Coming soon to a fire hall near you: a new (used) 50-foot ladder truck. Grand Marais city councilors approved the acquisition of a 1977 International truck from the City of Aitkin at their Jan. 21 meeting. Fire Chief Ben Silence and Aaron Mielke, representing the fire department, made the request for the $10,500 purchase, which was supported unanimously by council.... READ MORE >
As usual for the first meeting of the year, Grand Marais city councilors spent most of their time Jan. 12 deciding who would serve on the various boards and commissions that meet periodically and bring recommendations to council. The first order of business, though, was the swearing-in of new mayor Larry “Bear” Carlson. Also taking the oath of office were... READ MORE >
Grand Marais city councilors wrapped up the year with a brief meeting Dec. 29. It was the last meeting for Mayor Sue Hakes, who will move on to her new job as a Cook County commissioner, and Councilor Kay Costello, who also ran for the county commissioner position and was therefore not eligible for re-election to her city council seat.... READ MORE >
Grand Marais city councilors unanimously approved a 2011 budget that includes a 3 percent levy increase at their Dec. 8 meeting. Although council has until the end of December to approve the budget for the following year, City Administrator Mike Roth said he was confident everything that could be done to fine-tune the budget had been done. “We’re basically done... READ MORE >
By unanimous vote, Grand Marais city councilors approved a request from the Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club to allow snow machines to travel on the bike trail between Third Avenue West and the city’s western limits. Use of the bike trail along Highway 61 for snowmobile travel is permitted by statute as long as proper snow conditions exist, and the city... READ MORE >
In the wake of a decision to withdraw a controversial request for placement of a memorial flagpole in Harbor Park, Grand Marais city councilors were asked Nov. 10 to consider the creation of a public arts commission to oversee future requests. “We left our job half-done when the park got built,” admitted Richard Olson, a member of the Harbor Park... READ MORE >
Maggie Barnard of the Cook County Visitors Bureau spoke to city council Oct. 27 about the agency’s plan to raise funds for more holiday lights and decorations as a follow-up to last year’s successful effort. Specifically, she said, the Bureau hopes to add lights to the lampposts along the Harbor Walk (between Java Moose and Angry Trout) if estimates to... READ MORE >
The day after a powerful windstorm ripped the roof off the municipal swimming pool, Grand Marais City Administrator Mike Roth said it may be a while until the facility is reopened. Speaking to city councilors Oct. 27, Roth described the damage that occurred just after 2 a.m. He said the roof was completely torn off and water was leaking into... READ MORE >
The Oct. 13, 2010 Grand Marais City Council meeting began with a presentation by Steve Schug of the U.S. Forest Service. Schug, who works out of the Grand Marais and Tofte stations, said he has been talking with the Boy Scouts to prepare for an upcoming Order of the Arrow project scheduled for Cook County next June. Schug said there... READ MORE >
Grand Marais City Administrator Mike Roth reported to council Oct. 13 that he finally had a response from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) about the placement of a memorial flagpole in Harbor Park, but the agency requested more information such as where exactly the pole would be placed, its height and general appearance, etc. “They said it could... READ MORE >
