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The Cook County Commissioners met on Tuesday, April 25, for a lengthy meeting. The big ticket on the agenda was the lengthy annual report from the Cook County Highway Department. That will be featured in next week’s paper.
In further business:
• LaBoda Grading, Inc. was awarded the summer maintenance Subordinate Governmental Service District (SGSD) contracts for the following SGSD roads: Kelly’s Hill, Voyageur’s Point, West Rosebush Lane, Rosebush Hill, Little Ollie, and Private Arrowhead Trail. In addition, Mike Rose Excavating was awarded the contract for the Evergreen Road SGSD.
• Commissioners approved a resolution for the Gunflint Trail Property Owner’s Association application to hold a raffle for the annual Gunflint Lake Canoe Races fundraiser. The canoe races will be held on July 19 at Gunflint Lodge.
• Raven Rock Grill at Skyport Lodge was awarded a Permit Application for Lawful Gambling Activity to enable the Cook County Snowmobile Club to sell pull-tabs at the Raven Rock Grill.
• Seasonal liquor license renewals were approved at the Gunflint Hills Golf Course, Seagull Canoe Outfitters, Loon Lake Lodge, Voyageurs Canoe Outfitters, Clearwater Historic Lodge & Outfitters, and Sawbill Canoe Outfitters subject to liquor liability insurance, worker’s compensation compliance, town board approval, and County Attorney and County Sheriff approval.
• Commissioners passed a resolution supporting a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grant application for the Lutsen Trail Breakers to replace a washed-out bridge on a snowmobile trail maintained by the Trailbreakers. The county acts as a sponsor for the Grant In Aid program for snowmobile trails in Cook County. The DNR requires a 25 percent match for the grant, which will be covered through a revolving loan request of $51,000 to the Lutsen Trailbreaker’s Club, approved by the county board later at the Tuesday board meeting.
• County Attorney Molly Hicken’s request that commissioners proclaim the week of April 23-29, 2023, as Crime Victims’ Rights Week was approved through a unanimous vote. Board Chair Ann Sullivan read the resolution before the commissioners cast their vote.
• Big Bear Lodge’s request for a conditional use permit to allow a four-site campground to the existing resort was unanimously approved. Each site will allow either a tent or RV, with up to four people with two vehicles and a trailer, or four tents, one watercraft, or four non-motorized watercraft (canoes, kayaks, paddle boards) and will be open year-round.
• Aaron Mollin-Kling was approved to serve as Firewise Coordinator contracted position from May 1 through December 31, 2024. The Cook County Firewise position is funded through a grant.
• Due to the dangers of spreading chronic wasting disease (CWD), a motion to approve a Zoning Ordinance Amendment proposal to prohibit Cervid (deer, elk) farming in Cook County was supported. It was noted that the CWD spreads most commonly through deer or elk farms and between farms when animals are “transported for breeding, slaughter, or sales.”
• The proposal to ban Cervid farms in Cook County was brought to the board by the Land Services Department as a preventive measure. There are no cervid farms in Cook County at this time, said Zoning Administrator Neva Maxwell. As of July 1, 2021, there was a total of 176 White Tail Deer farms in Minnesota, though there are thought to be less than 150 today.
• According to the World Health Organization, humans shouldn’t eat any part of animals infected with CWD, and the Minnesota Deer Hunter’s Executive Director states, “For the sake of the state’s population of wild deer and our tradition of deer hunting, we need to eliminate deer farms entirely.”
• Zoning Administrator Neva Maxwell came before the commissioners with a request from Pine Mountain Trailer Court LLC for a ten-year Interim Use Permit for extraction and processing aggregate material (mostly dirt) on five acres at 21 Pine Mountain Road.
Maxwell said it was a “very small scope project,” with the dirt mainly used for landscaping and septic mound cover. After neighbors expressed concern about the entry to the pit, the owner, Ryan Thompson, changed the access, which largely satisfied the neighbors. Thompson also said the hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Board Chair Ann Sullivan and Neva Maxwell praised Thompson for addressing the concerns of his neighbors and for proactively reaching out to state and local regulators to address any concerns they might have for his small aggregate pit.
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