Barb Backlund was appointed by the Grand Marais City Council to fill the term vacated by Grand Marais Recreation Park Board member Reid Dusheck who moved out of the city limits earlier this summer, thereby forfeiting his seat.
Backlund attended her first meeting on Tuesday, September 6, joining Jennifer Stoltz, Kaye Tavernier, Dave Mills and Sally Berg on the board.
To start the meeting an election of officers was held and Sally Berg was voted to serve as board chair while Kaye Tavernier was appointed vice chair for the coming year.
Manager reports busy season
Grand Marais Parks Manager Dave Tersteeg reported that the park continues to be busier than ever, with residency up two percent over August 2015. Revenues for August 2016 were $236,200, up $4,268 over last August.
Overall the year-to-date income stands at $892,599; an increase of nine percent over 2015.
“We continue to experience our busiest, most successful season to date,” said Tersteeg.
With much of the summer staff returning to school the park has been somewhat short on help, Tersteeg said.
“We said good-bye to five summer staffers in mid-August, effectively cutting our outside crew in half. Fortunately, lawn mowing has slowed down, as well as midweek traffic,” he said. “Overall, this season’s crew has been the best in recent memory. The office manager and facilities manager have both done an especially great job getting us through the busy peak season.”
Electrical upgrades are currently being scoped for fall/spring construction while paving of some park roads will take place this early fall, he said.
Budget planning for capital improvements
As the Grand Marais City Council works on its 2017 budget Tersteeg was notified about two significant changes that should help the park board with its planning for improvements, he said.
The first change shifts the golf course from the city’s enterprise fund into the general fund.
“This is due mainly to statutory requirement that enterprise funds should generate revenue in excess of their expenses, which the golf course has been unable to fulfill in recent years.” he said.
The second change will allow the park board to know that money for park upgrades, especially long-term upgrades, is being put into a designated fund for the park within the city’s general fund.
Currently the park revenues go into the city’s general fund and when the park board needs to make an improvement they have to go to the city council and ask for money, hoping it’s there.
“As our master plan is updated and supplemented with strategic planning to meet the requirements for Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails designation, we will also be able to more accurately project long-term capital investments and expenditures and assign these funds within the general fund,” Tersteeg said.
Minnesota Land Trust visits
In late July the Minnesota Land Trust conducted its annual site visit to make sure the land under conservation easement was being used for recreation, municipal storage and wildlife habitat and found only two minor items of concern, Tersteeg said.
“The snowmobile trail through Parcel A appears to have summer ATV traffic and minor erosion issues. A snowmobile trail is permitted, however, ATV use in the summer is not permitted. Signs will be installed depicting the ATV restrictions,” said Tersteeg.
The second area of concern was in the northwestern corner of Parcel B, and was caused by an adjacent landowner who was mowing on the land. Mowing is allowed on this property, Tersteeg said, but not by a private landowner who was notified of the infraction and who promised to stop the practice.
Both Parcels A and B are located to the west of the park and contain trails that are used by campers and recreation users.
Marina to purchase private buoy
Sales of boat fuel in August were $9,700, down from the $14,000 taken in from diesel and unleaded fuel sales of August 2015. But Tersteeg noted that this July’s fuel sales were $11,600, which was more than $5,000 up from the July 2015 tally.
In related matters the board learned Nancy and Craig Anderson were retiring from boating and giving up their private mooring permit, and selling their commercial 500-pound anchor, anchor chain and nearly new mooring buoy.
“It would be in our best interest to purchase this equipment from them and convert the buoy into a city location,” Tersteeg said. “The retail cost of the set-up is approximately $1,600 if purchased new. I propose we offer them $800 for this used but very serviceable equipment.”
The board agreed with him and authorized Tersteeg to pursue purchase of Anderson’s equipment for $800.
Gunflint Hills golf going strong
Golfers are still enjoying Gunflint Hills, but fall maintenance is being done and summer staff is gone, reported Manager Mike Kunshier. The course has been fertilized and aeration will soon be done.
Year-to-date golf course income was $105,000, up four percent over last year.
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