Mayor Hakes, Councilors Costello, Kennedy, Lenz and Sivertson were all present for today's City Council Meeting. Also present were Mike Roth, Kim Dunsmoor, Fire Chief Ben Silence and Attorney Chris Hood (via telephone).
Open ForumRon Lund presented a letter to the Council expressing his opposition to the Conditional Use Permit to operate a personal fitness training studio as a home based business requested by Kirsten van den Berg and Greg Nichols. Lund believes that although the business is worthy, it pushes the definition for home occupation and would create unwanted traffic in a residential neighborhood. Mr. Lund was invited by Council to stay for the meeting to hear the discussion on this matter.
Consent AgendaConsent Agenda was approved with (2) additions to the Agenda: Dilapidated Buildings and Traffic Control on Highway 61.
Fire Chief ReportFire Chief Ben Silence presented the Council with a proposed Firefighter Job Description and discussed the need for recruitment. Currently, there are 20 firefighters in the Grand Marais Volunteer Fire Department (GMVFD); the desired number is ~30. (6) First Responders will be joining the GMVFD. Silence would like to hire (5) more firefighters. Council approved the Job Description unamimously. Persons interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter are encouraged to contact Chief Silence or City Hall to fill out an application.
Planning Commission ReportMayor Hakes recused herself from this discussion; she is the current landlord for Studio 61 owned by Greg Nichols and Kirsten van den Berg and has a vested interest in the outcome of the request. Council discussed Nichols and van den Berg's request for a Conditional Use Permit to operate a personal fitness training studio as a home based business at their property located in the R-1 District at 921 West First Street. This Planning Commission held a Public Hearing on May 5, 2010 on this matter and approved the request with conditions to limit signage and hours of operation. Council discussed this request at length, noting that a lot of public comment had been received, both pro and con, about this request. Ultimately, Council passed a motion to ask City Staff to prepare a Conditional Use Permit as requested but with the following Conditions: a) no outside employees, b) classes are limited to 3 hours/day, c) (3) off-street parking spaces must be available for clients, d) on-street parking is limited to (3), e) class size is limited to (8) students, f) classes are limited to between the hours of 6 AM and 7:30 PM, g) signage must conform to the Sign Ordinance and be no larger than 4 square feet in size. Council will consider the CUP at their next meeting on May 26.
Garden Club RequestCouncil unanimously approved the Garden Club's requst for $1000 for flowers and fertilizer. The Garden Club will plant the flowers in the street containers and ground beds downtown; the Park Department will water them.
Resolution of Participation in County Hazard Mitigation PlanningCouncil unanimously approved the resolution to formalize the City of Grand Marais' participation in the County Hazard mitigation plan. The City has been participating on the County Emergency Preparedness Committee.
Dilapidated BuildingsMayor Hakes requested that this item be added to the agenda for discussion based on community feedback about Council's discussion regarding the former Theatre Building.
Hakes clarified that the Grand Marais Playhouse (GMPH) will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary this summer. As part of that celebration, GMATA Director Diane Brostrom suggested several months ago to GMPH Director Sue Hennessy that the Playhouse use the window space at the former Theatre Building to advertise creatively in their window. The idea was received positively by Hennessy and the property owner, making it a real win/win/win. The connection between the historic old Theatre and the current Playhouse could be meaningful and the location for advertising is perfect.
The issue of dilapidated buildings in Grand Marais is quite a separate issue. Council agreed that Public Safety is always an issue. Mike Roth and Attorney Chris Hood will discuss proper steps and options around this matter. Council also agreed it is important to treat property owners with respect.
Traffic Control on Highway 61Mike Roth will order the "YOUR SPEED IS" sign to be placed next to the Speed Limit sign near the bottom of the hill on Highway 61 West. This sign, in combination with "Event Congestion Ahead" signs will be used this summer to slow traffic down during the busy summer months. These actions are part of an overall plan by the Council to improve pedestrian safety. In 2009 a crosswalk was added near the Dairy Queen and Pumphouse. Additional crosswalks are in the initial planning stages. And, Roth and Hakes will continue to work directly with Rob Ege of MN Dot to do some traffic/speed monitoring on Highway 61 to determine if changes to the Speed Limit are needed.
Council & Staff ReportsMike Roth updated the Council on possible IRRB funding to do some preliminary design work on the Marina/Safe Harbor. Council voted unanimously to submit a request for $20K. Roth is also working with Dick Grabko to learn more about the potential for funding from the Great Lakes Initiative to do more in-depth design and engineering work for the Marina and Safe Harbor.
Kim Dunsmoor reported that the City's Annual Audit was completed today.
Bill Lenz reported that Community Garden has been dug and plans for planting are underway. He also reported that the Park Board has combined the various Camp Site waiting lists into (1) master list.
Jan Sivertson said she attended the North Shore Management Board meeting. The Board voted to sponsor a St. Paul based company in creating a plan for the North Shore that puts the environment first and will be used as a tool for planning and development.
Sue Hakes reported that she traveled to Two Harbors to attend the Northeast Service Cooperative (NESC) Informational Meeting to discuss their successfully funded broadband infrastructure project. The $43.5M
Northeast Middle Mile Project will deploy a 915 mile fiber optic network to expand broadband services throughout Northeast MN, including Cook County. Funded 50/50 by grant and loan, the Middle Mile Project will connect critical services including health care, education, libraries, and county, state and emergency services in northeast Minnesota.
NESC is also working with the Cook County Board and has submitted a proposal to provide fiber based broadband to ~6000 households in Cook County. If successful in winning this grant, the County Board may opt to cost-share with One Percent Sales Tax funds.
Mark Your CalendarsWednesday, May 26 at 3:30 pm, City Council Budget Worksession II
Wednesday, May 26 at 4:30 pm, City Council Meeting
Thursday, May 27 at 4:00 pm, Joint City/County/School/Tribal Council Meeting in Grand Portage
Wednesday, June 9 at 4:30 pm, City Council Meeting
Wednesday, June 30 at 4:30 pm, City Council Meeting
I was honored to be asked to participate in the Memorial Day Service on the Courthouse Lawn this morning. Thank you Commander Don Wilson and the local American Legion and Legion Auxiliary for sponsoring a meaningful morning and delicious lunch afterward.
