“We had a very busy August,” Grand Marais Recreation Area Office Manager Samantha Williams told the park board on September 4, 2012. The campground was full every weekend. People were calling from Texas and Missouri wanting to get out of the heat, she said.
The marina has gone through three fuel loads this summer, whereas they went through only two last summer, Williams said.
Some campers have complained about outdoor music downtown and about the sightseeing plane taking off and landing in the harbor, Williams said. One group with a trailer in the southwest corner of the campground complained very angrily at the park office about the outdoor music and checked out.
Golf report
Golfers are still enjoying Gunflint Hills, but fall maintenance is being done and summer staff is gone, reported Manager Mike Kunshier. The course had been fertilized and aeration would be done soon.
Year-to-date golf course income was $133,487, up almost 12 percent from last year.
Pool report
Head Lifeguard Charles Christiansen reported that year-to-date income of $56,053 was down $4,154 from last year. He related this to the fact that the pool was closed for a time for maintenance this year, whereas last year it was not. Annual maintenance had been done before the start of 2011 at the same time that storm damage repairs had been done.
Fall pool hours have begun, with adult swim from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. weekdays and open swim from 3:30 to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3:30-9:00 p.m. Friday, and 2-9 p.m. Saturday. Friday nights will once again be dollar night.
More and more people are taking water aerobics classes. “It seems like it’s picking up,” Christiansen said.
North House’s Unplugged
North House Folk School Director Greg Wright talked to the park board about parking availability for Unplugged events the weekend of September 13-16, asking for use of the ball field parking lot for event parking. The board discussed the fact that this lot is about three blocks from North House, which may seem like a long way to some. “In Grand Marais, you’re supposed to be able to crawl!” said Wright.
The board approved the parking request, including using the east end of the park for the group Trampled by Turtles to unload and load.
Active living summit
Local Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) Coordinator Kristin Wharton invited the park board to an “active living summit” to be held at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on November 14. Three guest speakers will travel to Grand Marais for the event, including former U.S. congressman Jim Oberstar who developed the Safe Routes to Schools initiative, which promotes safer ways for schoolchildren to walk and bike to school.
SHIP’s mission statement is “More people more active more often,” Wharton said. She commended efforts around the community to help people enjoy the outdoors, such as the nicely landscaped picnic area outside the Dairy Queen.
The active living summit is not just for athletes, Wharton said. Cook County is considered a pilot community for active living initiatives. “We seem to be on the forward edge,” she said.
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