Agreeing that “now is the time” to update and improve the city’s public restrooms, Grand Marais city councilors voted April 29 to spend up to $5,000 to renovate and modernize the facilities at City Hall.
The work will be done by the city’s streets and maintenance, and parks departments beginning as soon as possible. The suggestion by Parks Manager Dave Tersteeg was put to a vote and approved unanimously following a lengthy discussion about the need for additional porta-potties, how many (if any) are needed, what type of upgrades or new facilities should be purchased, and where they should be placed.
After listening to the discussion, Tersteeg volunteered himself and his crew to do the work in an effort to save money and get the job done before the busy summer season arrives. “Now is the time to get this done,” he said, adding that $5,000 or less should be adequate to cover the cost of cosmetic improvements such as new plumbing fixtures and ventilation upgrades.
The parks manager said he has some experience and familiarity with this type of project because of the ongoing work at the Recreation Park’s four bath houses. Tersteeg said he also has some partitions and other items less than five years old that were salvaged from the pool building before its demolition last winter, and those can be re-used in the City Hall restrooms. “We can easily do the updates ourselves,” he said.
In the meantime, work will continue to answer questions and determine a need for additional facilities, which has been a topic of discussion for several years.
To date, the city has asked for and received a concept drawing for renovation of the vacated space in the City Hall building on Broadway to include additional restrooms. However, the drawings by Mark Pederson of Pederson Design & Consulting do not include price estimates. Also, an evaluation of the building by CR Building Performance Specialists is under way to find out how useable and/or efficient the space is. The findings of that study, coupled with the proposed costs of renovations, are essential before a long-term solution can be determined.
City Administrator Mike Roth said he would work to get price estimates for Pederson’s design, and ask the Chamber of Commerce for help in soliciting input from downtown businesses about the need and possible location for more facilities. It’s also possible to gauge the demand for more toilets by installing a pedestrian counter in the existing restrooms, and Roth said he would contact the Land Trust to find out if a conservation easement precludes the construction of restroom facilities at Boulder Park, as was suggested by Councilor Anton Moody.
Roth said, however, that he didn’t believe more porta-potties are needed. “We’re covering the demand now—I wouldn’t even know where to put more,” he said.
According to information provided by city staff, the city spent $8,705 on six seasonal porta-potties last year; about $5,000 was spent on cleaning and supplies for the existing public restrooms.
In other City business:
. Council approved a fireworks display permit for the Fourth of July and Fisherman’s Picnic, with Bob Spry as the authorized agent and pyrotechnic.
. A request from Cook County Emergency Management Agency Director Jim Wiinanen for a contribution to help defray the cost of the annual Emergency Services Conference was approved unanimously. The city will kick in $200, the same amount as last year.
. At the request of Streets Department Supervisor Len Bloomquist, bids will be solicited to complete between $75,000 and $100,000 worth of chip and crack sealing on city streets. Roth said about half of the city’s streets are in need of the repairs, and the project under consideration would cover about 25 percent of those. The work is designed to extend the life of roads and will be done on pavement rated to be in relatively new to moderate condition, not roads that are badly deteriorating, said Roth. The city budgets $15,000 per year for seal coating, which hasn’t been done in about four years.
. The results of RFPs received for an Assisted Living Market Analysis were discussed. There were four received, each with “very different ideas,” said Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux. A panel of six to eight people with expertise in the field of health care, along with a contractor, will be designated to evaluate the proposals and report back to council.
. Lee Bergstrom and Rod Wannebo of the Cook County Tennis Association appeared to request a commitment of $20,000 from the city to help pay for reconstruction of two county-owned tennis courts near the school campus. While councilors expressed support for the tennis association and the $145,000 project, it was noted that the $20,000 requested represents about one-third of the total amount designated for discretionary spending this year. Bergstrom said it was likely the work wouldn’t be done until next year due to delays and extended fundraising efforts, and agreed to come back for another discussion and possible inclusion of the project in the city’s 2016 budget.
. At the request of Parks Manager Tersteeg, approved as summer hires at the Recreation Area were Pat McDonnell and Jeff Iverson for maintenance positions, and Olga Iverson as a custodian.
. Council approved the purchase and installation of a new digital phone system at City Hall at a cost of $4,977.22. The system will upgrade nine phones and include voice mail, an amenity that has heretofore been unavailable.
. Council approved a resolution changing the time of its regular meetings from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in an effort to increase public attendance and participation. The change is effective May 13. Meetings will continue to be held on the second and last Wednesday of each month at City Hall.
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