City Administrator Mike Roth presented a list of impending board vacancies to Grand Marais city councilors Nov. 12 and said efforts will soon be under way to fill the volunteer positions.
The openings will be created due to expiration of current members’ terms, or in the case of city council, the resignation of Jan Sivertson as she takes on her new role as Cook County commissioner in January. Roth encouraged councilors – all of whom will be retiring from the board except Tim Kennedy – to solicit interested residents and said an ad will soon be placed in the News-Herald.
Among the positions available in January are:
. One seat on the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority board. The city appoints three members to the joint board who serve six-year terms. Current city appointees are Mark Sandbo (whose term runs through 2018), Bob Spry (whose term is concurrent with his city council term, or through the end of 2014), and Hal Greenwood (whose term expires at the end of 2014, but may be re-appointed to a second term). . Two seats on the city’s park board. Terms are for three years, and members are limited to serving two consecutive terms. Current membership includes Reed Dusheck (whose term runs through 2016), Robin DuChien (whose second term expires at the end of this year and cannot be re-appointed), Sally Berg (whose first term expires at the end of this year), Walt Mianowski (whose second term runs until December 2015), and Bill Lenz (who represents the city council and will leave the post with the expiration of his councilor term in December). . Two planning commission seats. Terms are for three years and limited to two consecutive appointments. The terms of Ed Bolstad and Hal Greenwood expire at the end of 2014 but both are eligible for re-appointment if interested. Other members are David Beckwith (current term expires December 2016), Todd Miller (term runs through 2015) and Tim Kennedy (whose planning commission term is concurrent with that of his city councilor term). . One seat on the Public Utilities Commission. Members may serve two consecutive three-year terms. Tim Kennedy is the city council representative (concurrent with his councilor’s term), Adam Harju (whose term will expire at the end of 2014 but may seek re-appointment), and Karl Hansen (who has one year remaining on his second term).
In other council news:
.The board voted to accept a $50,000 grant from the Blandin Foundation to use toward planning for a proposed biomass district heating facility. The terms of the grant stipulate that the money is to be used only to finalize bidding, secure customer agreements and finalize financing options for construction and operation of the facility.
Councilor Kennedy, also a member of the Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP) that is working to advance the biomass project, said another $50,000 is still needed in order to re-bid the project, and a lot of details are still up in the air.
However, Kennedy said those details will be needed before state bonding can be taken up by late spring or early June. Once such things as securing customer contracts and financing plans are learned, “then we’ll know if we have a project,” Kennedy said.
Mayor Larry Carlson stressed that the acceptance of the grant “in no way obligates the city” to pursue the project, and Kennedy concurred. “We’ve said that all along…if the project is not in the city’s best interest, we won’t do it,” he said.
. North Shore Hospital Administrator Kimber Wraalstad asked for and received a letter of support from council for a financial assistance request from USDA – Rural Development for a Community Facilities loan for the renovation project at the Grand Marais hospital. Wraalstad said hospital administrators are required to provide evidence of “significant community support” for the project, and there is no financial commitment on the part of the city in backing the request.
. Council supported the application of Councilor Kennedy to serve on the Greater Minnesota Parks and Trails Commission. Kennedy said there is one opening in Grand Marais’s district, and a local representative would be beneficial in securing Legacy Project and other funding opportunities.
. Library board representative Jan Sivertson reported that the board and new library director Steve Harsin are doing a great job and everything “feels solid.” Also, Sivertson said the board has awarded a $10,000 grant from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund to local artist Tom Christiansen for a tree sculpture, which is to be completed by next June.
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