Grand Marais City Council moved forward Jan. 29, 2014 with the revision of two ordinances.
First up was approval of the second reading of Ordinance 2014-01, amending downtown zoning by adding a definition for retail uses that will allow light manufacturing in combination with retail (such as a winery, brewery or coffee roaster). The planning commission recommended the change Jan. 7, and council agreed and approved the first reading the following day.
The change was necessary because the city has received some requests for those types of businesses, but under existing statutes the uses best fit with the “light industrial manufacturing and processing” in the Commercial-Industrial zone, or with a conditional use permit in the business park. Those requesting the change want to locate their business in the downtown H61 zone, where they’d be more visible and have more pedestrian traffic.
With approval of the second reading, the new ordinance will be published in the News-Herald and become effective immediately thereafter.
Second on council’s list was the first reading of Ordinance 2014-02 to modify the membership of the park board by reducing the number of members from seven to five. The change is being made because it has become increasingly more difficult to attract citizens interested in serving on the board, and for those members to consistently attend the monthly meetings in numbers great enough to comprise a quorum.
Councilors approved the reduction in park board membership, which will go into effect upon approval of the second reading, set for Feb. 12. Length of terms remains unchanged (three years). And, for the first time in many months, the park board will then have its full complement of members: Bill Lenz, James Reid Dusheck, Walt Mianowski, Robin DuChien and Sally Berg.
In other matters to come before council:
. City employees submitted to City Administrator Mike Roth a list of union members’ signatures on a petition, saying those on the list would not cross a picket line in the event of a strike. AFSCME is currently in labor negotiations with the city. There was no discussion of the action.
. Councilors approved a resolution authorizing the city to participate in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities Program, a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program designed to help cities achieve their sustainability and quality of life goals. Bill Mittlefehldt of the state Department of Commerce and George Wilkes of the Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP) requested the city’s participation and gave a brief presentation at council’s prior meeting. It was noted that there will be no financial obligation to the city, and Mittlefehldt said he would be able to recruit a college intern to do much of the work.
. Councilor and CCLEP liaison Tim Kennedy said he was “pretty sure” there would be no state financing this legislative session for a proposed Grand Marais district biomass heating facility, as the project was not included in the governor’s bonding bill. Kennedy said there may be other ways to pursue funding, such as through grants or other sources, but it appears likely it will be put on hold another two years.
In the meantime, however, council decided to continue its work with the city’s financial consultant (approved at council’s prior meeting at a cost not to exceed $10,000) to evaluate and arrange financing for the estimated $10 million project if it comes to fruition. Roth said the information compiled by Ehlers Associates would still be relevant in two years, and will be helpful to council when it comes time to make a decision because a lot of the existing loose ends will be tied up. Wilkes agreed and said the city’s support and additional information could also help win grants or funding from other as-yet-unknown sources.
Wilkes said he doesn’t know why the Grand Marais project was left off the governor’s list, but he is going to look into it. Wilkes also said he and other CCLEP members were nevertheless going to keep trying to win state funding, as the biomass project may become a hot-button issue if the propane crisis persists.
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