The Grand Marais Municipal Parking Lot on South Broadway has long been susceptible to flooding following heavy rainstorms, as seen in this July 19, 2013 photo. City councilors, along with the Cook County Chamber of Commerce, have begun looking for solutions.
The first meeting of the new year brought an old problem back to the Grand Marais City Council agenda – the question of how to stop frequent flooding of the municipal parking lot on South Broadway.
The topic was brought to the forefront by Jim Boyd, executive director of the Cook County Chamber of Commerce, who presented a letter expressing the organization’s concerns and offer to help at council’s Jan. 13 meeting. Boyd said he was asking council to commit to finding out how the problem can be fixed and at what cost, not “whether” it can be fixed.
“There’s no good reason to not look at it,” said Boyd. “We realize that there are all kinds of issues involved, but what we’re asking is, can it be fixed at a reasonable cost in an environmentally responsible way?”
The parking lot in question fronts the current Whole Foods Co-op and Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply buildings, and was paved, striped and landscaped during the city’s downtown streetscape improvement project in 2005. Before that, it was a gravel lot.
Although the area has historically experienced flooding following heavy rains due to its low elevation and proximity to a holding pond behind the adjacent businesses, the occurrences of high water are happening more frequently in recent years mainly because of more storms and increased stormwater runoff from the highway and places above it.
Council has heard complaints over the years both from affected businesses and visitors to the city who have experienced vehicle damage by the unexpected high water and flooding, but to date the only official action taken has been to install a few small “Flood Zone” signs around the perimeter of the lot.
Boyd said the problem needs “urgent attention,” and the lot as-is represents a detriment to businesses. He cited a Dec. 16 snow/ sleet/ice storm that flooded the lot and then froze into a dangerous sheet of ice, rendering the lot useless on what should have been a busy pre-Christmas shopping day. “Whether the flooding occurs in the summer or winter, the lot is dangerous and hurts local business,” said Boyd.
Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux said the project is already on the city’s to-do list and he has spoken with staff at the county’s Soil & Water Department, who said they will help find engineers to look into the situation and possibly do the work.
City Administrator Mike Roth said that seems like the right path to go down first, because there will be no cost to the city. However, he warned that a mitigation project of any consequence will likely come with a high price tag. “It’s going to cost money, and we need to think about how much we want to spend up front,” he said.
Councilor Tim Kennedy agreed. “We know it’s a problem that will take significant engineering to solve…but until we ask a qualified engineer, we’ll never know,” he said.
In response to questions, Roth recalled that the city spent about $30,000 to redesign the lot for its last construction project, and the result is one engineer’s idea of how to mitigate the problem. If the current council decides to further improve the area, said Roth, the new plan will have to reduce the amount of water flowing into the area; develop a bigger place to put the water; and be able to get rid of it faster with improved drainage. Roth further suggested that an initiative now under way to redesign Highway 61 could provide a “major opportunity” for a long-term stormwater management plan update and parking lot solution.
In the meantime, the mayor said he would follow up on his conversation with Soil & Water in an effort to determine what that agency could offer, and when; Councilor Tracy Benson said she would present the problem as the city’s representative at an upcoming meeting of the North Shore Management Board, and ask if they could provide any help or insight; and the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board will be contacted to find out if it has any funds available through its infrastructure improvement programs.
Boyd said the conversation was helpful and reiterated the Chamber’s offer of assistance. “The board has expressed its willingness to partner with the city in whatever way makes sense…let us know what we can do!” Boyd said.
In other business:
. Bev Green of Arrowhead Animal Rescue presented a list of the organization’s goals for the new year and emphasized the group’s eagerness to work with the city, particularly as plans develop for a new animal shelter. Goals include a new agreement and contract with the city for operation of the shelter; discussion and planning for a new pound; and development of an updated emergency management plan for animals. Council said it welcomes the animal advocates’ input and will keep them abreast of plans as they progress.
. Ann Mershon, representing Art ’Round Town, asked for and received permission from council to display artist-designed banners on the city’s downtown light posts. Mershon said plans call for a separate design for each season, but the organizers are not yet sure how the winning submissions will be chosen. The city will hang the banners (using existing brackets) and store them as necessary, but otherwise will incur no cost. “They will be tasteful and cool, and make Grand Marais look like an artists’ town,” Mershon said.
. Being the first meeting of the year, council made a number of appointments to various boards: Helen Muth and Brienne Moody were named to the library board; Jennifer Stoltz, park board; Todd Miller, planning commission; and Karl Hansen, Public Utilities Commission. Councilor appointments as representatives to boards remained unchanged from the previous year. Additionally, Tim Kennedy was reappointed acting mayor, and the Cook County News- Herald was designated as the city’s official newspaper.
. A discussion was held regarding plans and a timeline for construction of a city public works garage at the former Tomteboda Lodge site (property which was purchased by the city last fall), and a workshop session on the topic was set for Jan. 19, when more information from the architect will be available.
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