Two weeks after a meeting to gather public input into the park board’s grantfunded process of developing a long-range plan for the Grand Marais RV Park and Campground, board chair Lindsay Mielke told fellow board members she is not comfortable with either of the two options portrayed in consultant Bob Bruce’s design renderings.
Thedesigns were an attempt to incorporate many uses for the rec park and continue to generate revenue for the city while preserving public and natural areas bordering the harbor. The designs included removing campsites from parts of the area east of 8th Avenue West, replacing the pool with marina parking, building RV sites into the ball field area, and constructing an events pavilion.
The board spent time Tuesday, June 2, 2009 discussing their thoughts on developments so far, some saying neither plan really fits their vision of the park. Carol Backlund agreed with Mielke, saying she is “not in agreement” with the two options as they are.
Paul Anderson said he feels they should focus for now on the assets the campground already brings to the city. Robin DuChien said, “I thought we were going to work with what we had and make it better, not erase and start over again.”
The plans should be changed if the park board is not satisfied with them, Bill Lenz said. The consultant has told them they’re almost out of time and money, Carol Backlund countered. They should spend whatever time they need to get the plan they want, Lenz replied.
Mielke said she does not want to feel pushed into choosing between the two options.
City Administrator Mike Roth reminded the board that early discussions had focused on general factors that could be considered in a long-range plan. Staying at that level might be more useful than deciding on specifics right now, he said. Many decisions would need to be made down the road no matter how detailed the design plans were at the end of the planning process.
The board has considered a lot of public input, has compromised on lots of ideas, and represents a wide variety of opinions, Todd Miller said. He believed the board could work together to finalize its plan without more outside help.
Why do they need an events pavilion? Walt Mianowski asked. He said he likes the park as it is. For weddings, people could put up tent pavilions on the shore, use local churches, or rent out local businesses like Lutsen Resort, he said. He believed an events pavilion would only be used two to three times a summer for weddings. “Let the park be the park,” he said.
Mianowski said he has been here for 53 years. In that time, he said, “good things have happened. …Bad things have happened.” People who have been here their whole lives don’t like all the changes that have taken place, he said.
Bill Lenz said he would like today’s plans to work for tomorrow, but even if an events pavilion were part of the master plan, it would need to be justified before it would ever be built.
The board needs to create an “overarching” view, said Todd Miller, and to do that, they need to look at all current and potential uses for the park. Themaster plan is to help them know what they’re supposed to do when the opportunity presents itself, he said.
Several current campground guests were at the regular park board meeting at which these issues were discussed. One man pointed out that right now, the campground is largely unoccupied, and most of the campers present have chosen to stay on the east side of 8th Avenue West.
One woman hoped the park board would try to counter misinformation regarding what the plans would be and how soon they would be implemented. Some seasonal users are afraid they will need to remove their trailers this summer from the area north of the marina, she said.
The board wanted the public to know that the master plan has not been finalized, but even when it is finished, the process of implementation will not automatically begin. Theplan is a vision for the next 20 years and beyond. No plans are being made at this time to make any of the changes being discussed.
The board will meet later this month for another working session and will hold another public input meeting sometime after that.
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