Morton County will move forward with funding its portion of the third phase of the multi-use trail, which is stretching from Mandan to the developing Harmon Lake recreation area.

On Tuesday, county parks superintendent Vern Davis provided county commissioners with dollar numbers related to the 1.4-mile stretch to be built in 2008.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation is providing about $150,000 in transportation enhancement grant funds, leaving the county to come up with about $72,500. The county pays 20 percent of the project cost along with 100 percent of the design and construction engineering.

Commissioner Mark Bitz said that, so far, constructing the 10-foot-wide path is costing about $260,000 a mile, equivalent to a mile of paved road. Auditor Paul Trauger added that the first phase was more than $400,000 because a bridge was included.

The third phase will take the path through the Entzel Acres subdivision, which Davis estimates will provide access for several hundred more people.

But Davis said there is a pressing need to do some riprapping of the shoreline of Graner Park, which he considers the jewel of the Morton park system.

"We could put a million dollars into the park with no problem whatsoever," Davis said. "We have lost six to eight feet of the riverbank over the last four or five years. It happens during the wintertime. We've lost some nice trees."

It would take an Army Corps of Engineers permit to implement the erosion control procedure of lining the bank with large rocks. A ton of rock is equivalent to about a yard in length. Davis said he estimates about 900 feet of the bank will need to be riprapped, and rock is going for about $38 a ton.

With the corps allowing about 250 feet to be riprapped a year, Davis suggested the work be done in three or four phases.

"We've talked to (North Dakota) Game and Fish, but they say, being it's a park, they wouldn't guarantee we could get any help. If we do this, I'd like to have a couple of steps built into the riprap to allow normal guys like me to walk down to the river bank to do some fishing."

There is a lot of demand on the park, and most weekends will find it full to overflowing, Davis said. He'd like to see additional electrical hookups for campers.

Commission chairman Dick Tokach said the county will have to start putting priorities on its park projects.

"I know a lot of people want to see the multi-use path completed, but where will the money come from?" Tokach said.

Commissioner Andy Zachmeier made the point that the county move forward with construction of phase three of the multi-use path. Tokach was the only one to vote against it, worried that the county will lose one of its prime parks if the situation at Graner isn't rectified.

Commissioner Matt Erhardt said the county doesn't even have a corps permit for the riprapping and it could be a year or longer before it was provided.

"We know how long it takes the corps to do anything. This path is something we can do now," Erhardt said.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@bismarcktribune.com.)