Grand Marais city councilors approved a request from the Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWDC) to use the Office Outpost space for a period of six to eight months, starting in March.
The decision was made at the council’s April 8 teleconference meeting.
Space is needed for two SWCD seasonal employees, one who will perform culvert inventory for the county and the other who will work part-time year-round as an aquatic invasive species coordinator.
The request was made because SWDC doesn’t have enough office space to house two more employees, nor is there any spare room in the courthouse because other departments will also bring on temporary staff this summer.
In the past, the city has charged $700 per month for the room, but SWCD asked the city to recognize the cost of the rent as a match for current and future grants. “Utilizing the rent value as a match granted from the city to the SWCD provides an opportunity to show the strength of the partnership to funders, assist with funding for projects currently taking place with the city and for future projects,” stated the request letter.
Mayor Jay Arrowsmith-DeCoux said the trade was good for the city. He noted the city’s storm water management plans are worked through the county SWDC, and added, “They’re pretty good at getting grants for us.”
A lease contract will be drawn up between the city and the county for the office space with the provision that if the city starts work on building a new city hall/ liquor store the SWCD will have to find a new space for the workers.
New Taxi service in town
Austin Oullis applied for a taxicab license. Austin has two vehicles, a 2003 Ford TR Ec3 12 passenger vehicle and a 2006 Chrysler Town and Country he will use to provide taxi rides. City administrator Mike Roth said Austin had paid the $10 fee to apply for the permit, and provided the city with a letter showing the vehicles were mechanically safe and provided the city with his insurance. Council voted 5-0 to grant Austin the one-year permit.
MnDOT to start construction May 18
As the work on Highway 61 in Cook County begins this spring, MnDOT asked the city to send a letter requesting a limited use permit to place some bike racks, benches, planters, and kiosks in MnDOT’s right of way along Highway 61.
Most of these amenities will be put in place with the highway reconstruction during the summer of 2021.
Under the agreement, the city must maintain these structures.
Councilor Kelly Swearengen asked if the items would be able to be removed in the winter to accommodate snowplowing. City administrator Mike Roth replied that he believed the bike racks could be removed but, he added, until the city got the limited use permit back, the city wouldn’t know what could be removed or what couldn’t be removed for snowplowing.
“Your request is not an approval,” for the amenities, Roth said, adding that once the city received the permit from MnDOT council could discuss further what it wants or doesn’t want in the MnDOT right-of-way.
Councilor Tim Kennedy said the bike racks, planters, kiosks, benches etc. had been, “planned for all along.” He also noted that the letter to MnDOT for the limited use permit was, “The first step in the process.”
Councilor Anton Moody asked Roth if the council could ask, if it was a consensus, to remove some of the items.
Roth answered the amenities were in the contract and he suspected KGM, the company hired to do the work, had already ordered some of them. However, he added, the council, “hadn’t closed the loop,” on changing things in the contract. Before the pandemic caused the meetings to go online, Roth said the plan was to have council come together and look at a map where all of the items were placed along Highway 61 and then discuss what their feelings were about the placement of those items.
A vote was taken to unanimously approve sending MnDOT a letter requesting a limited use permit. Following approval from MnDOT for the limited use permit, council will discuss further what it feels about the amenities scheduled to be placed in the right-of-way.
The letter was sent to Duane Hill, District 1 Engineer for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).
Scheduled for two summers, MnDOT will begin the reconstruction of Highway 61 through Grand Marais from 1.8 miles north of Cutface Creek to 0.1 miles south of County Road 14, to resurface, improve accessibility and replace box culverts.
So far, trees have been cleared along the corridor of the 11.23-mile project.
* The Council approved an application from the Cook County Curling Club for a consumption and display permit.
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