Grand Marais City Administrator Mike Roth reported to council Oct. 13 that he finally had a response from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) about the placement of a memorial flagpole in Harbor Park, but the agency requested more information such as where exactly the pole would be placed, its height and general appearance, etc. “They said it could be okay, but want us to send a more detailed concept,” he said.
The flagpole was proposed by a group of friends as a way to memorialize Dick Joynes, but the idea was subsequently expanded to include space for plaques of others who have passed away. Other than the general idea, no specific details or exact location have been proposed. Approval from the state Department of Natural Resources is necessary due to conservation easements on part of the park and restrictions that were placed on the Lake Superior waterfront property when the city acquired it about 10 years ago.
Roth said the DNR’s response poses a problem because there are no details to submit, and wondered how or if the city should develop those details, especially if council prefers to locate the memorial elsewhere on city property. Council had previously directed Roth to contact the DNR to find out if placement of the flagpole in Harbor Park was within its regulations.
Mayor Sue Hakes said she has heard from the Garden Club—which did much of the design work and landscaping in the park—and it is opposed to the addition of a flagpole.
Councilor Jan Sivertson, too, voiced her opposition to the idea, citing the time and effort that were put into the park’s planning by a citizen design committee. “This opens up a whole new thing. There are a lot of people who want to put up memorials, and this has to be carefully, carefully considered,” she warned. “The waterfront is our big deal—we can’t just plop stuff down in it.”
After Councilor Kay Costello also said she couldn’t support putting the flagpole in Harbor Park, Hakes asked if the city should drop the Harbor Park option, and instead offer the group an appropriate flagpole site elsewhere, such as nearby Compass Park. “We have to respect the public process,” she said in reference to the committee that developed the Harbor Park guidelines.
No decision was made, but the discussion will resume at council’s Nov. 10 meeting.
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