Grand Marais city councilors went forward with a number of projects May 8, 2013, their first meeting in almost a month; council’s April 24 meeting was cancelled due to lack of a quorum.
First on the agenda was Danna MacKenzie, Cook County’s information systems director. She was on hand to explain a proposal from Verizon Wireless seeking to replace an existing 350-foottall tower on Old Ski Hill Road. In their request for a land use permit, Verizon said a new tower would be designed to meet the latest safety and structural standards, as was recommended by an engineer. Due to the age and structural capacity of the existing tower, it was decided a new tower would be better than making extensive modifications to the old structure.
The replacement tower will be the same height and have the same “look and feel” of the existing tower, said MacKenzie. It will be located directly adjacent to the existing tower and in order to minimize service disruptions, it will be put up prior to the disassembly of the old tower.
Although the tower is owned by the county and stands on county land, City Administrator Mike Roth said the city needs to give its approval because it is within the city limits and the zoning ordinance states “height and yard setbacks…shall be set by the city council on a case-bycase basis.” Council granted the request with no debate.
Next up was a request for a license allowing the temporary storage of blast rock on the former burn pile site near the city’s water tower off the Gunflint Trail. The request was made by Matt Geretschlaeger of Superior Zip Lines. The request was initially made at council’s prior meeting, and while there were no objections, it was decided that City Attorney Chris Hood should draft a formal agreement.
Upon review of the license agreement, council gave its approval. Contractor Jason Hill will transport and store the rock to the site for about three weeks while construction of the zip line takes place. The rock will then be taken back to the zip line site to restore the grade in the area.
In a related matter, Geretschlaeger asked that the city release its right of first refusal to purchase the zip line property – about 20 acres – in the event the project does not occur. Geretschlaeger purchased the property from the city last year in order to develop his zip line.
Attorney Hood said the question was a “policy issue” for council to decide. “Is it still needed and necessary?” he asked, since the project is obviously moving ahead and likely to happen. Geretschlaeger said the release was a requirement from one of his two lenders, who said it was needed as a condition of receiving the loan. Councilors said they were comfortable in signing off on the release since the project is already under development, and as a compromise Mayor Larry Carlson and Roth were authorized to execute the right of first refusal termination, contingent on the closing of the funding agreements.
Council next heard from Carolyn Drude, financial advisor from Ehlers Inc., the city’s bond counsel. She presented a series of charts outlining why it was a good idea for the city to refund two of its bonds: a $3.5 million general obligation bond, and a $1.4 million electric system revenue bond. “The whole purpose of this is to save money,” said Drude. “It’s all about that.”
The numbers illustrated the savings. By refinancing the larger bond, the city will save about $427,500 in interest expense over the next 23 years; refunding of the smaller bond will result in a savings of about $115,600 over the next decade. Council voted to begin the refunding process, which will entail conferences with the city Public Utilities Commission and Standard & Poor’s and should conclude with a closing in late June.
The final request of council was made by John Schloot under the auspices of the Gunflint Trail Historical Society, which is working to re-paint and restore the Gunflint Trail welcome signs on Second Avenue West near the library. The organization asked that the city commit $1,500 toward the project, which is estimated to cost about $7,500 ($6,000 of which is for actual sign restoration).
Roth commented that the latest request is “a little different from where we started,” a reference to the original request made last year which asked for no money from the city, only permission to remove the bear and voyageur signs from their pedestals for indoor re-painting during the winter, and some assistance from the city street department in removing and re-installing the metal figures. Nevertheless, Roth recommended that the council grant the request because the city does own the historic signs, the signs definitely need refinishing, and the Gunflint Trail people will manage the details.
On the downside, it was noted that there is no guarantee as to how or how well the job would be done (Yarrow Korf is the preferred contractor), and a healthy 20-foot spruce tree standing in front of the bear sign will have to be removed in order for the sign to be seen from the roadway. The request also asks that a rain garden in front of the voyageur sign be “cleaned up” in an effort to better expose the stonework.
Council granted the request for $1,500. A similar donation was also requested (and granted) from the county, and it is hoped work on the signs can begin soon, with completion at or before the end of summer. The project is already behind its original schedule due to the unseasonably cold and damp spring weather.
In other business:
. A preliminary plat submitted by HRH Highway 61 for development of a six-lot residential subdivision known as Ravenwood on the lake side of the highway near the western entrance to town was referred to the planning commission. The 17-acre site zoned R-1 was formerly under consideration for development of a zip line.
. On the recommendation of the park board, Bethany Peterson and Tanner Hoskins were hired as seasonal employees at the campground.
. On the recommendation of Fire Chief Ben Silence, council signed an agreement with the Forest Service outlining the cooperation and duties of the various fire departments when dealing with wildland fires. It was noted that although the city has never formally entered into such an agreement with a federal agency, the city’s firefighters have always offered assistance and cooperation when necessary. “It’s not really anything different than what we’ve been doing,” said Roth.
. Councilor and park board member Bill Lenz reported that the city’s golf course probably won’t open until Memorial Day – much later than a year ago – and the course is in bad shape due to the long and harsh winter. Summer pool hours will begin June 1, Lenz added.
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