Staff photo/Jane Howard Mike Fischer, vice president of Minnesota-based consulting firm LHB, helped facilitate a community discussion at the courthouse Tuesday, June 16, 2009 on the possibility of building a civic/community center in Grand Marais. The facility would be funded by a countywide 1% sales tax that would need to pass a referendum in November. Amenities could include a large multi-purpose gymnasium, a fitness center, party space, meeting rooms, a commercial kitchen, and an aquatic center.
Thirteen people attended a public meeting at the courthouse Tuesday, June 16, 2009 to discuss the possibility of using a proposed 1% county tax to pay for a multi-purpose civic/community center building in Grand Marais. Not a single community member was in attendance other than those who were there because of their jobs, formally associated with the project, or members of groups with current or proposed ties to the facility.
The group consisted of consultants Mike Fischer and Mark Wentzel, county commissioners Fritz Sobanja and Jan Hall, Grand Marais mayor Sue Hakes, school board member Rod Wannebo, Community Center director Diane Booth, Senior Center director Bev Greene, Cook County Tennis Association president Gene Glader, Life in Christ Lutheran Church pastor Dennis Schutte and parishioner Bob Mesenbring, and two members of the press.
The legislation authorizing the tax was revised this year to include construction of and/or improvements to community centers, public recreation centers (such as Birch Grove Community Center and Superior National Golf Course), the Grand Marais Public Library, county-wide high speed communications infrastructure (Broadband), and a biomass-fueled energy plant to heat and power numerous public (and possibly other) buildings in Grand Marais. A 1% sales tax would bring in at least $1,000,000 a year and would be capped at $20,000,000.
After gathering ideas and opinions from the 1% tax committee and throughout the community, Mark Wentzel proposed a 34,000- 50,000 square foot community center that would include numerous sporting facilities, a public reception area, rooms for classes and meetings, a kitchen, administrative offices, and possibly a senior center and a youth center. A rough estimate of the cost of such a facility, said Wentzel, would be less than half of the $20,000,000, leaving money for the other projects on the list.
Wentzel outlined possibilities for a field house in the community center, like a supersized gymnasium, that would be amenable to a variety of sports and could fit up to 1,000 people. He had been told that a lot of the outdoor sports in Cook County, like cross-country running, golf, and softball, are difficult to practice during the shoulder seasons because of the weather. In addition, the three ISD 166 gymnasiums do not provide enough time or the right conditions for all the sporting groups that would like to use them.
A field house could be used for large public events as well, although Wentzel recommended not installing bleachers because of the extra features that would be required, such as more rest room facilities. The field house would have the right flooring for tennis and would have a walking/running track elevated above it.
Wentzel showed drawings of an aquatic center designed for another community that he thought would meet Cook County’s needs. People wanting water sports no longer gravitate toward a simple rectangular pool, but a pool with numerous water features would hopefully draw both visitors and residents from throughout the county, he said. He proposed at minimum a 75’x40′ lap pool, a leisure pool with a zero-depth entry and numerous fountains, a whirlpool, and a sauna. Other amenities could include a water slide, a climbing wall, and a diving board. He also suggested having a party room and an outdoor patio.
Bob Mesenbring questioned whether Grand Marais tourist park guests would use the pool if it were located near the present Community Center instead of the rec park. Consultant Mike Fischer suggested having a shuttle bus to transport park guests throughout the day.
Mayor Sue Hakes stressed the importance of the pool to this community, saying that it is an important social gathering place and it meets needs for many people who do not have running water. Diane Booth agreed, saying the number of people in Cook County over age 60 is expected to triple in the next 15 years, and a pool facility would be a very desirable asset for them.
Having all proposed aquatic center amenities open at the same time would require three lifeguards on duty, said Wentzel. In addition, he recommended a lobby with a “control desk” where everyone entering the building would check in, which would require another employee on duty.
Wenzel also proposed men’s, women’s, and family locker rooms that could service athletes coming from outside the building as well. He recommended a room with exercise equipment focusing on aerobics and cardiovascular fitness and two rooms for group exercise classes.
The group discussed the possibility of including a space for hosting large community events and meals, such as annual Lioness dinners, Girl Scout award ceremonies followed by potlucks, and wedding receptions. Diane Booth, who has rented out the current Community Center for many weddings, said small Cook County weddings average 30-50 people, but large weddings average 200-250. Wentzel said his preliminary design ideas did not include aesthetically pleasing space for formal events, but the multipurpose space he did design could be expanded to seat 250 people for meals. Mike Fischer figured the extra space would cost about $220,000. Gene Glader said he thinks the field house could be used for large weddings, but Booth wasn’t sure people would want to use it for formal events. Mike Fischer said the field house could be acoustically designed to prevent the type of echoing inherent in the curling club’s indoor rink, which has been used for large gatherings.
Also discussed was whether a kitchen should simply include serving space for caterers or include full commercial kitchen equipment. Several people talked about events in the past that have benefitted from commercial kitchen facilities. A commercial kitchen costs around $100,000, Wentzel said.
Why don’t we keep what we have (such as the commercial kitchen in the current Community Center), Mayor Hakes said, and augment it with the new community center facility, which could be right behind the current building? Wentzel answered by saying he advises people not to let a $200,000 building drive decisions about a $10,000,000 building.
Whatever is built should not duplicate amenities already available in local restaurants and churches, Wentzel said. Local restaurants could cater large events if the proposed community center included large public spaces. Wentzel recommended that they compare the need for larger space with the cost of it.
How much the proposed community center would cost to operate is an important question. Wentzel suggested that the building is not likely to generate enough in fees to pay for operating expenses and might need to be subsidized on an ongoing basis just as the Grand Marais Municipal Pool is. On the other hand, new buildings are much more energy efficient than old buildings, Wentzel said, so that the cost to heat a new pool three times the capacity of the current pool could be less than what is being paid right now.
Earlier that day, the county board approved a motion to hire LHB, Mark Wentzel, and another consulting firm, Ballard King, to complete a pre-design of the proposed community center, determine construction and operational costs, and develop financing strategies at a cost of up to $25,865. Mike Fischer of LHB, the consultant originally hired to assist the 1% sales tax committee, said residents voting on the tax in the upcoming November referendum are likely to want more details on the proposed community center in order to feel like they are making an informed decision.
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