Jack Stone, owner of the newly opened Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply in downtown Grand Marais, appeared before city councilors July 28 to seek permission to store eight to 10 kayaks on the east bay beach during the summer.
Stone said he was making the request because his building is “cramped for space,” and by constructing a rack designed to store the kayaks, he would alleviate the need to trailer them every day to his warehouse on County Road 7. Storage on the beach would also free up much-needed parking space in the public parking lot which fronts his building, said Stone, because the trailer used to haul the kayaks is kept in that lot during the day.
City Administrator Mike Roth said the previous owner of the kayak business simply set his kayaks on the ground, which requires no permission from the city. “Anyone can do that,” he said. Stone, however, said there are liability issues: he doesn’t want anybody hurt, nor does he want the kayaks damaged or stolen.
As envisioned, the seasonal storage rack would be about 6 feet by 20 feet, and stand 7 feet high. It would be built on cityowned property immediately east of the store, on the grassy area between the holding pond and the stone beach. Stone said the rack would be built so it could be easily disassembled and hauled away during the offseason, and the kayaks could be locked between tours, which are currently offered twice a day. Stone Harbor Wilderness would cover any insurance necessary, said the owner.
Roth and City Attorney Chris Hood suggested that a lease agreement between Stone and the city be written and presented at council’s next meeting. A similar agreement already exists with the city and East Bay Suites allowing the hotel use of the city’s parking area. There would be no fee for the lease agreement, as is the case with the East Bay Suites deal, Roth said.
Councilors asked questions about such things as zoning, liability, appearance of the storage rack and its visibility to passersby, and termination of the agreement, but there appeared to be no objections to the request. Hood said he could have the proposal ready for review at council’s Aug. 11 meeting.
In other business:
• Hood directed council to authorize Roth to contact the Cook County Board of Commissioners and request that the county use Burbach Aquatics for architectural services in designing a new pool. There has been a question about the city’s relationship with and obligation to Burbach dating to a 2005 contract the city entered regarding pool repair and/or design. The issue has become complicated by the county’s partnership in plans to
build a new community center, which may include a pool. Hood said he is still reviewing the
terms of the contract and doesn’t agree with all of Burbach’s assertions, and asked for and received council’s permission to contact Burbach in an effort to clarify the situation. • As requested by the fire department, council voted to join the statewide lump-sum volunteer firefighter retirement plan at the $1,250 benefit level (per year of service). Council
also approved the hiring of James Ford as a new firefighter on the recommendation of chief Ben Silence. • Council approved the library’s 2011 operating budget request of $248,523, an increase of .98 percent over the current year. Councilor and library board member Kay Costello said the library board re-examined its budget request during a special meeting, as requested by council, and found that there was simply no place to make further cuts (the county, which pays half of the library’s budget, requested a zero percent increase) except in the book budget. “That’s what we’re all about, and we’re unwilling to do that,” said Costello. It is the board’s hope that some of the additional $1,429 needed to make up the shortfall can be raised through donations from Library Friends, fines and revenue generated by the library’s new copier.
The proposed budget will now go before the county board.
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