The new city public works building now sits just behind where the old Tomteboda Motel used to be. The city is in the process of taking down the last remnants of the motel and will in the near future remove the old public works buildings from the recreation park on the harbor. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
Grand Marais City Council had a busy agenda on Wednesday, July 25, tackling several big topics during the meeting.
When Mayor Jay Arrowsmith-Decoux asked if anyone wanted to address the council during the open forum when the public is invited to speak, several members of Boreal Corps Kids came forward.
Boreal Corps Kids presented to the council about Tobacco 21. The kids lobbied lawmakers earlier this year in St. Paul in regards to raising the age from 18 to 21. They presented about the dangers of tobacco and how difficult it is to differentiate candy from e-cig and other tobacco products. The group meets on the lawn of the library weekly to work on multimedia art projects promoting Tobacco 21.
Important notes regarding insurance policy
Bob Cummins and Ben Peters presented information on the insurance renewal. They spoke specifically about the binder on the new public works building. It was noted that city property will be appraised and there are plans to get an accurate replacement cost on the new building. Overall the city has a very comprehensive insurance policy. . Rate changes: cost of liability decreased, cost of bond rates decreased and liquor liability decreased. . Cyber Security coverage: The city has coverage up to $3 million for breaches not limited to water, sewer, electric hacks and internet compromises. . A power surge coverage for city property was added. It covers surges caused by artificial issues (trees falling, car hits a pole, etc.). . GM has waived tort liability limits (basically a set limit for how much an individual can sue the city per occurrence). By waiving the tort limit we are not restricting anyone from suing above and beyond the $500,000 currently listed on the policy. There was extensive discussion about the issue amongst members. Specifically, about cost vs. risk. Council believes the city has a good safety record and the risk for a catastrophic event is minimal, especially since not all claims will fall under tort liability.
A motion was made and passed to not waive the tort limit.
There was a brief discussion on current deductibles regarding vehicles. It was pointed out by Cummins that the city carries a high deductible on its vehicles, many of which are 10-plus years old and not worth $10,000. Two vehicles in the fleet have car replacement value coverage and the rest have comp/collision. He recommended looking closer at the values of the vehicles, removing physical damage coverage and leave liability on them. The council felt that since they had the $10,000 deductible set aside, it was a non-issue.
New building under construction
A thorough evalution of the new public works building will be completed and then added onto the schedule. It is expected to change the premium approximately $3,600.
North House lease
A decision was made to have the city’s attorney Chris Hood look at the existing lease and add Best Practice Language to make it current.
Council held an extensive discussion about North House. Currently the city has 12-13 years left on their original 25-year lease. There was a stipulation that if North House met certain criteria they would get an extra 25 years.
The council agreed the campus is expanding and the city impact is tangible. Class enrollment is up 11 percent since 2017 with 60 percent of the classes now having a wait list. North House is well on its way to meeting goals and is hoping the city will make it official and modify the lease for 50, 55 or 99 years.
Council believes that 99 years is a really long time. Lots of discussion was held about the metrics/criteria needing adjustment and having the school really explain how it benefits locals, specifically kids in our community. Potentially they can annually share community goals impact. Of importance, there were a lot of stats about the children’s programming that were surprising to council members. They believe if those were shared publicly, the school would gain even more local support.
Golf course update
With Gunflint Hills superintendent Mike Kunshier’s earlier than planned for retirement, it has been decided the course will operate with the existing staff and the city will not replace the superintendent this year. Council felt the current staff at Gunflint Hills has a good understanding of how the golf course works and it is in good hands. Council did recommit to start a thorough search, possibly nationwide, for 2019. It was agreed that a creative person or two with great marketing skills is what is needed to take the course to the next level.
Currently the staff is doing all it can to make sure the course is in good shape. The course is missing a pesticide applicator (it doesn’t have a license currently) and staff is being advised by other area courses on maintenance programs to follow. There is so much local support for the course that everyone agrees keeping it operating is the goal.
Leave a Reply