Based on the recommendation of the Building Committee, Cook County Commissioners voted to purchase a camera surveillance system for the Highway Department to replace the old surveillance system, which had failed.
The vote came on July 28, after the system had already been purchased at a cost of $11,875.
The meeting was held remotely via You Tube.
The Committee of the Whole reviewed the Building Committee’s recommendation at its July 21 meeting. The county administrator, auditor and maintenance director met and decided to move forward with an emergency purchase and get approval from the county board at the July 28 meeting.
Cook County Assessor Bob Thompson presented the board with two additional disaster abatement applications for businesses lost in the April 13, 2020, fire in downtown Grand Marais. Thompson also brought forth applications for a single piece of property and a homestead versus non-homestead classification. Thompson recommended approval for all of the requests.
The fire disaster abatements totaled $9,522 and the Homestead abatement $1,832. Receiving two fire disaster tax abatements were Jim and Jackie Larsen, owners of the White Pine North business, and The Crooked Spoon LLC.
Interim use permit put on hold
Bill Lane presented an interim use permit request by Charles VanDoren to install a commercial fuel facility for “off road” customers on the site of the former Cross River Café in Schroeder. The 1.8-acre site is located along Highway 61 and has frontage on Cross River. All told there are 80 acres contained within the Forest Agriculture Residential (FAR-3) zone district. Currently there is a gravel permit on the property and primary use of the land is residential. In the application Charles noted the adjacent property had a gas station on it that ran successfully for years.
Co-signing the permit application with VanDoren were Gary and Marjorie Lenius from Two Harbors.
A half dozen neighbors wrote letters to the Planning Commission citing potential concerns with noise, parking, and possible run-off of fuel into the Cross River and into Lake Superior if the fueling station was installed. Most said the VanDoren family were good neighbors but they wanted the station to be built elsewhere.
Commissioner Ginny Storlie, who is the west end county board representative, said she thought that Charles idea to install a fueling station was a good one, but she didn’t think it should be built in the proposed location. She noted that Schroeder township had a plan for the area in question and this proposal didn’t follow that vision.
Cook County Planning and Zoning administrator Bill Lane said the Planning Commission reviewed VanDoren’s request in early July. Lane said members of the planning commission could see the value in building a re-fueling station, but also like Storlie, the majority felt it shouldn’t be built on property that abuts Cross River and some cited potential problems with pedestrians, road congestion etc. When it came time to vote, Lane said the commission voted 4-2 to deny the interim use permit.
Commissioner Bobby Deschampe said he had spoken to Charles the day before the county board meeting and Charles said he would like to go back before the planning commission with some new engineering drawings that would help better explain his business and the protections put in place to ensure safety to the environment.
Commissioner Storlie answered that she felt the fueling station was too close to the Cross River and she would like to see it built elsewhere.
Weighing in, commissioner Heidi Do-Kirk said VanDoren’s plans far exceeded the one that was submitted and approved a couple of years ago by Dean Berglund for a re-fueling station. That permit has since expired and the station wasn’t built.
Board chair Myron Burshiem entertained a motion to deny the interim use permit request by VanDoren and no motion was forthcoming.
Next, Bursheim asked for a motion to bring the matter back before the planning commission for review and Deschampe made the motion with a second from Doo-Kirk. When it came time to vote Bursheim, Doo-Kirk and Deschampe voted for and Storlie voted against and VanDoren will once again get to go before the planning commission with new information.
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