I have never figured out the big push for "parks", big waste or money IMO. Old Reiter was just a bunch of TRAILS. Give folks a semi-decent, level-ish place to park and stage, then a bunch of trails to run. Signage is nice but can be done on volunteer/trail-stewards budget (i.e volunteer labor and funding, maybe to a chosen "standard"). I don't need a shitter, I don't need a "picnic area", I don't need "improved camp sites", if I want those I'll go to a State Park. ORV trails are for recreation, if someone wants to spend the night the pitch a tent in the parking area or bring and RV.
Bathrooms and "improvements" are a waste of money. Blase a trail using a little bit of common seance. Let the users "harden" it over time with he AHJ's blessing, put in gate-keepers or some sort to keep out the dumpers and let it be.
IHO, other than a couple trails that maybe were where they shouldn't have been, "old" Reiter, even in all its "over use" and "Ugliness" too NO monetary input from the state or county and didn't destroy the world. And a fair amount of users took care of it when it really needed it. So me it seems once the "government" got involved in the aspect, it got more difficult, burned more people out, and just cost a **** load of money. When will the DNR and other legislature realize that????
