The plans for an expansion of the Lutsen Fire Hall/Town Hall were previewed at the Lutsen Annual Meeting in March. The group that has been meeting to consider the renovations stressed that these are tentative plans but said they wanted to present something to Lutsen residents, who gave the okay to proceed.
Citizens at the Lutsen Township Annual Meeting unanimously supported the idea of an expansion and remodel of the town hall and fire hall. At the next regular meeting, on March 15, firefighter Larry McNealy asked, “Where do we go from here?”
At the annual meeting on March 8, citizens were able to consider a preliminary sketch of the proposal. Questions were asked about the size of the expansion, changes to parking areas, the design of the building and the cost. In answer to McNealy’s question, Supervisor Joe Buttweiler again asked if the group that has been meeting to consider the renovation had cost estimates.
McNealy said no. “Without some sort of plan, no one wants to really give an estimate,” he replied.
Buttweiler asked if the group had an idea of who could do the work. McNealy said Johnson-Wilson built the original town hall, but said, “I’d like to see the money spent locally.”
However, McNealy said that is just one thing the group wants input on. “We brought these sketches forward, but do we want to gather more input before moving forward? The fire department is pretty clear on what it needs, but is the town? Does the town want a commercial kitchen? Should there be more than one bathroom? Should there be office space?”
Supervisor Marland Hanson said, “This is something we need to hammer out in this group. The general idea here— I’ve gotten to like it—but we need to talk about it and get a more detailed drawing.”
Lutsen Fire Chief Paul Goettl, who is one of the citizens meeting to discuss the renovation, suggested that the group meet again to “hash out some of this.”
Supervisors agreed and directed the group to continue meeting. McNealy asked, “When does the public have its say?”
Hanson replied, “Once we have plans, it has to be approved at an annual meeting. It could happen at our annual meeting continuation in August.”
Clerk Amity Goettl said a special meeting could also be held if needed.
In other business:
. Paul Nelson, who serves on the Cook
County Local Energy Project’s biomass energy steering committee, gave an update on biomass in Cook County. He said a study is underway to look at current conditions—what kind of scrap wood is available, what the community’s needs are, and what kind of infrastructure is needed. Fred Schmidt asked, “Didn’t they try doing something like this at the high school about 20 years ago?”
Nelson said it had been tried, but noted that the plant at the high school was “old technology.” He said, “It is like comparing a Model T to today’s cars,” adding that the technology had been perfected in Sweden and Italy, where biomass heating facilities are capturing 95% of the emissions. “We need to get some hard numbers,” said Nelson. “If we do it, it’s got to be cheaper for the user. It’s good for the environment, but none of us can afford to pay 20% more. That is why we decided to do this study, to really see if we can afford to do this.” . Supervisor Diane Parker said she had heard from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) regarding Lutsen’s request for installation of a scenic byways rock cairn sign at the outskirts of the township. Parker said due to budget cuts, there is no funding for more signs like those in Grand Marais and
Grand Portage. However, Parker said,
Lutsen can erect its own cairn sign if it wishes. She asked Mn/DOT to send them the specifications for a rock cairn sign. . Supervisor Bruce Martinson, as part of his monthly commissioner’s report, gave “kudos” to Lutsen Township for beginning its monthly meetings with the pledge of allegiance.
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