The current cross commemorating Father Baragathesehasads.welcomedIf you havevisitors to the Lake Superior shoreline near Cross River inquestions,Schroederpleasesincecall1932. The site has been a town park since 1976. The crossMNAwas movedat 800/slightly279- in 2012 and erosion control measures were installed,2979.as wellThankas you.a handicap accessible path to the historic cross. The township is considering other improvements to the site.
A lot of work has been done by the Schroeder Township Park Task Force to create a design plan for the park adjacent to Father Baraga’s Cross on Lake Superior, but some of the residents along Baraga Cross Road aren’t very happy about it. A homeowner near the park spoke up at the November 12, 2013 township board meeting, but before that, task force chair Greg Miron addressed concerns he had been hearing.
Miron said he had heard that people were complaining that the process of developing plans for the park had not been transparent. “This is so far from the truth it’s unbelievable,” he said. “This idea that this has not been transparent is simply not true.” Plans for the park have been discussed at special meetings and township board meetings for well over a year.
Miron said he had not seen any information supporting concerns that improving the park would increase road maintenance or porta potty costs. The current cost of renting and maintaining a porta potty from mid-May to mid-October is $126.90 a month. Miron said he did not expect operation of a pit toilet, which would be handicapped accessible, to be much more than that. “We’re not building a Ferris wheel down there,” he said. “We’re not building an amusement park.” During the cold months, he said, few people go down there.
The plan for the park calls for erosion control methods to mitigate storm water heading down to the lake and the lake hitting the shoreline. Miron said he thought grant funding might be available for this.
The homeowner whose property is near the park, part-time resident Denise Seck, raised a concern about maintenance of a pit toilet. Township Supervisor Roger “Bill” McKeever said a pit toilet had been voted down in the past because community members did not want to pay for maintenance.
Seck wanted to know the purpose of enhancing the park. She indicated trash is a problem there already, saying she and a neighbor always find and pick up trash when they walk down there. Why build a covered pavilion when the area is so beautiful? she asked. She said she thought people would pull picnic tables out of a covered pavilion in order to sit in the sunshine. The park is beautiful in its natural state, she said.
County Commissioner Bruce Martinson said the township had decided not to put a garbage can in the park because they were afraid people would dump garbage there. With more garbage, Seck responded, they could have a problem with bears and other wildlife.
Seck said a fire pit drawn in the plans would draw people to the park later in the evening. They might leave a fire unattended, she said, and it’s windy down there. “The fire pit scares me,” she said.
Bill McKeever said ideas on improving the park were generated when improvements were made to the Father Baraga’s Cross area. He said that he is not promoting improvements to the park and that the plans were developed by the task force.
Greg Miron indicated that the park is important. “A lot of tourists don’t have access to the lake,” he said.
Township Treasurer Alicia Kangas said they should be considerate of the people who live there.
It’s been a town park with a road leading to it since 1976, Miron said.
There’s a state park just down the road, Seck said. Regarding the Schroeder park, she said, “It’s a beautiful, pristine park.” She said she was not worried about increased traffic but simply did not want to see amenities added to the park. It would be like a city park then, she said. “It’s no longer the cool, pristine North Shore park,” she said.
“None of this is set in stone,” Miron said. “This grant was to get ideas.” If a process to finalize plans and seek funding were begun, community members would be able to get involved and have a voice, he said.
Board Chair Tina McKeever relayed concerns that had been expressed in letters to the board from the Bruce Palmer family and from Edna Granlund. The Palmer letter voiced many of the same concerns Seck had expressed. The letter from Granlund asked if blasting would be required to build a pit toilet and stated that the park is not being maintained by the township now.
How would the residents benefit from improvements to the park? Seck asked. Miron said that it might be a better-utilized park and that people would enjoy and use the amenities.
“If grant money is available,” said Seck, “it doesn’t always mean money should be spent.” She said grant projects often result in added ongoing costs to recipients. Bill McKeever said that is his concern as well.
Tina McKeever said township residents would have an opportunity to discuss the proposed improvements and decide what they want at the next annual town meeting in March.
Schroeder resident Rick Anderson suggested having a town meeting to discuss the park in the summer rather than in March so seasonal residents could attend. Bill McKeever said, “The reason to have meetings in March is that working people can attend them. And working people live here.” Commissioner Martinson said attendance tends to be scarce at meetings that are continued in the summer.
Seck said the Baraga Cross Road needs to be brushed. Bill McKeever said the township only owns the right of way to the bottom of the ditches. Brushing any further than that would require homeowner permission. “If you want to give us 33 feet, we’d be glad to take it!” he said.
Anderson asked Martinson to look into safety issues regarding the Baraga Cross Road. Bill McKeever said if they widened the road, property owners along that road would lose some of their land.
“Are you talking about eminent domaining me?” Seck said. “That’s an entirely different ball game.” She mentioned that someone had been jet skiing in front of the park last summer, adding, “and boy did that ruin the day.”
In other township news:
. Brad Anderson agreed to brush the four-mile-long Sugarloaf Road for $800 sometime next year.
. Carl Crawford got the bid for plowing the town hall and township roads for $185 per significant snowfall with an extra $25 for shoveling. Curt LaBoda got the bid for plowing the Sugarloaf Road for $200 per significant snowfall.
. Clerk Doug Schweke is taking email addresses of people who would like to receive township board meeting agendas in advance. They are usually not finalized until close to the meeting date.
. Linda Lamb passed around a painting that had been created by Gottfrid Dahl on the back of an old sign. She said Gottfrid used to give people his paintings. Bill McKeever said Gottfrid gave him his first job – driving Gottfrid to and from work before and after school – when McKeever was six years old.
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