Last fall Schroeder Supervisor Bruce Martinson received a $2,500 check from Minnesota Power/ALLETE officials that will help pay for the cost of the public viewfinders that will soon be installed at the Taconite Safe Harbor. (L-R) Minnesota Power employees John Paulson, Al Rudeck, Martinson, Matt Radzak of Minnesota Power.
It’s taken a good year, but Schroeder Supervisor Bruce Martinson’s diligence has paid off and sometime early this summer tourists and local residents will be able to view close-ups of boats, birds and wildlife at the Taconite Safe Harbor and across the way at Bear and Gull Islands.
Martinson made his announcement at the April 12 Schroeder town meeting.
In the beginning Martinson applied for one small grant, but he soon learned the project would be more expensive then he first guessed.
A gift of $2,500 from Minnesota Power/ALLETE to the North Shore Scenic Drive Council helped start the process that will lead to the purchase and installation of an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Hi-Spy 20X binocular head viewer and 35X telescope (located on an extended arm for wheelchair users) at the Taconite Safe Harbor.
“It will cost $5,631.25 just to purchase the binoculars,” said Martinson.
Then too was the added cost of a concrete pad for the viewfinders. All told the project came to $14,868.
Martinson applied and received a grant from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) for $7,768. The Minnesota Power Foundation gave $2,500 and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce “Great Place” project granted $1,000. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will do the ground work and installation at an estimated cost of $3,000.
Once purchased and up, Schroeder area businesses, the Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center, Schroeder Area Historical Society and Temperance River State Park will display posters directing tourists to the viewing location.
The Taconite Safe Harbor, said Martinson, is an underutilized gem on the North Shore. It currently boasts an anchor, large bucket and interpretive signs. Fishermen, both professional fishing guides and public anglers, use the harbor as an entry/exit point to ply the waters for lake trout and salmon.
The harbor also provides refuge for boaters needing shelter from storms on the lake. Last year Minnesota Power officials presented Martinson with a check at the opening of “Rajala Woods,” which is located just above the Taconite Energy Center on Thursday, May 8, 2015.
The North Shore Scenic Drive Council, said Martinson, is made up of representatives from counties, cities and tourism organizations along the Highway 61 Scenic Byway. The council is staffed by the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission and is funded by a combination of local and federal dollars.
Martinson said the DNR should have the viewfinders in place by June 15. “Maybe sooner,” he added.
Leave a Reply