In addition to official mayoral duties such as presiding over Grand Marais city council meetings and participating in the statewide transportation caucus, Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux gets to perform a number of ceremonial duties, such as offering a toast at an anniversary celebration. Arrowsmith DeCoux was on hand in February when Voyageur Brewing Company hosted a celebration in honor of the completion of its first year in business in downtown Grand Marais. He is pictured here with Jeff Niesen, who created the artwork on the commemorate craft beer bottles and Voyageur Head Brewer Jason Baumgarth. (L-R) Niesen, Mayor Arrowsmith DeCoux, Baumgarth.
Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux has joined with 30 other mayors from Greater Minnesota and suburban communities as a member of a mayoral caucus designed to give increased visibility to the importance of safer and better transportation infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists throughout Minnesota.
Known as the Minnesota Mayor Active Transportation Caucus, the informal group was formed to help create a broader understanding of the need for and importance of investing in quality pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure such as safer street crossings and routes to school, sidewalks and bicycle lanes. The caucus was founded by the mayors of Rochester, Apple Valley and Frazee.
“Minnesota is likely on the cusp of making significant investments to update the state’s transportation system,” said Mayor Hank Ludke of Frazee. “This caucus is an opportunity to make sure that not only are our dated roads and bridges rebuilt and improved, but that our communities have the resources necessary to update and modernize infrastructure to meet the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists as well – needs that include safety, business and economic opportunities, and of course improved health.”
The caucus will serve as an informational resource for legislators from both political parties who represent constituencies throughout Minnesota. It will also work to educate policymakers and others on the transportation safety needs that exist in Minnesota’s communities.
“I believe that the work of the Active Transportation Caucus will complement the great work already done in Grand Marais as part of the Highway 61 Redesign Project and the other programs of our Moving Matters group. I hope that Grand Marais can learn from and contribute to the caucus in a way that will effectively make our state more healthy and active,” Arrowsmith DeCoux said.
City and county leaders in Minnesota have reported a backlog of $1.3 billion in projects for sidewalks, curb ramps, safer intersections, and bike routes. Better pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure is viewed as essential to helping to improve safety and health in Minnesota’s communities. In 2013, 11 percent of traffic fatalities in Minnesota involved people who were walking or bicycling and more than 1,680 pedestrians and bicyclists were injured.
“I applaud Mayor Arrowsmith DeCoux for joining this caucus. It demonstrates his concern for the safety of Minnesota’s families,” said Rachel Callanan of the Minnesotans for Healthy Kids Coalition.
Leave a Reply