MINERAL — The Phase 1 study into possible rehabilitation work along a 50-mile stretch of the Hennepin Canal is nearing completion.

On Monday, Friends of the Hennepin Canal Publicity Director Cathy Foes said there are three basic options for the 50-mile stretch, which runs from Rock Falls to Geneseo. Those options include a simple maintenance program, a rehabilitation project to make the canal and locks workable, and then a complete restoration program.

The Friends of the Hennepin Canal and the Renaissance Hennepin Committee has hired the Johnson Lasky Architects firm to do the historic structure condition study, which includes a history of the canal, a preservation plan, existing conditions, material analysis, treatment recommendations, an itemized cost estimate and prioritized phasing recommendations.