Conversation continues on changes to North House Folk School lease

The Grand Marais City Council meets Wednesday, September 26 at City Hall at 6:30 p.m. and discussion continues on the city’s lease with the North House Folk School.

The city of Grand Marais owns the property on which the North House Folk School is located. The city leases the harbor side property to the school for approximately $7,000 annually.

North House’s current is lease for 25 years, of which 11 years remain. In 2017, North House approached the city to get an early extension of its lease, to either 50 or 99 years.

Discussion of a possible extension led council members to consider a change to the criteria used to gauge whether North House was fulfilling its side of the lease agreement. Councilors agreed that the lease should clearly outline what the city expects in community outreach programs.

The council asked North House to return to its September 26 council meeting with more information on what the city gains from programming directed at community members, such as programming for local school students and events.

North House provided information in the council packet, listing things such as dedicated educational programs for 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade classes; the high school timber frame course; youth sail camp and deckhand programs; as well as a 25 percent tuition discount for Cook County residents.

North House also pointed to community projects such as the Rec Park timbered bridge and the shelters at the Rec. Park, stating that North House would be open to discussing other such projects to support the city and its residents.

In addition, North House said that it will continue to keep its waterfront campus open and welcoming to the public, adding that North House has conducted the day-to-day and annual maintenance of the folk school grounds, freeing the city’s maintenance department from those duties.

The city agenda simply says “North House Lease Discussion,” so it is unclear if any decision will be made at the meeting.
However, also in the city council packet is a written request from Carl Gresczyk, a citizen running for a city council seat, requesting time on the agenda. Gresczyk said he wants to talk about putting a value on the city property currently occupied by the North House Folk School.