Staff photo/Rhonda Silence One thing at the Grand Marais Recreation Park area that is not being considered for change in the future is the picnic pavilion, however there are many other ideas in the long-range planning proposals. The Park Board would like to hear from the public about what it wants to see at the Rec. Park.
The Grand Marais Recreation Park Board, working with Carduus Consulting, has been meeting for over six months, seeking to create a long-range plan for development of the 60-acre Grand Marais Recreation Park. Park board meetings and two public forums have led to the creation of two possible designs for the waterfront and campground area. The public is encouraged to attend another “Listening Session” in the 4-H Building at the Cook County Community Center on Tuesday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m.
The Park Board would like the public to review, and comment on, two designs. The designs vary from a plan to move about 90 campsites, eliminating some from the northeast corner of the Recreation Park to accommodate future construction of an events pavilion to a proposal to construct an events pavilion at the site of the former power plant.
Carduus Consulting created the designs to give the public the opportunity to visualize the ideas that have been presented to date. However, elements from each may be combined to create the final Recreation Park plan. None of the proposed changes will happen immediately, in fact, to implement any of the proposed changes, three public features would have to be relocated off-site; the swimming pool, the ball field and the public works facilities. In all options, existing vegetation and trees have been located and considered.
The two alternative designs (along with two others that have been dropped from consideration) can be seen on-line at the Grand Marais Recreation Park website www.GrandMaraisRecreationArea. com by clicking on Master Plan at the bottom of the page.
Option 2.1 would offer”new community uses in the northeastern corner of the Recreation Park.” This option would construct a new building to combine park functions, such as campground and marina administration, lounge, laundry, small kitchen, and game room with a portion of the building with seating space and food staging area for wedding receptions, family reunions, etc. This option would phase out campsites in the northeast corner of the campground (next to the North House Folk School campus) resulting in a total of 220 campsites.
Option 2.2 would offer “new community uses in the southeast corner.” This option could possibly also construct an event pavilion, once the public work garages and animal shelter is relocated. This could be done without changing campsite configuration and would result in 245 campsites.
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