Senators on the Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Veterans on Feb. 10 heard testimony on two bills seeking additional state funding for Veterans on the Lake, a therapeutic outdoor resort in Ely that serves disabled and other veterans from across Minnesota.

Senate File 586 would provide a $100,000 appropriation to expand a grant program that brings disabled veterans to Veterans on the Lake for outdoor retreats. Senate File 613 would provide a one-time appropriation to replace an aging septic system at the resort; the facility estimates the upgrade at about $189,000 and requested $200,000 to cover contingencies.

Supporters told the committee the programs provide access to wilderness-based camaraderie and mental-health benefits. Senator Hochschild (presenting the Veterans on the Lake bills) said the resort “is designed to honor those who have contributed and sacrificed for our nation and help them heal.” Andy Berkenpaz, general manager of Veterans on the Lake Resort, told the committee the site operates year-round with specialized amenities for disabled visitors and reported it served 4,595 people last year; of those, Berkenpaz said 71% were disabled veterans and veteran occupancy was 88%.

Berkenpaz said the program has received $50,000 annually since 2021. He told senators that in the 2023–24 grant cycle the resort spent $18,125, served 25 veterans and returned $31,875 to the Department of Veterans Affairs because of a fiscal-year timing mismatch; in the 2024–25 season to date he said $37,700 had been spent and 52 veterans served, with more stays scheduled. He estimated each $50,000 appropriation serves approximately 68.9 veterans and asked the committee to consider switching the grant cycle to a calendar year to match bookings.

Board members and volunteers also described the septic upgrade as necessary to meet current Lake County permitting standards. Eric Marinon, chairman of the Veterans on the Lake board, and other board members said the existing system is a gravity rock-trench system dating from the resort’s earlier era and that soil and drainage conditions raised contractor estimates to roughly $189,000. Marinon and others said completing the septic work is required before the county will allow full occupancy of the facility.

Valerie Rasmussen, president and founder of Vets R Us, described bringing groups of mostly disabled veterans from west-central Minnesota to Ely for ice-fishing retreats and recounted that participants share information and informal peer support that can be life‑saving. “Without retreats like this…that’s not possible,” Rasmussen said, adding that the program had helped a participant avoid suicide in 2023.

Committee members asked about timing for construction and the best funding sources. Senators noted other grant streams (for example, legacy and LCCMR funds) but staff advised those streams are typically focused on capital or cultural projects and may not fit an operating or septic-repair request. Berkenpaz said his contractor is ready to install the new septic as soon as frost is out of the ground and that Lake County will not permit full occupancy until the system is replaced, creating scheduling pressure.

The subcommittee held both Senate File 586 and Senate File 613 over for possible inclusion; no formal vote on either appropriation occurred during the hearing.

Ending: The committee recorded the requests and took no final action; both bills were held over for possible inclusion. If either appropriation moves forward, supporters said it would be used to preserve capacity to serve disabled veterans statewide and to keep the resort in compliance with county health and permitting requirements.