Progress is being made on the senior housing complex to be constructed behind the Birch Grove Community Center. Cook County Planning and Zoning Director Tim Nelson attended the Tofte township April 9 meeting to let the town board know the county wanted to help with the project.
Tofte Supervisor Jeanne Larson introduced the newly-hired Tofte senior housing marketing director to the town board and public at hand at the board’s April 10, 2015 meeting.
Danielle Fortin will be paid $400 per month from April 1 to July 1, said Larson, subject to monthly review by the board of directors overseeing the project. Fortin will market the 12 two-bedroom, 1-bath duplex units that will soon be built by Design Homes behind the Birch Grove Community Center.
The homes will be leased/rented to adults 55 years old and older at a rate of $950 per month. Units include a patio and a detached garage and will be (mostly) maintenance free.
Fortin’s first action will be to hire a firm to design a logo. The logo will be used for advertising and on social media. A direct mailer will also be sent to every Cook County resident introducing them to this new development.
Fortin and her husband have been in the area for about a year and a half, recently moving from Grand Marais to Lutsen. “I’ve been told that by moving to the West End that I have moved to the best end of the county,” said Fortin with a smile.
Fortin is also the sales and operating manager of the Kah-Nee-Gallery in Lutsen. When asked when she would start working on marketing of the senior homes she replied, “tomorrow.”
Permits moving along
Cook County Planning & Zoning Director Tim Nelson gave the board an update on the permits and soil analysis for the senior housing project. All of the permits were being processed in a timely fashion he said.
Larson said bids had already gone out to septic installers and the ground was going to be flagged in a day or two for the earthwork to begin.
Nelson said that due to the complex nature of the project it would include every member of his staff. Because of this, he said, “When you need me to come out here just call me and I will come. I will make myself available. I’ m going to seek to improve the communications between us. There are a lot of players involved but I can see this project coming together.”
“We really do appreciate your coming down here and meeting with us, Tim,” said Board Chair Paul James. “There’s a lot going on here and we greatly appreciate your presence and help,” he added.
Township declines purchase of Outdoor Classroom building
On behalf of the Birch Grove Community School, school board members Skip Lamb and Judy Motschenbacher asked the supervisors if they had made a decision to purchase the outdoor classroom from the school.
Motschenbacher had come before the board last month and asked them to consider purchasing the building.
At that time Motchenbacher told the board that the school board hopes to get $60,000 from the sale of the building and put that money towards the school’s fund balance.
James said the township didn’t have the funds to purchase the building at this time. He said the earliest the township would have any money would be in 2016. “We’re running low on reserves right now, I don’t see us having any money until the first half of the levy comes in in 2016.”
Jim King agreed. “You should advertise it for 60 days and then if you don’t sell it you should rethink your purchase price. We don’t have $60,00 right now and we don’t feel real good about trying to borrow the money.”
Appointments made
Rich Nelson was reappointed Tofte Fire Chief and Kim Jahnke and Phil Bonin reappointed as co-chairs of the EMS squad.
The Grand Marais State Bank was designated as the official bank and the Cook County News-Herald was named newspaper of record.
Jim King will again serve as vice chair while Paul James once again accepted the position as board chair.
King was appointed liaison to the Fire/Rescue departments while James was named liaison to the park/cemetery departments. Larson was named liaison to the Tofte Senior Housing project, which she heads up for the township.
Fire/EMS Report
Tofte Fire Chief Rich Nelson said there was only one fire in the last month and both Lutsen and Schroeder fire fighters responded to help out. All but one member of his squad is up to date with their CPR certification, he said.
EMS co-directors Kim Jahnke and Phil Bonin said there were three rescue calls in the prior month and one call to assist at the fire. The crew was up to date with CPR training, said Jahnke.
Bonin said the EMS department had purchased a slider from the Lutsen department for $600, one-third of its original cost. The slider is used to slide tools out of the back of a truck for easier access.
Supervisor King said two years ago the township decided to implement a stipend for firefighters and rescue squad members. King said, “Rich and I spent some time to determine how much each person would get. We decided to pay $10 per meeting and $25 per call. We will distribute $9,625. This money will not come out of the EMS or fire-fighting budget.
“I want to emphasize that this is in no way a salary. It is a stipend, and a cheap stipend at that. We will continue to monitor the programs and keep records throughout the year with the intent to pay this every year,” King said.
Liquor licenses and sale approved
Sawbill Outfitters’ 3.2 liquor license was approved and the sale of the North Shore Bottle Shop to Joe Sanders from current owners Nancy and Cliff Iverson was approved upon condition of getting proper permits filed with the county and getting a permit from the Cook County Sheriff ’s Office.
Sanders owns the salvage yard and the Tofte General Store, which is connected to the bottle shop. He had an agreement with the Iversons three years ago to have first chance to purchase the liquor store.
“We want you to be successful,” said James.
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