North House Folk School Director Greg Wright visited Grand Marais city councilors March 13 to present the school’s 2012 annual report. And as usual, the results were positive and upbeat.
“In a word, things are thriving,” Wright said of the 16-year-old facility located on city property on the Lake Superior shore. “And thank you is the most important thing to say. We feel the strength and support of the community.”
Specifically, Wright said the blacksmith shop and other improvements and additions to the campus during the past year have been “incredibly well received,” and class participation and interest in the school continue to grow.
For instance, he said, calls from students wanting to sign up early for classes offered this year are 69 percent ahead of last year, mainly because people want to sign up before the classes are full. And last year, Wright said, was the best year ever. “So that’s a positive sign.” To illustrate the point, the director said there were 62 calls received during the first four hours of the sign-up period this year; in the past that number was about a dozen.
In reality, Wright said that doesn’t mean enrollment will grow 69 percent this year, but he does expect growth of between 10 and 15 percent. “It’s the warmth of the campus and Grand Marais, the atmosphere and small class sizes that people like and that are important to them.”
“It’s important to all of us that North House does well,” said Councilor Jan Sivertson.
Mayor Larry Carlson agreed. “The North House reflects favorably on our city, and it’s a really good thing…we appreciate all of the efforts you’re making to improve the viability of our community,” said the mayor.
Wright said it’s important to the school and its administrators to have the backing of the city, and to enjoy such a good collaborative working relationship.
Finally, Wright said the North House has also been becoming an increasingly positive influence on other communities. “There are more folk schools every day, and we believe that’s something else we can do—inspire other communities to offer these types of programs.”
In other business, council voted to purchase for $14,520 a crack sealing machine to be used on the city’s streets, hopefully beginning this spring. “I don’t think we can not do this,” said Mayor Carlson.
Street Department Head Lenny Bloomquist said there were two bids, but the cost of the preferred machine from a Duluth firm—which is about $1,800 more than a similar machine from a Twin Citiesarea company—includes a one-day training session. Bloomquist said the training is needed because he has never used such a machine before; the city hasn’t had a working crack sealer for several years, said City Administrator Mike Roth, not since the last one caught fire.
Bloomquist said he hopes to have the new machine in time to start repairing streets in May, but noted that it takes about eight weeks for delivery. “So we’re on the edge right now,” he said.
In other city news
. The city received notice from the state Department of Revenue that there was an overdue liability on the Harbor Light property, and thus the city had to take action to revoke the supper club’s liquor license, effective March 15.
. Councilor and park board member Bill Lenz reported that there was some feedback received in response to the city’s request for input on construction of a new footbridge into the Rec Park from the east end, and most preferred the covered model. The park board decided to go with the covered version, and it is hoped construction will begin this spring with placement of the footings. The project will be done by Grand Marais and Silver Bay high school students under the supervision of timber framer Peter Henrikson; the city is paying the cost of tuition and the instructor.
. Councilor and library board member Jan Sivertson reported that the use of e-readers has been growing steadily, and the library has been experiencing a tension of books-versus-e-books in its planning and purchases. The resources are shifting to the new world, she said, and people have been highly receptive to it.
. On the recommendation of the planning commission, council approved a variance from the height restriction that will allow placement of roof-mounted air conditioning units on the East Bay Suites’ roof. The units will exceed the 30- foot height limit by 3 feet. East Bay General Manager Andrew Warren said each compressor can handle four units, and they are needed due to increased demand for air conditioning. A similar request was granted last year which allowed compressors to be placed 18 inches above the height limit. Warren said this will be the final such request, as there will now be sufficient capacity to provide air conditioning for all 31 units, if needed.
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