County and school shake hands on shared space
When representatives of School District 166 and Cook County met last week to negotiate the lease or sale of the west wing of the school building for the construction of the Cook County Family YMCA, the two entities seemed far from agreement. However, on Tuesday, September 25, the two government bodies found common ground and shook hands on the deal. […]
Grand Marais DNR finally getting building remodel
As the Grand Marais Public Library did while its building was being reconstructed, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Grand Marais office will be leasing space at Cook County Independent School District 166 during its upcoming renovation. At press time, DNR staff was moving into the west end of the school building. DNR Northeast Region Facilities Manager Roger Erickson said […]
Negotiations, applications, inspections, and collaborations on 1 percent projects
Several of the projects to be funded by the Cook County 1 percent recreation and infrastructure sales tax are in full swing, and a couple are nearly complete. Consultant Wade Cole of ORB Management reported to the county board on September 25, 2012 that he would soon be scheduling an 11-month warranty walk-through at the Grand Marais Library. Of the […]
Open meetings the right thing to do
There is nothing more disappointing to a reporter than receiving an agenda for an upcoming meeting declaring “closed session.” Reporters are strange. We actually like meetings—perhaps not three or four a day— but we like the challenge of trying to clarify the rambling conversations and disjointed discussion to create a simple story containing just the facts you need to know. […]
Confused about community center debt
I’m so confused and I hope someone can explain this situation to me. We are spending about $9 million on a new Young Men’s Christian Association Cook County Community Center. Not only are we planning on how to spend the $9 million to build it, but we are also planning on how to cover the estimated $200,000 debt this building […]
Biomass won’t be cheap
I have to agree with the letter from Gail Semer of Traverse City, MI on September 8 regarding the proposed biomass power plant and its devastating effects on the environment and the people’s health. Haven’t we learned from the past? The school tried a wood-chip burning fuel source that had to be abandoned due to an increase in respiratory problems […]
Photo ID makes your vote count
A question on the voting ballot this November will be if we want to have, in our state constitution, an amendment to require a photo identification to vote. This amendment would require a photo ID to establish your identity, not your residence. That would, then, let your vote count. For example, as it is now, if you cast your ballot […]