Changes are coming to the mini golf course on the west side of Grand Marais. The course has been sold to Randy and Carolyn Sjogren who will be changing the name to Putt n Pets. They will have an assortment of animals for people to view while golfing, including Nigerian dwarf goats, chickens, turkeys and pheasants.
The city of Grand Marais is going to become a little more fun. Randy Sjogren, the new owner of the mini golf course on Highway 61 on the west side of town, is going to have Nigerian dwarf goats, chickens, turkeys, and pheasants for people to see while they golf. The new business is called Putt n Pets.
On June 25, 2013, the county board approved a conditional use permit (CUP) allowing the animals on the 1.89-acre parcel.
In order to avoid liability risks, this will not be a petting zoo. Customers will be separated from the animals by physical barriers.
The CUP was first approved by the Cook County Planning Commission after a hearing on June 12. A report of the meeting by Planning & Zoning Administrator Bill Lane stated that Mr. Sjogren “indicated the intent of the business was to ‘keep it mini,’ feeling that ‘animals are a good way to bring people together.’” In the application, Sjogren stated that Nigerian dwarf goats “are very small [and] friendly, and their playful antics are a delight to all.” He is planning to construct a goat bridge to give the goats the opportunity “to climb and show off their antics.”
Forty-four letters of notification were sent to adjacent property owners in regard to the CUP request. Several neighbors including former owner Tom Crosby expressed support and none objected.
Healthy living conditions for the animals in a natural setting of trees and shrubs will be provided in accordance with USDA regulations, and in the wintertime they will live either at Randy and Carolyn Sjogren’s home in Farmington, where they have kept animals for many years, or at the home of son and daughter-in-law Aaron and Terri Sjogren outside of Grand Marais.
The planning commission recommended a limit of three goats, 15-20 chickens, two turkeys, and 4-5 pheasants, but the county board wanted to be more flexible. Commissioner Bruce Martinson suggested a limit of 1.4 “animal units.”
“That’s the size of one cow,” Administrator Lane said. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture defines a large mature dairy cow as up to 1.4 animal units, which would be 1,400 pounds.
“If he wants to go up to one cow,” Martinson said, “I don’t care!”
Commissioner Sue Hakes said that would be too much animal for that space.
Commissioner Heidi Doo-Kirk suggested allowing 15-20 small birds, 5-7 large birds, and up to three goats.
That would break up the mother and her three kids that were born last week, Sjogren said.
“Sometimes you have to break up the family!” Commissioner Heidi Doo- Kirk said.
“No, no, no, not with goats!” Commissioner Jan Hall said.
Sjogren said he wouldn’t want any more than five goats anyway.
The board passed a motion approving up to five goats, 20 small birds, and seven large birds.
Regarding the discussion, Administrator Lane said, “It’s so much more fun than gravel pits!”
In other county news:
. The board approved the purchase of a computer network storage system at a cost of $19,136.68 plus tax. Four out of the county’s six terabytes of network storage capacity are currently filled.
The new system will allow all county computer data to be on a shared server. More and more county records are being kept digitally. The purchase was in the 2013 budget.
. The board approved the purchase of more ARMER (Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response) equipment that will allow government agencies to communicate with each other. This purchase of 267 Motorola radios and five chargers will cost just under $642,559 and was in the budget. A FEMA grant to Cook County fire departments will cover $391,200 of the cost, and the other $251,359 will come from bonds the county took out last fall.
The county still has its old VHS equipment and may keep it as a backup. It could be sold to help fund repair and replacement of the new equipment, but Sheriff Mark Falk said he had heard that it might not have a high resale value. Commissioner Heidi Doo-Kirk said the Gunflint Trail Fire Department has had success selling its old equipment.
Twenty-five of the new radios are unassigned and, in the event of a large emergency such as a forest fire, could be shared with other entities not tooling up with the ARMER system, such as the U.S. Forest Service. Sheriff Falk said he thinks St. Louis County bought extra radios for the same purpose.
. Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers reported that he expects the county to be under a levy limit of 3 percent for 2014. The Minnesota Department of Revenue will announce the actual limit by September 1.
. Nanette Arands has been hired to fill in the recently vacated account clerk job in the Highway Department. She will transfer from her position as a dispatcher at the Law Enforcement Center. . Commissioner Garry Gamble shared some information he had been reading in regard to the growing number of homes and cabins being used as vacation rentals. Auditor-Treasurer Powers said the government has some regulatory authority over this but it’s hard to enforce and the regulations don’t have many “teeth.” He said the Minnesota Department of Health is considering this a growing problem. Gamble acknowledged the health concerns some might have with a lack of oversight but said others are saying the government is overreaching in order to generate funds.
Commissioner Sue Hakes said some property owners are charging less because they are not paying taxes on their rentals. “It’s not an even playing field,” she said.
Commissioner Gamble hoped the government could come to some middle ground. “It just needs to reflect that we’re being fair,” he said.
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