“Passion Pit” Advisory Committee

For now, every other Monday at 5 p.m. the “Passion Pit” Advisory Committee has been meeting via Zoom. The meetings have been live streamed, for the benefit of community members.

Normally most committees meet monthly, but this group of civic-minded individuals realize with the summer tourist season almost here, more frequent meetings are necessary–at least for now.

This Advisory Committee was formed based on recommendations made by Parks and Trails to the County Board. There are 11 members serving on the committee; they were selected from 21 applicants. Ann Sullivan represents the county, Kelly Swearingen represents the city, and John Morrin represents Grand Portage. The Parks and Trails rep is David Rohl, Myron Bursheim is there for the Cook County Historical Society, and Staci Drouillard represents Chippewa City descendants. Two committee members (Margaret Hedstrom and Dave Homyak) are property owners on Old Shore Road, and the remaining three individuals (Maria Burnett, Tyson Smith, and Tim Witzmann) are diverse members of the public at-large. Tim Nelson, Land Services, serves in an ex-officio capacity, running the Zoom meetings and taking minutes. The committee has two primary tasks.

The immediate task is to develop and implement a plan to manage the area known as “Passion Pit” based on concerns brought forward to the County Board last summer. Incidents of trash, dog and human waste being left, loud parties, late night disturbances, and other inappropriate behavior were reported in increased numbers last summer. Sheriff Eliasen, who attended the first meeting, provided data regarding calls made to law enforcement regarding such behavior. The group has sent a letter to Old Shore Road property owners requesting their input on solutions to the concerns expressed last year. Committee members also want the input of other members of our community. A press release issued earlier this week explains how input can be sent to the group. One method is to email the county’s ex-officio member, Tim Nelson, Land Services Director, tim.nelson@co.cook.mn.us with ideas to combat the public behavior that can make living or visiting the Old Shore Road less than pleasant. Tim is gathering all written comments to share with the committee at their next meeting. Input is requested on or before Friday, May 21. If you can’t email Tim, consider attending the next meeting (virtually via Zoom) on Monday, May 24 at 5:00 p.m. when you can participate in the public comment portion of the meeting.

The second task of this group to meet for a time, not to exceed twelve months, to review issues surrounding ownership and use of the former gravel excavation parcel currently owned by MnDOT and provide a recommendation back to the Board of Commissioners as to whether the County should pursue ownership of that parcel. It should be noted that Grand Portage submitted a request to obtain that same MnDOT parcel; Tribal Chair Bobby Deschampe spoke about this when he attended as a guest at their first meeting.

At the first meeting, after each committee person introduced themselves and explained why they had applied to be a part of the “Passion Pit” Advisory Committee, a very brief overview of the history of the area, including Chippewa City, was provided. A meeting schedule (every two weeks while putting in place a management plan for this summer) and figuring out how to engage the community were discussed. That public engagement includes sharing written comments submitted to the above listed email address or participating in the public comment period at the beginning of a live streamed meeting which can be found on the County website.

During that first meeting several themes emerged: the need for a land acknowledgement statement, education for the public, enjoyment, and respect. In relation to the term respect, all members of the committee agreed that the name “Passion Pit” is not very respectful. That name ignores the rich cultural and historical significance of the place. Committee members were asked to think of a more appropriate name to consider once surveys and public input had been solicited. Names brought forward to this point include Old Shore Road Beach, Old Shore Beach Area, Old Shore Beach, Chippewa City Historic Lakeshore, Morrison Beach, George Morrison Beach, Superior Water, and Our Superior. Kelly Swearingen pointed out that “locals” know what you are referring to when you speak of “Passion Pit,” so for now, while collecting input and feedback, that name will continue to be used (but in quotation marks). There is hope for a more respectful name down the line.

The group’s second meeting focused on the development of a press release to the community. The eyes of the entire committee helped to develop that press release. It is on the Cook County website if you haven’t seen it already.

A discussion of updating property lines came up earlier, so Tim Nelson contacted Duane Hill at MnDOT to make certain state surveyors (already working in Cook County) would come to the site to survey their parcel. Tim has arranged for a local surveyor to examine the parcel owned by Cook County. There are plans to specifically check the parking lot to make certain it is not encroaching on private property.

Several group members spoke of the need for a land acknowledgement statement, and Tribal Chair Deschampe had suggested earlier to the Joint Powers/Community Leadership subcommittee on Racial Equity, to have Professor Tadd Johnson from UMD speak on the topic. Tadd Johnson will be speaking to the Racial Equity subcommittee on June 2 at 6 p.m., and Higher Ed will be recording the session.

Staci Drouillard’s eloquent letter, written regarding “Passion Pit” last summer, was read to the group. In her letter, Staci spoke of the history of Old Shore Road as it connected to the original inhabitants of that area, families of the Anishinaabe people including the Anakwads (her family) and the LeSage, Morrison, Beargrease, and others. Her letter stressed that there is a way to preserve public access to the beach, protect the area from further development, and honor the original people who lived there.

The larger issue of public vs private ownership was then discussed at length. Priceless is the value of the land and the lake; as Tribal Chair Deschampe said, “it is a gift.” Priceless is the historic value and the value to the public. Yet, there are such things as “tax value” and the value of real estate or what the property could be sold for. Although there were differing thoughts on value, no one in the group wants this land mistreated or abused; there was discussion of reaching a proper balance of use and minimal impacts on this special place.

City and county officials agreed to follow up on possible commitments for provision of trash cans, a dog waste container, and maintenance services in the short term. There was information shared about a cartway through the MnDOT parcel which allows access to four properties east of “Passion Pit”, so all committee members were aware of that particular legal arrangement.

In the end, committee members were thanked for their thoughtful, reflective remarks and working through difficult topics. Many perspectives were shared. This group’s goal is to wisely advise the County Board on both short-term management and long-term disposition of the property commonly known as “Passion Pit.” Remember, the group needs your input regarding short-term management to alleviate any misuse or abuse of the area this summer.