I join with the many residents of Cook County that have expressed their dismay in regards to the proposal by Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Road Project for 2020 to remove the old growth elms trees which currently line the entryway of the downtown district of Grand Marais. These beautiful shade trees have stood for years, and have been appreciated by residents and visitors alike for creating both shade and natural beauty to our town.
They have graced us all with their presence. To lose these old growth trees would diminish both the street and our town. I ask you to take note of the beauty of these trees as they stand now, and visualize this space without them.
It would make a huge difference and not in a good way!
There are many ways that the services of MnDOT improve our transportation system, but there are many instances when they do not. Yes, we need our roads improved for the safety of our drivers and pedestrians.
However, it is my opinion that it short sighted of MnDOT to impose concrete entrances on our rural towns with very little consideration of local input. Remember the rumble strips fiasco of a few years back when the strips were added to Highway 61 despite local objections? Public outcry forced them to take them out and in 2019 the rumble strips are being added again, MnDOT claiming this years version is “quieter and gentler.”
All done at taxpayer expense I might add!
It is, in my opinion, short sighted of MnDOT to impose the standards of suburbia on rural towns and area without the consideration of local input. Grand Marais is not a “clone” of metro suburbs where the entry of one city is a replica of the town before it. People come to Grand Marais for its unique feel, welcoming people. They come here to escape suburbia and experience the blue of our waters and the green of our trees and forests.
Sadly in our society, trees are cut down at the drop of a hat by government agencies as they prepare road projects.
The loss of these old shade trees does not impact the designers of the project, but to the people of our town, it surely does. This project commences in the spring of 2020.
There is still time to compromise. A plan can be created to preserve the trees, as well as complete the road project. The summer of 2020 will be a stressful one for businesses, residents and visitors alike. There is an opportunity for MnDOT to concede this one phase of the project by showing respect by hearing the wishes of many to preserve the natural beauty of this stretch of roadway. It would be a small concession to the agency and a small victory for those of us who want to maintain the quiet beauty of our town. It matters.
It is not too late to save these old growth trees that have lined our street for so many years. It takes decades for a tree to mature and minutes to cut them down. We implore our city and county officials to lend their voices to this effort to protect the trees both for ourselves and the generations that will follow us.
Sue Riley
Grand Marais
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