Cook County Soil & Water District Manager Kerrie Fabius appeared before the Grand Marais City Council in September 2011, seeking support for more rain gardens in the city. Fabius was disappointed when Grand Marais Mayor Larry Carlson cast a dissenting vote and called the rain garden at the Grand Marais Public Library an “eyesore.” On Thursday, October 20, workers from […]
County does well on sale of bonds
Investment advisor Bruce Kimmel of Ehlers Inc. of Roseville had good news for county commissioners on October 25, 2011. The county was going to get very good rates on the issuance of two sets of bonds, one which would refinance bonds issued in 2003 for construction of the Law Enforcement Center and the courthouse addition ($1.41 million) and the other […]
Four county school districts meet to discuss collaboration
Seventeen people representing Independent School District 166 and the three Cook County charter schools – Great Expectations, Oshki Ogimaag, and Birch Grove – met at the Cook County Community Center on October 27, 2011 to build some bridges. The creation of charter schools over the last several years has generated a lot of conflicting opinions in a district struggling with […]
Council votes to pay off bonds and save $154,000
Grand Marais city councilors voted Oct. 26 to pay off the city’s 2005 refunding bond early, an action that is expected to save $154,000 in interest fees over the next decade. City Administrator Mike Roth made the recommendation to pay off the bond with a $655,000 payment in February, rather than refinance the $875,000 bond for a second time. Estimates […]
Have patience with the parking-challenged
I’m not the world’s best driver. I’m not really a bad driver, just a nervous one. Have you ever been stuck in a line of cars at the bottom of the Old Gunflint Trail waiting for an indecisive driver trying to determine when she could go? You may have been behind me. Have you been trapped behind a line of […]
1 percent tax: A referendum against the poor
In a sales pitch for the proposed community center, Commissioner Fritz Sobanja told seniors he would donate $1,000 to start a fund for the low-income, including seniors and children, who probably will not afford the projected high user fees of the proposed facility that has a price tag of $11 million. The EDA would like 3.3 million 1 percent tax […]
Grand Portage not included in giving guide
As a long time resident of Cook County and specifically Grand Portage I am disappointed & quite frankly hurt by once again being left out and omitted as a part of the county. The Cook County Community Fund (CCCF) published a Cook County directory guide to giving to nonprofit organizations and volunteer opportunities in Cook County. This was to be […]
School, not golf course or community center, needs support of taxpayers
We have the same problem in Cook County as we do in Washington—too much spending on the wrong things and not enough on the right things. County government officials seem to have two major priorities: 1) Where to build a community center that will cost millions; that no one wants; is not needed; and has a high probability of requiring […]