New EDA board member Scott Harrison
County commissioners expressed satisfaction with a quarterly report given by Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) Director Matt Geretschlaeger at the March 20 county board meeting. “The EDA is striving, I believe, for more transparency,” Geretschlaeger said. With him were board members Hal Greenwood and Mark Sandbo.
Geretschlaeger said the agency is working to become “more viable” for existing businesses and “more palatable and acceptable” for new businesses interested in locating here. He outlined eight committees that have been formed in response to recommendations from a cost/benefit analysis conducted by the University of Minnesota. They include a finance and budget committee, a commercial rehab review committee, a housing committee, a Superior National Golf Course committee, a website development committee, a public oversight committee, a scholarship committee with Cook County Higher Education, and a personnel committee.
Geretschlaeger had a written report as well, along with minutes from a February 29 special meeting, which stated, “It was agreed that the EDA’s number one priority at this time is selling Cedar Grove Business Park lots.” A $60,000 infrastructure assessment for each lot could be a deterrent to sales, however, and Geretschlaeger said they needed to find incentives to attract buyers.
Commissioner Sue Hakes said she was glad to see the EDA prioritizing the sale of business park lots. A bond payment of $140,000 due next year is going to “bite us,” she said, if they don’t sell some lots.
“The key is to get the lots sold and to get them on the tax rolls,” said Mark Sandbo. Geretschlaeger said they hope to accomplish this through marketing and development of the EDA website.
Geretschlaeger said the EDA has also been discussing its role in creating jobs in Cook County. The EDA is getting involved in discussions regarding expanding the Grand Marais Chamber of Commerce to include the entire county and how the two entities could work together.
The February 29 meeting minutes mention comments by Commissioner Bruce Martinson on the role broadband could play in improving the county’s business climate. “Bruce Martinson said broadband is a key to a stronger economy,” the minutes state. “He said the EDA needs to do all it can to promote broadband. He said that most tourism jobs are seasonal and Cook County needs to diversify.”
The EDA is doing outreach throughout the county, Geretschlaeger said. “We need to be much more visible and… understanding of business needs. …It is indeed our intent to include the entire county as has never been done before. … TheT eEDA board has directed meMinto reachesotaout to every community within the county.”
Office hours
Commissioner Jan Hall said several people have told her they have had difficulty reaching staff in the EDA office. Geretschlaeger said his office hours vary depending on what needs to be done at the time, but Tina Hanson at City Hall is available to field questions and take messages. He agreed to post a sign on the door with this information.
New board member
The county board unanimously approved Lutsen Resort owner Scott Harrison’s application to the EDA board. His credentials are significant, including a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College, an MBA from Cornell, a work history including being an officer in the U.S Marine Corps, an Outward Bound instructor, a farmer in Vermont, on faculty at the UMD School of Business, and many civic involvements.
Commissioner Sue Hakes told Harrison she hoped he would help the EDA with Cedar Grove Business Park as well as with Superior National at Lutsen Golf Course, which he has long been advocating for. He assured Hakes he would.
Hakes also asked Harrison if he would support an events pavilion in the Grand Marais Recreation Area “if it makes sense,” she said, an amenity supported by the EDA and in the park’s master plan. It would include space for things like wedding parties, which could compete with his business in Lutsen. Harrison indicated he did not think a need for such a building had been proven but said, “If you can prove it to me then I would be in support of it.”
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