The recipients of the 2015 Great Place awards were announced this week. Thirteen businesses and organizations will be receiving funding to make improvements to get people to slow down and spend some time there. The Cook County Historical Society museum on Broadway in Grand Marais will add some seating and enhanced bike parking.
The Cook County Chamber of Commerce and the Moving Matters project of the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic are pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 Great Place Project. Twenty-seven local businesses, nonprofits, and individuals submitted creative ideas from across Cook County and Grand Portage. A total of $10,000 in grants will be awarded to 13 recipients to help create great places within our communities.
“It’s both gratifying and exciting to see so many creative applications in the second year of the Great Place Project,” said Jim Boyd, executive director of the Cook County Chamber of Commerce. “Our county already is a Great Place; these projects make it a bit greater, and we all get to enjoy the results.”
The Great Place Project is a friendly, local competition for mini-grants to use high impact, low cost ideas to create great places in our communities. A great place is inviting, beautiful, and catches the eye. It reflects the unique character and identity of the community. And a great place encourages people to slow down and spend time there. “We know that people will be active where they have pleasant and safe places to do so. The Great Place Project has been an incredible opportunity to invest in community spaces and the health of our community,” said Moving Matters Coordinator Kristin DeArruda Wharton.
Thirteen local entities will be receiving funding from the Great Place Project to create welcoming community spaces. Arrowhead Pharmacy is one recipient. The pharmacy will be adding mural paintings by local artist Betsy Bowen, complemented by seating and landscaping.
The Great Place Project is sponsored by the Moving Matters project of the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce. The Moving Matters project, with funding from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota’s Center for Prevention, is working to create safer and more accessible places to walk and bike in Cook County and Grand Portage.
The Great Place mini-grant recipients and the projects they are developing are listed below.
2015 Grant Recipients
. Arrowhead Pharmacy: Mural paintings by local
artist Betsy Bowen, complemented by seating and
landscaping.
. Birchbark Books and Gifts: Locally themed mural
paintings with hidden books by local artist Tim Young.
. Border Designs: Rustic park bench and plantings by
walking path in Lutsen.
. Cook County Higher Education: Welcoming
entrance with plantings, enhanced walking path, and
picnic table.
. Cook County Historical Society: Gathering place
with plantings, seating, and enhanced bike parking at
museum.
. Grand Portage Wellness Committee: Community
Park gathering table and grill in Grand Portage.
. Java Moose: Chair seating by the Grand Marais
Harbor, at both café locations.
. Kah-Nee-Tah Gallery: Log bench seating area with
plantings.
. Last Chance Studio: Moose sculpture created by
local artist Tom Christianson.
. Oddz and Endz: Resting spot with benches, tables,
and planters using repurposed and recycled materials.
. Schroeder Area Historical Society: ADA accessible
viewfinder at Taconite Harbor.
. Tofte Historical Society: Planters to enhance the
plaza at the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum.
. Visit Cook County: Enhancement of Grand Marais
Visitor Center common area with benches and
planters.
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