Grand Marais city councilors hosted a roomful of people at their May 14 meeting and dealt with a wide variety of topics.
First to speak was Maggie Barnard of the Cook County Visitors Bureau, who submitted a street and sidewalk use permit application for the annual Classic Car Show. Barnard said the application is unchanged from last year, and she has already obtained the necessary permission from the county board for closure of Wisconsin Street, and from the city park board for use of Harbor Park. The event will take place June 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and feature a band performing in Harbor Park beginning at noon. The permit was approved.
Amy Demmer of the Art Colony then presented a request for use of downtown streets on July 12 and 13 for the annual Grand Marais Arts Festival. Wisconsin Street will be blocked off from First Avenue West to Highway 61, and Second Avenue West closed from Wisconsin Street to the alley behind the Johnson Heritage Post from noon on July 11 until event closing on the 13th at 5 p.m. Demmer said the event has been held for 24 years and remains more popular than ever. As a result, she said, organizers are not going to “change it in any way,” and council okayed the permit.
The third request was a bit more complicated, and a decision was delayed to allow City Administrator Mike Roth more time to research and compile information.
Gary Nesgoda Jr. and Jeff Suck asked permission to construct an access road and install water and sewer lines and a lift station in the city right of way on 15th Avenue West so they can get to property for housing construction. Because the road would not be built to city standards initially, Nesgoda said he and Suck understand it will be their responsibility to maintain it until such time it is brought up to what the city requires. Furthermore, Nesgoda said construction of the road (from Second Street south), utilities and lift station will be paid by the owners.
Council was generally receptive to the idea. Councilor Tim Kennedy commented that the city has in the past allowed access roads to be built that were not accepted into the system right away, but said current standards had to be met in order for the city to accept them and assume maintenance and ownership. Council directed Roth to further discuss the situation with the city attorney, PUC and streets department and come back with a recommendation.
Council’s next topic was bicycles. Kristin DeArruda Wharton gave a brief update on the city’s status and progress in the “Bicycle Friendly Community” program administered by the League of American Bicyclists. The city was designated a Bicycle Friendly Community at the Bronze Level last year, due to its sustained commitment to cycling.
Wharton commended councilors for their work, stating that there is still room to grow, but notable steps are being made in the right direction. As far as recommendations for improvement, Wharton said there is a need for more bike racks in various places around town; employers should support and encourage bike-riding amongst their workers; and there should be a shift in thought, from bicycle use for recreation to bicycling for transportation.
Kennedy, an avid cyclist, said council has been working to improve safety and avoid potential conflicts with traffic and pedestrians, particularly in the designated bike lanes downtown, and those yet-to-bemarked lanes on Highway 61.
In all, Wharton said there are 35 suggestions for improvement in the feedback report, and about eight are already in progress. “There’s a lot of interest, and it’s [biking] a growing culture,” said Natalie Gillie of the bicycling association, who also attended the meeting and thanked council for its support.
City Parks Manager Dave Tersteeg was up next. He presented the boat launch and public access improvement recommendations which were approved by the park board a week earlier. Council approved the list of seven items, which will allow the DNR project to proceed with planning, pricing, parking lots, breakwalls and other details.
“We want a good functioning launch area for big and small boats, and which is friendly to the harbor,” said councilor and park board member Bill Lenz.
Tersteeg said the DNR has already invested considerable money in the harbor project, and he expects to know enough about prices and other details in three to six months to know if the project can move forward by the next budget cycle. “It’s a priority,” he said.
Finally, council dealt with a number of personnel issues: Chris LaVigne was named liquor store manager (23 applications were submitted); a job description for a golf course laborer position was approved and will be sent to the union for their approval and inclusion in the contract; Anders Lindquist was hired as a summer library page; and Tersteeg said negotiations were still ongoing, so there is no recommendation yet for the vacant parks facilities manager position.
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