Land Services Director Tim Nelson appeared before county commissioners on September 8 to pass along the recommendation of the Cook County Parks and Trails Commission to form a short-term task force to define the issues surrounding the Passion Pit area.
Located below the historic Chippewa City Church on Lake Superior, the well-named area is popular with young people as an evening party spot. Tourists and locals flock to the beach on nice summer days to relax and picnic.
Chippewa City was featured in Staci Drouillard’s book Walking the Old Road. The former town site is also the birthplace of renowned artist George Morrison.
Unfortunately, not all of the visitors act in an orderly fashion. Some are noisy, some litter, some cause damage to the wooded area above the beach and so on, which causes alarm and stress to the neighbors living near the popular hangout.
Matters came to a head in June when one of those neighbors, Dave Homyak, came before commissioners with a list of complaints and called for action. Among other things he asked the county to install and maintain porta-potties, place trash receptacles in the parking area, and maintain the road leading to the beach, something he has done over the last 23 years.
Following that visit by Homyak Cook County Parks and Trails Commission began discussing what Nelson said has been an ongoing problem for many years at the beach site.
Nelson said the task force recommends including one County Commissioner, one representative of the City of Grand Marais, a Citizen at Large (which the commission recommends naming Staci Drouillard), a representative of Parks & Trails Commission and Land Services Director Tim Nelson.
Commissioners agreed to form the task force, which will have 60 days to evaluate the situation at Passion Pit beach and provide a report back to the county board.
Heidi Doo-Kirk was voted to represent the commissioners although Miron Bursheim asked to be the commissioner representative because he is the liaison between the commissioners and the Cook County Historical Society. However, no one made a motion to select him. Next, commissioners appointed Staci Drouillard to the Citizen at Large representative and Nelson agreed to lead the committee.
Once all of the members have been assembled work will begin immediately, said Nelson.
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