The gift of new lights

A ski club’s two-year fundraising effort will light parts of the Lake Elmo Park Reserve cross-country ski trails after the Washington County Board of Commissioners accepted the club’s donation Tuesday.

The Ride and Glide Ski Club presented county officials with $3,000 to pay for additional lights on the park reserve’s popular ski trails.

Washington County Parks official Mike Polehna said more lights would be installed on portions of the ski trail not illuminated by the existing lights.

“Last year, when we started working on the lights, we found we had some dark areas,” Polehna said.

When the ski trail lights were first used last winter, parks officials discovered additional lights were needed on steeper downhill sections of the trail.

Ride and Glide representative Steve Thatcher said the club raised the money to help with trail improvements and made the donation to cover installation costs of the lights.

The ski club has offered ski clinics at Lake Elmo Park Reserve for about 10 years, Thatcher said.

Washington County Board of Commissioners Chairman, Dennis Hegberg accepts a $3,000 donation from Ride and Glide Ski Club representative Steve Thatcher as Washington County Parks manager Mike Polehna looks on Tuesday. The money will be used to install more lights along the popular Lake Elmo Park Reserve ski trail.