millage funds on land.

In other business, the parks board has also decided the Lexington County Park is their top priority for 2008. Delaware is second.

Bowerman said he asked the board to determine their priorities in preparation for building the 2008 budget.

The board voted to set aside $75,000 to rebuild the Lexington Park infra-structure after Lexington Township completes their master plan and rezones the area.

The parks commission had to close the campground and remove some of the infrastructure after losing a lawsuit with park neighbors.

Last year Lexington Township officials asked the parks commission to resubmit their application for rezoning and then decided to redo the entire master plan first. The township has been holding public meetings on the subject and has hired a consultant.

"Lexington (park) has a manager in place and it's all there. It is just a matter of getting approved and starting to put it back together," Bowerman said of the popular lakeshore campground.

"We had to decide whether to move ahead with Delaware (Park) or set it aside for improvements...The only way you can get grants is you have to the (match) money," he stated.

The board had set aside funds from the Parks Millage in anticipation of beginning work on Delaware County Park this year. It will be their number two priority for 2008.

Delaware Township recently rezoned the property to allow for a campground at the rustic park. According to Township Clerk James Bruderick, the zoning will revert to the original classification if the county does not show some progress within one year.

However, Bowerman doesn't know anything about that stipulation except what he read in the Sanilac County News.

"We never received anything (copy of the rezoning) from Delaware telling us that. I do not know where it came from. I talked to a couple people and there was nothing said at the meeting," Bowerman stated.

The parks board has learned it will cost $3.2 million to build the campground, including sewer, water, electricity and widening M-25. The park construction alone is estimated at $1.5 million. The park millage brought in about $272,000 this year.

"We'll start moving forward, but we've got to move cautiously. That is a lot of money," he added.

"The best grants you can get now are 50-50. We would need more than $1.5 million (for match money) and the house and workshop-storage building are not grant eligible," Bowerman explained.

"We were looking into a harbor of refuge, but we're not certain that will happen. Don Brown of (U.S. Congresswoman) Candice Miller's office said the money is going to dredging (harbors)," he said.

The parks board already has an agreement to buy water from Forestville, which is about three miles north of the park. He expects they will hook into the water line on M-25 next year. That project would probably not be covered by a grant anyway.

"We've got an engineering drawing. We will move forward. It's not like we were going to develop the whole park in a year, a grant takes that long," Bowerman said.

The board has decided not to do a needs survey now because they would probably need to do another one when they get enough money to match a grant.

However, they have had someone from MSU Extension review the four county parks, and he told the board Delaware Park has a lot of potential.