Mayor Sue Hakes
Grand Marais Mayor Sue Hakes told City Council Dec. 30 that she believes a lot was accomplished during the past 12 months.
Hakes presented a list of council’s accomplishments during the past year — her first as mayor — and said she was satisfied with the progress and council’s willingness to take on issues.
“We’ve really worked hard this year and we got a lot of things off our list,” she said. “Sometimes there was disagreement, but we all handled it professionally and moved forward. I look forward to next year.”
Included on the list of accomplishments were the purchase and installation of finger piers in the municipal marina; completion of the Creechville annexation; replacement of the city attorney and reorganization of his responsibilities; adoption of a Rec. Park Master Plan with goals and policies; adoption
” of a city noise ordinance; improvement of pedestrian safety along Highway 61 and commitments by MnDOT to slow traffic; commitment from the county to support the swimming pool; and creation of a partnership with local tourism organizations to decorate downtown for “A North Shore Holiday.”
EDA report
Councilor Jan Sivertson gave an update on the Economic Development Authority (EDA) and its ongoing budget woes.
Sivertson, who represents the city on the EDA board, said the board discussed the $100,000 it still owes to the city and county, and said the city is first in line for repayment. But, she said, payment is contingent on the EDA receiving an IRR grant. Also, she said, the EDA is considering asking the county for another loan in an effort to bring its 2010 budget under control.
“This is going to mean big changes in the 2010 EDA budget,” Sivertson said. “But we’re willing to make those changes and not look at a big deficit.” She summarized the situation by commenting that 2009 was a bad year for the EDA, a large part of which was due to attorneys’ fees for their work on the business park, but said better days are hopefully ahead, especially once the bonds are paid off.
Slip slidin’ away I
Councilor Sivertson said she has heard some complaints about the slippery conditions on city streets caused by ice and snow, and asked what the city has been doing about it. “Have the streets been sanded?” she asked.
City Financial Director Kim Dunsmoor said city hall has been getting a lot of calls about the treacherous conditions. “We let the city crew know, and they try to take care of it the best they can,” she said. However, added Dunsmoor, it’s often difficult to remove or treat so much ice with the limited equipment the city owns, and the crew also has to be mindful of its salt and sand supply.
Sivertson agreed that there probably isn’t much more that can be done. “It’s an unusual circumstance, when we get rain in the middle of winter,” she said. “It’s not like you can just go out and get rid of it.”
Slip slidin’ away II
Finally, Hakes said she is still hearing requests from business owner Stephan Hoglund and others for the creation of even more ice — but in the form of an outdoor skating rink somewhere in the downtown area in or near Harbor Park.
Unless there is more energy to make it happen, said Hakes, it’s not going to happen this year. She cited the fact that there is no money in the city’s budget for such an endeavor, and there are numerous difficulties to overcome that have doomed similar efforts in previous years. These include the inability of the crushed granite surface in Harbor Park to hold water long enough for it to freeze; problems with pumping water from Lake Superior or using city water without creating potential escape of water and flooding (and freezing) of Wisconsin Street; an unwillingness of volunteers to come out at 2 or 3 a.m. (when conditions are best) to do the work; and volunteers willing to maintain the rink once it is completed.
“We just can’t pull it off this year,” said Hakes.
Sivertson suggested that the downtown businesses get organized as they did for this year’s holiday lighting display, and collect contributions through a partnership to support an ice rink next year. “That way, the city doesn’t have to do everything,” said Sivertson.
In the meantime, councilors encouraged those who wish to ice skate to use the rinks at the Community Center.
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