Cook County Planning and Zoning Administrator Bill Lane came before the Cook County commissioners Feb. 10 with a request for a conditional use permit for the township of Tofte to establish a 12-unit senior housing complex on 29.37 acres of property adjacent to the Birch Grove Community Center.
The township hopes to put up two sixunit duplexes built by Dynamic Homes with some done by July 2015. Each unit will be about 900 square feet. The infrastructure will include parking, an access drive, potable water, septic system, and storm water facilities. The Birch Grove Foundation, Inc. will manage the rental housing units on behalf of the owner, Birch Grove Village.
Based on the recommendation of the Cook County Planning Commission, Lane recommended granting a conditional use permit to the township with several conditions. Tofte must establish a residential planned unit development (PUD) on property adjacent to the Birch Grove Community Center and Good Neighbor Hill Road. Lane said no land use permits would be approved until all requirements of the PUD applications are met, namely: commercial use of the land shall be prohibited; no wetland impacts may occur without approval from the Cook County wetland authority; and landscape preservation standards (Section 5.06; Cook County Zoning Ordinance) shall be applied to the property. If construction plans are modified, documents must be amended.
As far as the septic design, planning documents state, “There needs to better coordination between applicant, septic consultant and the county. At this point, Mitch Everson has not verified any system design flow system layout and soil verification. This will be necessary as part of moving forward with any internal permitting. This will not hinder moving forward with the CUP, but is an area of concern to the Office of Planning and Zoning.”
In addition, Planning and Zoning has requested that the township investigate traffic generation with MnDOT and Cook County.
Tofte Supervisor Jim King was at the meeting and he addressed the issue of ownership of the housing. “Dave Dill [House Representative 3A] has introduced legislation that if passed, would allow Tofte to retain ownership of the housing,” King said.
On February 5, Representative Dill introduced a bill for an act on the House floor that would provide, “the town of Tofte with certain housing authority powers.”
The county board accepted Lane’s recommendation and approved the CUP with the conditions outlined.
YMCA funding to be scrutinized
County Board Chair Heidi Doo- Kirk said Chris Francis from the Duluth YMCA and Cook County YMCA Director Emily Marshall would be coming in front of the board in the near future to explain YMCA accounting procedures.
“We need to get really clear on the numbers. Up until November (2014) they gave us one sheet (every month) and the number was zero,” said Doo- Kirk. “In December they came and said they lost $15,000. I’m concerned that it’s $30,000 to $40,000 in one month.”
“They (YMCA) are an enormous asset for this community,” said Commissioner Sivertson, “But they must get better about the financial piece.”
Auditor Braidy Powers said numbers could get complicated, but agreed they need to be presented to the board in a more thorough manner.
Commissioner Gamble said clear information would allow for honest assessment of the operation. He added that if the citizens of the county are responsible to make up financial shortfalls at the YMCA, it should be in the contract, but he didn’t think the citizens should be on the hook for any more than the yearly $110,000 the county initially has promised.
“We need to put in checks and balances to provide opportunity for the Y, the school and the city of Grand Marais,” Gamble said.
Commissioner Moe asked if the county board could push for an agreement between the school and the YMCA on a janitorial agreement and parking. These agreements have been in the works for a while, but have not yet been finalized. Powers said the board had that authority and should move forward with this.
Moe also said the county should pay its $110,000 to the YMCA, but no more.
Policy needed for non-mandated funding
Chair Doo-Kirk said the board needs to create a policy that would better address which non-mandated entities and activities will receive funding from the county and under what conditions and in what relative amounts that funding will be given.
Commissioner Doo-Kirk said currently the county has funded certain nonprofit or some governmental entities where funding of the activity is not mandated by any law, and reasons for funding these organizations and activities and the amount of funding have not been formulized.
This results in a lack of shared understanding and inconsistent treatment of such requests, she said.
Doo-Kirk said while there is no ideal formula, the goal is to significantly improve the understanding and consistency of what the county board does in these cases.
“I have been frustrated with the budget process for the past two years. Before we start on the budget in August, all of the people in these groups should know where we are coming from,” said Doo-Kirk.
Last year the board distributed about one-seventh of the county tax dollars ($1 million) to organizations asking for financial help.
Commissioner Jan Sivertson said that the revenue side of some organizations needed to be looked at. “A lot of these organization add value to the county.”
Commissioner Garry Gamble brought up the quality of life that many of these organizations bring to the citizens of the county. He mentioned the schools, the hospital/clinic, senior center, historical society, etc., that ask for and receive assistance from the county. “This is a component we need to look at in these requests,” he said.
“There are other entities that haven’t come to us yet. We have to be ready for that,” said Doo-Kirk.
Newly elected Commissioner Frank Moe said he watched as the budget process unfolded last December, noting that money was taken from the highway department so that some nonprofits could be funded. “I don’t want to cut road projects to spend money on economic development,” he said.
“We’re not going get this done in one meeting,” said Doo-Kirk. “I’m not going to let this go. It’s heartbreaking in December. I don’t like being a jerk. It might seem like it, but I don’t,” Doo- Kirk said of the decision-making process the board used at the last minute to finalize the 2015 budget.
The board agreed to look at the various groups that have received money from the county and begin a process that will allow for fair and consistent funding, if warranted.
In other business
Planning and Zoning Administrator Lane brought forward a request for approval of a three-year extension of a temporary RV permit for Steve and Karen Liverly, who own land adjacent to the Cramer Road and Sugar Loaf Road. The board approved the request.
Cook County Highway Engineer David Betts and Highway Maintenance Director Russell Klegstad asked for authorization to purchase a wheel lift system and jack stands for the Grand Marais shop. Klegstad told the board that the Grand Marais shop didn’t meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety guidelines. The new equipment will be used for safe and efficient removal of under-belly blades from the county’s plow trucks.
The equipment will cost $11,773. Klegstad said the highway department budgeted $17,300 for this equipment this year, a savings of $5,527. Both pieces of equipment will be purchased from Gray Manufacturing, St. Joseph, Missouri.
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