In an effort to support winter recreation and tourism, the county board has voted to keep the lower portion of the Onion River Road plowed throughout the winter.
The Onion River Road in Lutsen is owned by the U.S. Forest Service. It has numerous residences along it, both full-time and seasonal.
The last two winters, the Lutsen-Tofte Tourism Association (LTTA) paid Onion River Road resident Jim Koski to plow the road. Koski plowed the first three miles of the road to a parking lot where trailheads lead to Oberg and Leveaux mountains. During the winter, the road is barricaded beyond that point, and its last five miles is used heavily by skate-skiers.
“[Those are] the most popular trails in the area,” Koski said in an interview at the News-Herald.
Cars routinely filled the parking lot, which he plowed as wide as possible.
In order to save money this coming winter, the LTTA board asked the county to go back to plowing the road as it did previously. LTTA Treasurer Scott Harrison and U.S. Forest Service Assistant District Ranger Steve Schug went before the county board Tuesday, November 17, 2009 to discuss that request.
According to Harrison, the Onion River Road is “a critical artery for our locals and our tourists.” Maintaining vehicle access to the trails is important to the West End tourism industry, he said, especially since it has suffered an average annual growth of only 2% over the last decade.
Assistant Ranger Schug supported the plowing of the road and expressed appreciation to the county for keeping Forest Service trailheads along county roads clear of snow.
A November 13 letter to Schug from county Highway Engineer Shae Kosmalski states, “…I am in support of the Cook County Highway Department ‘temporarily’ assuming plowing responsibility for the Onion River Road for the 2009-10 winter season, until we can all meet and make decisions on a broader basis. While it can certainly be questioned if this is a proper use
of the county’s staff and time, in my perspective, as Cook County’s economy is based on tourism, it makes sense to assist when we can.
“…This ‘offer’ would have to be accomplished as a second priority. This means Onion River Road would not be plowed until all our county roads are plowed. It could also mean, should we get snow on a Friday night, the road would not get plowed until Monday.”
Commissioner Jan Hall said she would not want the road to be second priority if it resulted in people’s vehicles getting stuck there during large weekend snowfalls.
When he plowed the road, Koski said, he would always have it open by 9 a.m. He won bids for the plowing the last two winters and would be willing to continue to plow the road as a contractor for the county, although he does not have sanding equipment. He wondered how county plows would be able to maneuver in the parking lot.
Commissioner Bob Fenwick said he thinks the likelihood of the road getting plowed by the county in a timely fashion is good since it falls along the highway plow route.
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