This is a draft of the design the Grand Marais Park Board asked its consultant, Short, Elliott, Hendrickson Inc. of Duluth, to create for the park’s “community connection,” a walkway bridging the Grand Marais residential and business neighborhoods with the east end of the Grand Marais Recreation Area.
City representatives met with Minnesota Land Trust Executive Director Kris Larson in October to discuss the status of the gravel parking lot across Broadway from Sydney’s in downtown Grand Marais. Grand Marais Rec Park Manager Dave Tersteeg told the Grand Marais Park Board on November 1, 2011 that the meeting, which he attended with Mayor Larry “Bear” Carlson, City Councilor/park board member Bill Lenz, and City Administrator Mike Roth, had been “informal.”
“They wanted improvements there,” Tersteeg said. “We have no intentions of doing that.”
Several months ago, the Land Trust wrote a letter to the city suggesting that it might be in violation of its conservation easement agreement for having a parking lot in that location. The city did some investigating and found that the lot had been there since before the agreement was in place, leaving the city with no obligation to return it to a more natural state.
In a phone interview after the park board meeting, Tersteeg said the Land Trust was hoping the city would agree to make “aesthetic improvements” that would entail eliminating the parking lot and turning it into green space. The city representatives did not agree to do this, however.
Tersteeg is expecting a follow-up letter from the Land Trust acknowledging that Grand Marais is not in violation of the conservation easement, which according to Tersteeg is purposefully vague. “We both wanted clarity and closure on the issue,” Tersteeg said of the meeting. “At the end of the day, I think we all agreed to disagree.”
Community Connections
Jamison Mehle of Short, Elliott, Hendrickson Inc. of Duluth presented a final draft of drawings for an area on the east side of the Grand Marais Recreation Area that would provide a segue from the business and residential areas into the park called a “community connection.”
The community connection is an outgrowth of the park master plan created two years ago. Its purpose is to improve pedestrian access to the recreation area, increase community engagement, provide optimal stormwater management, and create the first section of a waterfront walk around the west side of the harbor.
The draft was an amalgamation of three different concepts created in July. The park board subsequently reviewed the concepts and came up with their favorite features from all three. The draft includes a winding walkway, a bridge over a water feature, and a gathering area with benches for seating.
The project total was estimated at $595,190.70. “Costs are really high,” Tersteeg told the News-Herald. “I don’t think anyone was ready for a $600,000 project.”
Tersteeg called it a “Cadillac plan” that can be scaled back, adding, “It’s going to be reviewed thoroughly.” The board expressed interest in seeing how the work could be done more reasonably by local contractors.
The design included stormwater management features that would address some of the water coming from the neighborhood above as well as sediment that naturally flows off this spot into the marina, requiring the marina to be dredged every few years. Anytime stormwater management is involved, Tersteeg said, a project gets expensive. The good news, Tersteeg said, was that grant funding is available from numerous sources for stormwater management projects. Jamison Mehle suggested three possible grant sources: Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Initiative.
Almost $200,000 of the projected cost was wrapped up in engineering and administrative fees, legal work, permits, and contingencies.
“We can figure out a solution that I think everyone can live with,” Tersteeg said.
The park is seeking public comments on the design draft. It can be found at www.grandmaraisrecreationarea.com/grand-marais/master-plan.htm.
Successful golf season
Gunflint Hills Golf Course is closed for the year, but it was a good season, course manager Mike Kunshier reported, with income up 7 percent over last year. “It was a good season,” said Walt Mianowski.
“Better than last year,” said Kunshier.
The board approved the modest rate increases Kunshier proposed for next year. They don’t want to scare anybody away, he said, and their goal is to keep getting repeat business.
The rates are cheaper here than they are in Thunder Bay, Kunshier said, making this a draw for Canadians. “These are all bargains,” Mianowski said.
Pool business up
Pool visits were up 20 percent, or 214 more visits, over the same time last year, Head Lifeguard Charles Christiansen reported. “We’ve had a really good year,” he said.
The MEA weekend was “super busy,” Christiansen said, with 200 visits that Friday night.
Christiansen and Tersteeg proposed no rate increases for next year. They wanted to encourage the locals to keep coming after local use went up in 2011. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” said Mianowski. The board passed a motion to keep the 2011 rates in place for 2012.
Campground rates raised slightly
The board held its annual discussion about where to set campground rates for the next summer. The rates had been raised this year, Tersteeg said, and occupancy was still up over last year.
One board member asked how Grand Marais’ campground rates compared to other municipal campgrounds in the region. Comparing prices is difficult, Tersteeg said, because the amenities, scenery, and locations are so different from one campground to the next.
Every dollar in revenue is a dollar not paid in property taxes, City Administrator Mike Roth reminded the board. “…If we’re not getting it from our campers,” he said, “we’re getting it from our taxpayers.”
People do complain about the rates, Tersteeg said. Tracy Benson of Buck’s Hardware said Buck’s merchandise costs are up across the board, requiring that they raise their prices. Making incremental price increases is better than making big jumps when finances get critical, she said.
With a vote of four ayes and two nays, the board passed a motion to raise campground rates by 3 percent, although the price difference between regular tent sites and lakeside tent sites was reduced from $6 to $4.
“I think this is a prime location,” Rod Docken said. He supported the modest rate increase.
The seasonal marina rates and the boat and trailer storage rates will remain the same next year. People who pay for the entire five-month season can store their trailers onsite at no extra charge, but Benson thought the $64 a month charge for the other trailers was too low. She said she agrees with people who have said to her that storing trailers onsite is unsightly.
Kudos to staff
Rod Dockan said he has talked to several people who “think highly of ” Manager Tersteeg. “I think you do a great job,” he said. Tersteeg complimented his staff.
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