With $1.7 million of the county’s growing 1 percent recreation and infrastructure sales tax revenue still uncommitted, new groups are coming forward with requests for the county board. On April 24, two groups were sent away empty-handed after the board refused to make any promises for the balance of the $20 million (plus the cost of bonding) that can be collected in coming years.
Tim Kennedy and Mark Spinler of the Superior Cycling Association asked two things of the board: to make an application for funding from Minnesota’s Parks and Trails Legacy Grant Program on behalf of the association and to consider using 1 percent funds for a 25 percent match on a grant of up to $500,000. This would amount to $125,000 or 6¼ percent of the $20 million. Efforts are being made with the legislature to eliminate the matching funds now required of rural areas receiving Legacy dollars.
Tim Kennedy told the board that areas in the region that have invested in single-track mountain bike trail systems are seeing significant increases in visitors, and those visitors tend to be prosperous. He cited statistics showing the average mountain biker’s household income to be $94,000.
The Superior Cycling Association is working to increase the trail network on Pincushion Mountain in Grand Marais and is supporting the Sugarbush Trail Association in building a trail network at Britton Peak in Tofte. Kennedy and Spinler gave a PowerPoint presentation that stated, “Developing Cook County as a biking mecca has the potential to fill in the gaps for year-around tourism profits.”
Kennedy said members of the International Mountain Bike Association had been to Cook County to teach local bicyclists how to build sustainable trails that prevent erosion and need little maintenance. They are single-use trails not designed for skiing, snowmobiling, or ATVing. One mile of single-track bike trail costs about $20-25,000 to build, he said, although it could be less if volunteers did some of the work.
Commissioner Bruce Martinson said he could support committing $50,000 of 1 percent funding for the project. “It would have been nice to designate it from the start,” he said.
The board passed a motion supporting the association in an application for Legacy funds but made no commitment of funds.
Historical Society request
The Cook County Historical Society requested 1 percent funding for a second time on April 24, after being told last summer to seek other grant funding to supplement a $550,000 museum expansion. This time, they have secured funding from other sources and requested $350,000.
The application states that the museum’s programs have been growing in popularity and its 2005 addition is not large enough to accommodate the numbers of people coming for special events.
The proposed addition would be just over 2,300 square feet on two levels, with a large exhibit and meeting space, a research room/library, office and workspace, storage, and a handicapaccessible entrance and bathroom. The second floor would feature the Grand Marais lighthouse lens being replaced this year by a solar-powered LED system.
The lens will be on long-term loan from the U.S. Coast Guard. It arrived with the original wooden lighthouse in 1885 and was then transferred to the current steel lighthouse in 1922. It will fit in well in an addition attached to the former lighthouse keeper’s residence on Lake Superior, which the federal government gave to the county in 1966 for use as a museum.
The application states, “…The museum’s expansion would greatly enhance the experience of those visitors who walk Grand Marais’ beautiful downtown and east bay. …Studies show that tourists who engage in the cultural heritage of a community are more likely to return.”
Commissioner Jim Johnson said granting 1 percent funds to a project not already designated would be “opening a whole can of worms. …We owe it to the voters to stick to the projects we defined and that they voted on,” he said.
The board voted unanimously to deny the request.
Museum Director Carrie McHugh asked if their request would have priority over requests made later if money is still available after the projects already chosen are completed. Commissioner Sue Hakes said that was a good question that they would need to discuss.
Where things stand
In his April 25 commissioner’s newsletter, Jim Johnson seemed to sum up the position of the board by stating, “It is my position that we need to complete the approved projects before we use that money for anything else.”
Other projects already designated include the new library addition for $1,473,114, a grant to Arrowhead Electric Cooperative Inc. for countywide installation of broadband infrastructure for $4,000,000, a community center with outdoor sports amenities for $9,000,000, improvements at Birch Grove Community Center for $700,000, and improvements at Superior National at Lutsen Golf Course for $3,100,000. The legislative language allowing the tax named a biomass heating plant as another potential project that could tap into the revenue but also left room for other projects not yet named.
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