The purchase agreement between Shele and Harley Toftey, and North House Folk School for sale of the Toftey fishing and restaurant/fish shop properties is a welcome occasion for several reasons:
. It should allow the Tofteys, if they wish, to move into a very well deserved retirement.
. It offers the prospect that Harley’s fishing and Shele’s Dockside might continue in operation for the foreseeable future, a great boon for our community and its fishing heritage if it proves possible.
. It guarantees that as North House continues to grow, which seems inevitable given its history, it will have the room to do so comfortably.
A number of organizations and people played important roles in making this purchase possible, but I wish to emphasize the linchpin effort of the Cook County-Grand Marais EDA and its director, Mary Somnis. The EDA board and Mary were key to securing a $200,000 IRRRB grant that filled a critical hole in the financing puzzle. They responded exceptionally well to this sudden opportunity.
The EDA plays a similar critical role in many areas. Consider, for example, its ongoing work in housing – $2.1 million in workforce housing under construction in Grand Marais, $2.6 million in workforce rental housing slated for spring construction in Lutsen, potentially $5 million in an assisted living project for Grand Marais, support for Bruce Block’s important effort to turn Gopher Cabins into a safe, comfortable low-income housing area called Village North. Pretty quickly, it becomes apparent why the Cook County Chamber so strongly believes in the necessity of a well-led, well-funded EDA working to ensure a prosperous future for all of Cook County.
Jim Boyd,
executive director
Cook County
Chamber of Commerce
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