Ice sales in July were down 38 percent from last July at the Grand Marais Campground, but the sale of firewood was up 25 percent. Campground occupancy was down 6 percent, mostly because fewer people were tenting. Boat fuel sales were down 39 percent. At the Gunflint Hills Golf Course, the greens have fully recovered from the long winter’s damage, but yearto date income through July was down 31 percent from last year. But last year was one of the best years ever—largely because of the weather.
These were some of the weather-related statistics shared by staff at the August 6, 2013 Grand Marais Park Board meeting.
July rains wreaked havoc on some of the sites in the old wetland area near the lake, Park Manager Dave Tersteeg said. Sites that were flooded took several weeks to dry out. “It was a rough couple of weeks of wet sites,” he said. Better drainage and more culverts are needed in the west end of the park near the lake, he said.
Waste receptacles and other amenities
Board member Tracy Benson relayed a suggestion that the Parks Department put a bench and trash receptacle along the Gitchi Gami Bicycle Trail beside Highway 61 on the west side of town. Parks Manager Dave Tersteeg was open to the idea but said that keeping trash cans emptied out would be “one more thing on an already overburdened staff.” He said that if they do put a trash receptacle there, he would use a 10-gallon can rather than a larger one to reduce the amount of garbage people might try to put into it.
The board discussed installing a Mutt Mitts station alongside the bike trail as well. Office Manager Samantha Williams said the trail has dog poop all along it.
Benson said she has seen locals depositing household recyclables in downtown recycling bins supplied by the Grand Marais Lions. Tersteeg said they find household trash in downtown waste receptacles.
The Parks Department and the Streets Department share trash-emptying duties around town.
Tersteeg will initiate a conversation among the Gitchi Gami Trail Association, nearby businesses, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation regarding the installation of amenities adjacent to the bike trail.
Speed bump
The speed bump that used to be near the trailer sites on Eighth Avenue West has not been installed this summer.
Manager Tersteeg said that fiber optic installation crews were in the park a lot this summer, water trucks have been carrying water to the County Road 7 resurfacing project, and vehicles with boats pass by regularly—all of them vehicles that make noise when they go over speed bumps.
Some campground guests want the speed bump, but others are happy it’s not there. Tersteeg said local residents are the ones most likely to speed through the park.
Board member Paul Anderson said he knew of a municipality that took its speed bumps out because it added three minutes to emergency vehicle response time because they required vehicles to come to a complete stop before traveling over the bumps.
Music in the park request
On behalf of the Joe Paulik Band, musician John Mianowski was in attendance to discuss a special event application for a performance in Harbor Park on Sunday, September 1 between 3 and 8 p.m.
Mianowski said that if the application was approved, they would apply for a peddler’s permit so they could accept tips and sell CDs.
Board member Bill Lenz, also on the city council, said he wanted to discuss the request with the council and find out if insurance would be required.
Tersteeg said some groups have insurance through the organizations that set up the performances, such as the band that played during the Fisherman’s Picnic fireworks, which was scheduled by the Cook County Events & Visitors Bureau. He said he had not seen groups performing independently being required to have insurance.
Tracy Benson said she had recently heard of a situation in which liability extended further than was reasonable.
Board member Robin DuChien said, “I say let them play.”
The board passed a motion approving the request and passing it on to the city for a decision on whether insurance would be needed.
Pool request
Head Lifeguard Charles Christiansen said he had received quite a few requests to not reduce adult swim hours until after the camping season was over. In recent years, the pool has been opening at 8 a.m. instead of 7 after Labor Day. Some people would not use the pool in the morning if they could not use it before 8 a.m., Christiansen said.
The board discussed the possibility of closing the pool earlier in the evening to make up for the expense of continuing to open it earlier in the morning. “It’s a nickel and dime decision,” Manager Tersteeg said. “Come the end of the day, it’s a couple thousand dollars.”
The board told Christiansen he could try to continue opening at 7 through the first half of September and see what the numbers are.
“Let’s keep our people happy until they leave,” Mianowski said.
“I’ve had a lot of requests,” Christiansen said.
Manager Tersteeg asked for direction from the board on how to budget for next year with plans for the YMCA pool to be open by the end of this year and the city’s pool to be closed.
The board talked about how the park should see profits after this year without having to subsidize the pool. Tersteeg reminded them that the city has pledged $100,000 out of its general fund to support the new pool.
“This is the first place I’ve lived where parks and recreation are expected to make money,” said board member Paul Anderson.
Board member Sally Berg expressed a hope that once the city pool was closed, more of the campground’s profits could be used for park improvements. “It’s a business that brings a lot to the community,” she said.
Parked sailboats
Paul Anderson said he had heard complaints about two sailboats that had been parked for a long time near the landing near the dog pound where people launching boats sometimes want to park. He expressed concern about fiberglass debris on the ground if the boat owners were doing any sanding on the boats.
The two boats were damaged when they went aground during a storm last fall, Tersteeg said, and they have been paying storage fees. He had heard that one of them had been repaired and was ready to launch. The other had already been moved. “There’s not a good spot for them,” he said. “It seems like there’s always old boats down there.” The marina does not have a back lot with power and security like some marinas have, he said.
If a boat needs work, Tracy Benson said, then it should not be in the park. Storing nonfunctional boats should be the boat owners’ responsibility, and they should park them on their own property. “This isn’t where it should be done,” she said.
“We’re a marina on Lake Superior,” Tersteeg countered. This is the place where boat owners expect to keep their boats. One of the two boats under discussion was too big to travel down a road. They need an area designated for boats such as these, he said, which is something a typical marina provides.
The boat launch area the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is planning will eventually extend to where the city’s storage buildings are now, Board Chair Walt Mianowski said, and this will make space for boat storage.
Tersteeg said he could see the park offering boat washing and winterizing services.
A day in the life of women wrestlers
A new reality show on the E! TV channel called Total Divas, featuring World Wrestling Entertainment women wrestlers, has requested use of a portion of the campground for filming September 4-6. A letter to Manager Tersteeg said that they were looking for “a campground that is secluded to make it look like it is a wilderness.”
If they come, they would bring about 14 cast members and 25 crewmembers. The show features a day in the life of women wrestlers. The first show in July had 1.3 million viewers.
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