City administrator Mike Roth came before the Grand Marais city council during its meeting on Wednesday, April 13 to update them on the plan for the new garage that is being built for the public works department. The city’s architecture firm, LHB, has submitted two site plan drawings. Both the public works department heads and LHB have expressed preference for the same design as it has less impact on the site.
The council had requested a few modifications to the plans at a previous work session and Roth said he plans to have new drawings in time for their next meeting. It was also noted that there had been some discussion about including a bus garage on the site for the school. However, Roth said that the plans did not leave much room for the additional structure.
“I haven’t received the school’s plans that they have, but I do have a pretty decent idea of the size of the facility that they’re looking at,” Roth stated. “As you can see, it’s just not an option on this site unless they want to use a lot more of the space. We don’t have room to accommodate them.”
Public works also received a $100,000 stimulus grant from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitations Board (IRRRB) for the road, water and sewer portions of the project.
The council passed a motion to approve the grant agreement, which requires that prevailing wages be paid on the project. Council member Dave Mills pointed out that, based on his research, the prevailing wage in Cook County is over $40 an hour. Roth responded that companies who are able to take on a project this large would already be paying prevailing wage and that it is unlikely the stipulation will impact the cost of the project.
Park office improvements approved
The council unanimously passed a motion to approve the bid for improvements to the park office. Parks Manager Dave Tersteeg stated that the office renovations include replacement of various aspects of the building along with the additional insulation to complete energy efficiency goals for the project. Tersteeg stated that the projects were estimated to cost just under $70,000, and were important for the maintenance of the building.
Tersteeg also updated the council on the designation for regional significance application for the Grand Marais recreation area. If the application scores high enough, the area will be designated a regional park in greater Minnesota and the city will be able to apply for funding for the campground. The council made a motion to support the submission of the regional park application.
Carbon fees considered
Public Utilities Commissioner and co-chair of the Citizens Planning Lobby, George Wilkes, came before the council to recommend that they pass a resolution in support of the carbon fee and dividend program, which has already been passed by the Grand Marais Public Utilities Commission.
The goal of the program is to reduce CO2 emissions to 10 percent of 1990 levels by 2050. The council requested a few clarifications about the program, including where the target emissions level came from and whether it impacts the functioning of their electricity provider, the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA). After tracking down these clarifications, Wilkes will attend a future meeting.
In other business
. Both the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) and the Park Board will have openings for new board members. The EDA accepted the resignation of city appointee Mark Sandbo and is in the process of recruiting a new member and the Park Board will soon have a position to fill as well.
. Fire Chief Ben Silence reported that the fire department was planning to purchase a response vehicle from the Tofte Fire Department. The vehicle is being sold for $2,500 and the old vehicle is expected to sell for about $2,000. The department is also looking to replace the pump that runs the Jaws of Life, a tool used for cutting into damaged cars to rescue injured occupants. The current one is very large and the newer one would be much more efficient for the department. The council voted to approve both purchases.
There was also a brief discussion about the number of false alarms that the department receives. Silence noted that other counties have systems in place so that if there are a certain number of false alarms within a specific time period, there are repercussions. No decisions were made at the meeting, but Silence said he might bring it up at the next fire chiefs meeting.
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