The Grand Marais Municipal Pool is planning a last hurrah sometime in December before closing its doors forever when the new YMCA opens in January. The party will include free admission, cake, and sharing of memories.
On December 9, 2013, Head Lifeguard Charles Christiansen told the Grand Marais Park Board that people are using up old tickets before it’s too late. Attendance was as high this November as it was last.
About 20 memberships will not have run out before the pool closes. The park board authorized Grand Marais Park Manager Dave Tersteeg to reimburse those members, a total that will depend on when the pool closes but expected to be about $750.
Some safety equipment and things like deck chairs will be offered to the YMCA. Some members have expressed interest in getting pieces of the old pool to remember the pool by or, in regard to cedar planks and beams, to make use of. Manager Tersteeg said liability insurance would make giving those things away difficult. The board talked about returning to the issue of what could be given away when the time came to demolish the building.
What may be the last service call was in the works for one of the boilers, which was not working properly. The second one was working at full capacity during the recent cold snap.
The board discussed what would be done with the campground revenue that will no longer be needed to subsidize the pool. Paul Anderson said he would like any excess revenue to go back to the park for infrastructure repairs and improvements instead of to the city’s general fund.
Campground revenue helps keep the city tax levy down, Bill Lenz said. He said a large percentage of the municipal liquor store’s profits go into the city’s general fund.
The park should set aside a certain amount each year for capital improvements, Sally Berg said.
The park has been putting $120,000 into a capital fund each year, Manager Tersteeg said, and they have spent varying amounts from that fund each year. With the city looking at building a new maintenance facility, the park’s ability to bond for major improvements outlined in its master plan may be affected, he said, so they may need to rely on their own income.
Tersteeg said the city will be helping to fund the expected deficit at the YMCA. He indicated that with the subsidy for the YMCA, he expected the park to end up with only about $30,000 more each year than it had before.
2014 campground and marina rates
The board discussed 2014 campground and marina rates. Manager Tersteeg said that the park has a lot of variety at numerous price points for guests to choose from. Different people are looking for different things, he said. Some people want to be on the lake, for example, while others prefer to be on sites that are more secluded or sheltered from the wind.
The board discussed possible rate increases, with some recommending them and others recommending against them. The board finally agreed on increasing some of the rates about 1½ percent and increase the daily “up charge” by $1 for people requesting lakefront RV sites. Daily marina rates were raised $1 as well.
Robin DuChien advocated for keeping prices affordable. “I just hate to see it going up and up and up,” she said. She pointed out that the east side RV sites are not near one of the most recently remodeled bathhouses and will no longer have the pool as an adjacent amenity. Manager Tersteeg said they plan to keep upgrading the park and making it nicer.
Office Manager Samantha Wallner said a lot of campers have complained about the $5 reservation fee. Robin DuChien cited numerous private and city parks that do not charge a reservation fee. Wallner said most state and federal campgrounds do charge a reservation fee.
The board passed a motion to charge a $5 fee for people to switch to another site—either before or after they arrive— after they have already reserved one. Paul Anderson said he goes to a park where campers are assigned a spot.
The board talked about people coming into the park after the office is closed, spending the night, and then leaving again before the office reopens. The park staff checks sites every afternoon, but Robin DuChien suggested that they check the park early in the morning as well. Office Manager Wallner said that the trailer campers on the east side always notify them when people come in and stay and leave without paying.
Paul Anderson said he thought that moving the marina gas pump to a location that could be accessed more easily and that had a turnaround spot would bring in more sales. Manager Tersteeg said he would look into it.
The office will start taking reservations for the 2014 season at 8 a.m. Thursday, January 2, 2014. Reservations can be made either in person or on the phone. Robin DuChien said she knows several Two Harbors residents who are on the doorstep the first day every year in order to reserve spots for Fisherman’s Picnic. Tersteeg said about a dozen people come in person that day and are gone by 9 a.m. They will have three staff members on hand that day, which is always extremely busy with people calling to reserve sites. “It’s 99 percent Fisherman’s Picnic,” Wallner said.
The park is working on becoming able to take online reservations.
Two park board terms are up
With the final 2013 meeting in December, both Paul Anderson and Tracy Benson have fulfilled their terms. Anderson has served two terms and is ineligible for another term. Benson was not present at the meeting and no one knew if she would accept an appointment to another term. More park board members are needed. If they cannot fill the seven-member board, they could go to a five-member board.
Manager Tersteeg said, “Thank you, Paul, for your years of service.”
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