With an end-of-the-year deadline looming, Grand Marais city councilors awarded a bid Oct. 29 for demolition of the municipal swimming pool building, which closed in January when the facilities moved to the new YMCA at the school campus.
City Administrator Mike Roth said only one bid was received for the demolition job, and that was from Edwin E. Thoreson Inc. of Grand Marais at a cost of $64,726. Under a cooperative agreement with Cook County, each entity will pay half of the cost of removal, which is to be done by the end of 2014.
Roth said the bid appeared to be a bit high, but was within the range of what was anticipated. He acknowledged that demolition and removal of the building at the Rec Park would be a “complicated job,” partly because the materials will have to be hauled to a landfill that is certified to handle asbestos. In their letter to council, Thoreson’s said they expect to have the job completed by Dec. 19.
In other business, Paul Coe of Security State Insurance reviewed the city’s liability insurance policies and gained approval for renewal for another year. Coe described the new policy as “pretty much the same as it is this year,” and includes a $1.5 million limit per occurrence (the statutory municipal tort liability limit) and a statutory limit per claimant of $500,000.
The city’s renewal premium is $68,538, which is about a 3½ percent decrease over the previous year, representing a savings of about $2,400.
Turning to personnel matters, council voted to advertise for a full-time property maintenance position; the vacancy was created due to the resignation of Tom Stockman.
Before councilors voted on the matter, Roth reminded them of recent changes in the department, which was expanded earlier this year from two to three staffers. Roth said council could opt to go back to a maintenance staff of two and not fill the vacancy, but more or less recommended keeping the current number of three.
“It has been effective,” Roth said of the additional person, explaining that a lot more has been getting done around town this year. Councilor Jan Sivertson agreed, saying the lack of complaints is what she’s noticed.
Council voted to announce the job opening, and Roth said he is placing an emphasis on the candidates’ experience with operating heavy equipment. The deadline for submitting applications is Nov. 14.
Sivertson reported that she recently attended a meeting made up of a “broad group” of citizens and agencies who are interested in developing a policy governing donations and placement of public art. Sivertson has been spearheading an effort to come up with such policies in light of several inquiries and donations of memorial sculptures. Although no decisions were made at the meeting, Sivertson said the city needs to come up with a process for deciding what is acceptable in public spaces, and she will continue the effort. At this point, Roth said, a public arts commission – which has been under consideration – “may or may not be the way to go.”
And finally, council discussed a letter received from the Visitors Bureau wanting to know why the public restrooms at City Hall were locked on at least one occasion last week, and who locked them. The incident remains a mystery, said Roth, who chalked it up to a “glitch” and noted that “anyone could have done it.” The situation was remedied, however, by changing the knobs on the doors so unauthorized persons can’t lock them.
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