I was thinking a garden so the local schoolkids could grow food for the schools and various charities.
I definitely think we are long overdue for a nice welcome center/rest area, but IMO there are a couple kinks to get worked out in this plan.
I think the photo area, the dog area, restrooms, and the picnic area are great things to have and will get used a lot.
But paving 5 acres of the state forest for a facility that is going to have many of the same activities and functions that we already have and that are not being fully utilized or that are being closed due to funding cuts seems crazy. A couple offices for the Forest Service would not need 5 acres so I don't find it an even trade.
Also don't see why we couldn't have all the offices/administration on the 2nd floor to reduce the size of the building's footprint.
Supporting, improving, promoting, and maintaining the existing facilities would be far better than building more redundant ones.