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Grand Marais City councilors had a short but productive meeting on March 9.
A question posed from Cook County Administrator James Joerke to the council was to ask if the city would contribute to funding a proposed dog pound/shelter?
Joerke sent his request via email to Grand Marais City Administrator Mike Roth, who relayed it to the council.
The county has budgeted $25,000 to the animal shelter for 2022, noted Joerke.
With several Arrowhead Animal Rescue advocates in the room, the council wasted little time deciding to match the county’s dollars. Councilor Tracy Benson motioned with councilor Anton Moody seconding to approve spending $25,000 to help fund the project. The council voted all ayes.
Administrator Mike Roth said Arrowhead Animal Rescue’s next steps, which has raised about $50,000 for the project, were to get a stormwater management plan, find a contractor and get the land transferred. After that, the goal is to build a new facility in Cedar Grove Business Park.
The city/county has been without a dog pound since 2021, when the small brick building was removed from the recreation park to make way for a new boat launch and other improvements to the harbor area. Since the pounds closure, lost pets have been taken to the Cook County Law Enforcement Center garage until their owners pick them up.
Precinct boundaries changed
City Administrator Mike Roth informed the council that the county Auditor/Treasurer Braidy Powers had notified him that based on the 2020 census, the city needed to make a small change in the city’s voting precinct boundaries.
Roth said the change would affect 59 voters, with Powers suggesting moving the precinct line from 4th Avenue West to 5th Avenue West.
The effect on those 59 voters will be minimal, said Roth. The county will notify them of their new place to vote, and if they go to their old polling place, they will be instructed to go to the new station, which, as Roth noted, is only the matter of traveling a few blocks.
City councilors won’t be affected by the change in moving the precinct line because they are voted at large. Council voted to make the change based on Power’s advice.
Climate Action Plan
Grand Marais hopes to be net-zero for carbon emissions by 2040, with the intermediate goal of reducing its carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2030, said Shane Steele, the city’s sustainability coordinator who works with the city’s climate action plan, which was adopted in 2019.
The city’s most significant carbon emissions come from coal-generated electricity, at 64.5 percent and 20.5 percent from heating fuel.
But because of a considerable change from the city’s electrical provider Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA), many of the city’s steps to curb greenhouse gases won’t be needed, Steele said.
“SMMPA has changed their outlook on climate change –they now recognize climate change as a threat.,” Steele said, adding that SMMPA plans to reduce their electric mix to reduce its carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2030.
To accomplish its goals, SMMPA is shutting down Sherco 3, a coal-fired electrical generating unit, and investing in purchasing more wind and solar power.
Still, the city will work to increase the energy efficiency of its buildings, Steele said, noting the Grand Marais Library had recently undergone a heating assessment. Although the report wasn’t back yet, Steele said the library plans to look at using air-source heat pumps which can perform both air conditioning and heating. The library currently has a heating system that uses refrigerants that can’t be replaced, so if the system fails, a new one will be put in its place, said Steele. If the library moves to air-source heat pumps for heat and air conditioning, it will reduce propane use by 40 percent annually.
Shane said the city’s EV stations at city hall and the campground which were installed this past summer, recorded 667 charging sessions. Even during the month of February, 18 charging sessions occurred. Last July and August, Shane said he got a call from SMMPA asking him why the city’s charging stations were used here more than at any of their other 18 cities. Steele said he replied, “Because it’s Grand Marais.”
SMMPA said Steele, “Is a great partner to have right now.”
Under SMMPA’s 2.0 plan, which it adopted in 2019, SMMPA states, “Based on the methodology used in the State of Minnesota’s renewable energy standard, SMMPA projects it will be about 75 percent renewable” in 2030.
One way to become more energy efficient is to have an energy audit of your home or business. But as Steele noted, energy audits are usually performed by someone coming from Duluth. A new concept is to do an energy audit by Zoom, which has proven to be effective, said Steele.
Steele also noted the city’s investment in a 20kW solar array at the PUC Garage and maintenance of two other city-owned solar arrays.
He said he would work with SMMPA on cold climate air source heat pumps for our area, work with the PUC to increase customer access to EV charging stations, and work with contractors, commercial, and residential folks to increase knowledge of efficiency and electrification technology.
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