Grand Marais Art Colony Executive Director Amy Demmer, chair of the Cook County Arts & Culture Economy Planning Team, came before the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) on September 19 to ask for the EDA’s help in leveraging creativity.
Joined by planning team member Richard Anderson, Demmer gave a history of the work done to date. Demmer said a McKnight Foundation capacity building grant was used to develop a plan titled Leveraging Creativity the Cook County Cultural Plan and said it was time to adopt and implement the plan. And, said Demmer, “We’re now looking for a permanent ‘home.’”
Demmer said the team feels the EDA is the best entity to oversee implementation of the plan. She explained that growing the county’s arts economy was identified as a business diversification strategy by the Go Team, the precursor to the formation of the countywide chamber of commerce. The Go Team recognized the importance of arts, said Demmer.
Demmer said the planning team will implement the arts economy plan, but said the group would like to have the endorsement of the EDA— and some administrative support from EDA Executive Director Mary Somnis.
County Commissioner and EDA Board Member Heidi Doo-Kirk asked what the arts group meant by “support.” She asked if they were seeking financial assistance.
Demmer said no. The group was asking that Somnis be allowed to schedule meetings, act as chair at meetings and provide other logistics. Demmer said the assistance would likely be no more than 15 hours a month. “The really intense work has been done,” said Demmer. “This is just pushing forward.”
Somnis said she felt this was an appropriate task for the EDA director, noting that some tenets of the plan are things that the EDA is already involved in, such as marketing the community and developing public and private partnerships. In fact, Somnis said, one of the goals of the plan—“affordable housing options for low-to-mid-income residents, including artists”—perfectly parallels the EDA’s housing initiatives.
Somnis also told the EDA board that she believed she could keep the hours spent on the arts economy work to the suggested amount of time. She said she could add arts economy activity to her monthly director’s report. “If anyone feels it is too much, we can discuss and adjust,” said Somnis.
Demmer said the arts planning team will be finalizing and adopting the plan at a retreat on October 25. She said the plan will be introduced to the community later that evening, at the Fall Gala hosted by Visit Cook County and the Cook County Chamber at 5:30 p.m. at the Mountain Chalet at Lutsen Mountains. “It is our hope that we can announce at the gala that the plan has been endorsed by the EDA,” she said.
The EDA board agreed to lend the director’s time to facilitating the arts economy plan. EDA Board Member Scott Harrison made a motion “to embrace the Arts & Culture Economy group and to authorize EDA Director Mary Somnis’s time to work with the group to implement its plan.” The motion carried unanimously and EDA Chair Howard Hedstrom added, “Thank you to all the volunteers who have done all this work.”
Assisted Living Proposal – Spectrum Health
The EDA Assisted Living Committee reviewed a document from Spectrum Health with details about a proposed 38-unit assisted living facility in Grand Marais. Doo-Kirk noted that Spectrum was requesting 3-5 acres of land to place the building plus room for a geothermal field and parking. She asked where this could be placed. Somnis said the options are land near the horse/dog park; across from the law enforcement center or behind Grand Marais Apartments. Spectrum also asked for support in obtaining grants for infrastructure.
Harrison asked if this proposal would be competing with the other projects for which Cook County is seeking funding, such as workforce housing or the airport arrival/departure building. Hedstrom said he did not think so as assisted living falls under different funding categories.
Somnis said Spectrum has worked on seven other assisted living facilities, such as Carefree Living Ely, Cook, Silver Bay, Babbitt, Orr, Aurora and Virginia. She said she will talk to some of the references at those facilities. She said a number of Cook County people live or have lived at the Carefree Living Silver Bay facility.
Somnis said the hope is award this project at the end of October.
Community Connect event planned
Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Representative Pat Campanaro shared information about Community Connect, an event that Anita Jeziah of the Arrowhead Equal Opportunity Agency (AEOA) is planning. A similar event has been held in Lake County for several years and Campanaro said it is quite successful. AEOA brings together various community support agencies to provide information on services, such as the Cook County Senior Center, Council on Aging, the Cook County Food Shelf, Arrowhead Electric, Public Health & Human Services, Ruby’s Pantry, Salvation Army, AEOA and others. The purpose is to help connect households that may be struggling to make ends meet or people who lack stable housing, etc.
The Community Connect event will be October 29 at School District 166 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Campanaro asked the EDA to support the event with $400 to cover the cost of promoting the event, purchasing nutritious snacks and some gift cards to be used as door prizes. The EDA board approved the donation.
Superior National at Lutsen construction continues
Harrison introduced golf course architect Jeff Brauer of GolfScapes, Inc. to those who did not know him. Harrison said Brauer has had extensive experience in golf course design and in Minnesota had been responsible for the golf course design at The Legend, The Quarry and other courses.
Brauer said there has been great feedback on the upgrade to River 9 last year. He said every golfer they have taken out there has said it is dramatically improved. He said construction is going well. Some holes actually look ready to play, but he agrees with Grounds Superintendent Mike Davies that they are not. However, he said they are ready for great photo opportunities. EDA Director Mary Somnis asked when the EDA/golf course can hold a grand opening of the new holes. Brauer grinned and replied, “When Mike Davies says the course is ready.”
The EDA discussed ways to market the course during construction and once all the holes are ready for play.
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