Jay Walljasper, a national leader and speaker on making communities friendlier for walking and biking, will lead two workshops on that very topic in Grand Marais on December 15-16 at Cook County Higher Education.
Imagine a Grand Marais in which people were encouraged to walk or use bikes to get places, where there were fewer cars on the streets in summer and no ice or snow on sidewalks in winter. Imagine benches on the streets going up the hill from Highway 61, where folks, especially those who are older or who have physical limitations, might rest on their way to and from downtown, or where they might just join a friend to gab a bit and catch a dose of Vitamin D.
If the images appeal to you, boy do we have a deal: The Cook County Chamber and the Moving Matters program at the clinic invite you to participate in two workshops that will noodle hard on ways of making Grand Marais more appealing to biking and walking and skating and other ways of getting around that do not involve motors. In return, we offer free food and a chance to visit with friends and neighbors.
The immediate emphasis is on Grand Marais, because it is doing a new comprehensive plan and also getting ready for reconstruction of Highway 61 in 2019. But we hope the ideas generated also inspire change in Lutsen, Tofte, Schroeder, Grand Portage and perhaps such places as Trail Center as well.
To help develop ideas, we have invited Jay Walljasper of Minneapolis to lead Cook County residents through these three-hour workshops on “Creating a More Walkable Community.”
Walljasper may be familiar to some from his decade as the editor at the Utne Reader in Minneapolis. More recently, he has become a nationally recognized speaker, writer and workshop leader on creating communities that are friendlier to bikers and walkers.
The first workshop will be from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15, at Cook County Higher Ed, 300 West Third Street in Grand Marais. Because many people most likely will come from work, post-work snacks will be served, along with soft drinks.
The second workshop will be 9 a.m. – noon on Friday, Dec. 16, also at Higher Ed. Coffee and morning snacks will be served.
Each workshop can hold 35 people. We are hopeful of recruiting a diverse mix for each workshop that includes folks from young people to the elderly, parents, office holders and government staff, and those with special needs in getting around.
To sign up for either workshop, please email ccchamber@boreal.org or call 387-2079. Leave a voice mail with your workshop preference if no one answers.
Leave a Reply