Leader | Jan 13 | 2015

Page 25

-$18$5< ,17(5 &2817< /($'(5 1257+(51 &855(176 6(&7,21 % 3$*( :('1(6'$< -$18$5< f ,17(5 &2817< /($'(5 1257+(51 &855(176 f 6(&7,21 %

Currents Northern

Stories from the NW Wisconsin community

Family-owned operation hopes 1940s-era cabins available for rental in spring E. Royal Emerson | Staff writer HERTEL - Adjacent to the St. Croix Tribe community of Sand Lake, and down a narrow road from the tribe’s casino and headquarters at Hertel, is a 1940s classic North :RRGV UHVRUW ORQJ FORVHG ZLWK Ă€YH VPDOO SLQH LQWHULRU FDELQV WXFNHG LQ FORVH WR WKH lake and nestled in a grove of towering white pine and gnarled oak. At the roadside entrance to the resort is an old lodge with a Leinenkugel’s sign out front. Mark Nelson and his family appeared before the Burnett County Land Use Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 5, where they successfully secured a conditional use permit allowing for the reopening of the resort. Nelson, who lives with his family in a lakehome on-site, inherited the resort from his parents, Don and Cora, who purchased the property, known as Bir Oaks Resort, in 1993. The history of the resort goes back to just after World War II. Ray and Clarine Mortlock owned and operated the resort for 50 years before selling to the Nelson family. As a boy, Mark Nelson would spend summers at the resort, working in housekeeping and maintenance. 7KH Ă€YH FDELQV DW WKH UHVRUW LQFOXGH WKUHH WZR EHGURRP DQG WZR VPDOOHU XQLWV 7KUHH of the cabins have lake frontage, within 50 feet of the shoreline. Nelson hopes to have the cabins ready for rental in spring. He also hopes to reopen the lodge as a small bait shop, convenience store and restaurant, selling wine and beer. “I’m not really after opening a bar. We are after a resort-type lodge with the emphasis on cabin people and lake folks. We hope to keep it as an old-style lodge. Keep it a quiet environment.â€? Nelson said

%LU 2DNV WKH RQO\ UHVRUW RQ %LJ 6DQG /DNH “Big Sand Lake is the second biggest lake in Burnett County. It has a very nice boat landing, which makes it a great lake for residents and nonresidents to frequent, knowing it will be easy to get a boat in and out of the lake,â€? said Ryan Benson, an attorney representing the Nelsons, in a written statement provided to the committee. “What Big Sand Lake does not have is any type of enterprise for frequenters of the lake to obtain bait, supplies or other necessities. All the former resorts have been sold off. A bait shop, FRQYHQLHQFH VWRUH DQG UHVWDXUDQW ZRXOG SURYLGH D VXEVWDQWLDO EHQHĂ€W LQ KDYLQJ D ORcation one can quick shop at while on the lake. In addition, it would allow residents of the lake a place to meet. Despite the size and quality of Big Sand Lake, I am surprised E\ KRZ OLWWOH ERDW WUDIĂ€F WKHUH LV $OORZLQJ WKH UHRSHQLQJ RI %LU 2DNV 5HVRUW LQ P\ opinion, would in no way adversely affect the quality of the lake. .HHSLQJ WKDW ROG :LVFRQVLQ UHVRUW WUDGLWLRQ For Nelson, “retaining our quiet surroundingsâ€? is essential to successfully reopening the Bir Oaks Resort. “I have worked for years to better the resort, and my personal goal is not only to build a business but also continue to improve the infrastructure of the property and to operate with no impact on the lake,â€? Nelson said. “I will strive to have this be a cutting-edge operation while keeping the old Wisconsin resort feeling that most of us remember growing up!â€? Nelson grew up at the Bir Oaks Resort. Prior to his family purchasing the operation they would spend summers at the resort. Keeping that old Wisconsin resort tradition

$ VLJQ RQ WKH VKRUH RI %LJ 6DQG /DNH LGHQWLILHV WKH JURXS RI FDELQV WKDW ZDV HVWDEOLVKHG DV D IDPLO\ UHVRUW PRUH WKDQ VHYHQ GHFDGHV DJR 3KRWRV VXEPLWWHG XQOHVV RWKHUZLVH QRWHG

7KH 1HOVRQV / WR 5 .DWLH .LPPLH DQG 0DUN SODQ WR UHRSHQ WKH %LU 2DNV 5HVRUW RQ %LJ VDQG /DNH 3KRWR E\ ( 5R\DO (PHUVRQ has become, for him, a sort of mission. Even as the resort has been out of operation for two decades, Nelson has maintained the property, making improvements to the cabins and retaining its 1940s-style authenticity. “Burnett County relies a lot on tourism and not many resorts are being established. In fact, most are being dismantled or turned into private cabins. We feel that reopening Bir Oaks Resort is a needed addition to Big Sand Lake. As a resident here for 20-plus years, I have a great desire to ensure that reopening of the resort will have a positive impact on the lake and surrounding area,� Nelson said.

,PSURYHPHQWV XQGHU ZD\ Nelson is busy developing a Bir Oaks Resort website and plans to complete renovations to the lodge once formal approval is secured by the county board. “My family and I have owned Bir Oaks Resort since 1993. I was gifted a part of the resort after my father’s passing in 2005 and the remainder after my mother’s passing in 2012,â€? Nelson said. “Currently there are no short-term rentals available on Big Sand Lake, and no serYLFHV DYDLODEOH DV IDU DV JDV DQG Ă€VKLQJ VXSSOLHV RU SXEOLF UHVW URRP IDFLOLWLHV 2XU JRDO is to offer these services and create a self-sustaining business that not only supports me

6HH 5HVRUW SDJH

$ V HUD VWRQH ILUHSODFH DFFHQWXDWHV WKH FKDUP RI WKLV %LU 2DNV FDELQ

3

Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.