North Shore News Hour

Pop Up stores and events have become a popular trend in recent years. And Library Friends of Cook County is getting in on the fun. Library Friends is hosting a “Pop Up” Used Book Sale on Saturday, June 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The sale will be in the “backyard” of Joy & Company at 16 First Avenue West in Grand Marais.

The Library Friends board has an estimated 200 books, all in good or excellent condition for sale. There is an opportunity to donate your own gently-used books on Thursday, June 24, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at The Hub (formerly the Senior Center) at 10 Broadway Avenue in Grand Marais.

Hardcover and paperback books in good to excellent condition will be accepted in the following genres: novels, cookbooks, art-related books. Complete, used puzzles will also be accepted. Each person is limited to a donation of 10 items.

Library Friends of Cook County is an all-volunteer non-profit organization, composed of members who care about books and information resources, people, and particularly libraries – those places where books and people get together. Library Friends is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

All proceeds from the sale benefit area libraries and reading programs at the Grand Marais Public Library and all of Cook County’s schools.

For more information about Library Friends, contact President Jan Smith at [email protected] or visit the group’s Facebook page.

WTIP's Rhonda Silence learns more about the event and about Library Friends of Cook County in this interview with President Jan Smith. 
 

If you type “housing” in the search bar on the WTIP website, hundreds of archived stories will pop up. Housing has been a topic of discussion in board meetings of every branch of local government for decades. It seems we all know someone who wants to live and work in Cook County, but can’t find a home.

As government entities consider ways to help create housing—through zoning changes, possible tax breaks for developers, and the establishment of a Housing Redevelopment Authority—there are small projects happening now.

Some community members have seen the need for housing and have done something about it. WTIP is reaching out to some of these builders and developers to learn more about some small projects that have been done.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence asks for their definition of affordability. What are the obstacles to building housing? What has been helpful? Once a week we’ll share what we’ve learned.

Here’s the first in this series featuring Matt Groth of Grand Marais Construction. 

Click here to see trusses being set in the Grand Marais Construction duplex.

Click here to see the nearly completed duplex. 
 

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has seen a deadly start to the open-water season in Minnesota. 

According to the DNR, as of June 16, as many as nine people have been victims of boating fatalities. That number, which is preliminary, marks the most fatalities at this point of the year in more than a decade.

In addition, a higher-than-average number of people have drowned at places like beaches and swimming pools.
Officials with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are reminding everyone who’s around the water to make safety their first priority.

The beginning of the summer season is traditionally a busy time of year on the water. This year has been even busier than usual – particularly in recent days as people sought respite from an abnormally long string of above-average temperatures. Unfortunately, the increase in activity also has resulted in unusually high numbers of people who didn’t make it off the water.

“There are too many families who won’t be seeing their loved ones again,” said Lt. Adam Block, boating law administrator for the DNR Enforcement Division. “It’s up to everyone who heads for the water to double-down on safety and prevent what should be a fun experience from turning tragic.”

The people who’ve drowned so far this season span the age, gender, and swimming ability spectrum. DNR safety officials offer the following tips for staying safe around the water. 

• Wear a life jacket. All children, and adults should wear a life jacket anytime they’re around the water. Each year even adults who are good swimmers go under the water and never resurface.
• Avoid alcohol. Its effects are magnified on the water and the consequences can be deadly. About 40 percent of boating fatalities include alcohol.
• Designate a “water watcher.” This person puts down their cell phone or other distractions and focuses only on watching the water to ensure everyone is safe.
• Wade feet-first into the water to avoid jumping into an area where the current, depth and other conditions are unknown.
• Constantly supervise children while they’re in or near the water. Looking away even for a moment is enough time for tragedy to strike. Drowning often doesn’t involve yelling, screaming and waving of the arms. Rather, it often occurs silently.
• Swim only in designated swimming areas.

 WTIP's Rhonda Silence spoke with local Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Mary Manning for more details on boat and water safety. 
 

The Cook County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, June 15 in a committee of the whole meeting, sometimes referred to as a work session. The meeting consisted of a discussion of tax abatements and presentations by the Cook County Historical Society and Visit Cook County.
 
The county reviewed the latest draft of a policy regarding tax abatements for developers. The county will continue its discussion of the policy at the next county board meeting on Tuesday, June 22.
 
The Cook County Historical Society was on the agenda and they had a fairly significant request for support from the county. First, the historical society explained that it is seeking state bonding funds to help construct an archival storage facility and for capital improvements of the historical sites it manages.
 
The Historical Society also asked for an increase in their budget, from $68,000 in the past two years to $100,000 for two years, with a 2 percent increase each biennium.
 
The county will consider these requests as it moves ahead with budget planning.
 
A final matter on the committee of the whole agenda was a presentation by Visit Cook County. VCC representatives shared the history of the tourism entity, which was founded as the Cook County Events and Visitors Bureau in 2008 and is funded by a 1 percent lodging tax.

The next regular meeting of the Cook County board is Tuesday, June 22, starting at 8:30 a.m. The public may monitor the meeting electronically on the Cook County You Tube Channel.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds hikers, campers, and others recreating outdoors to be aware of bears when heading outdoors, whether for a quick hike or a longer camping trip.

People can peacefully share the outdoors with bears by paying attention to where and when they are most likely to encounter bears. Black bears are naturally cautious animals that avoid human contact for their safety.

However, people need to do their part to prevent human-bear conflict. This includes being proactive to avoid startling bears and securing potential food sources.

Securing potential food sources is also important at your home or cabin as well. Bird feeders and trash cans draw bears in.

Learn more about how to safely coexist with bears in Minnesota on the DNR website: Living with bears

Although bears are out and about in our forests, there has not been a significant number of complaints about bear encounters in local police or conservation officer reports. Are bears better behaved this summer?

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence talks to Andrew Tri with the Minnesota Department of Resources bear program to find out.
 

On June 9, the U.S. Coast Guard published an announcement that the North Superior Station, the Coast Guard facility in Grand Marais, is on the list of Great Lakes stations that will be “consolidated” with other stations. That means there would no longer be a Coast Guard presence on the Grand Marais waterfront. 

The Grand Marais station is among four seasonal stations slated for closure. The others are in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Holland, Michigan. The notice states that “…many stations were established at a time when boats lacked engines and were powered by oars and paddles.”

The Coast Guard believes with modern boat operating speeds and improved direction-finding technology, many calls for Coast Guard assistance can be handled by other agencies in the vicinity. According to Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Paul Rhynard, the Coast Guard is seldom the first responders on the scene of a water emergency.

Lt. Rhynard points to the number of emergency calls received, which averaged less than one case per year over the last 10 years, as the reason the Grand Marais Station is no longer necessary. He credits that low number in part to the Lake Superior boating community for its safe operations.

In a conversation with WTIP, Lt. Rhynard said, “I think it’s really important that people understand that if we thought that we were putting people in danger—or excess danger—or adding risk--we wouldn’t do this. Safety of life—that’s our number one concern.”

If the consolidation, or closure, happens it will be in 2022, but with the seasonal nature of the North Superior Station, that means the last Coast Guard personnel will be gone after Labor Day 2021.

Lt. Rhynard said anyone who wishes to comment on the proposed closure may do so by visiting the online Federal Register here: Consolidation of Redundant Coast Guard Boat Stations

Anyone who is unable to submit comments in that way may call Todd Aikins at (202) 372-2463 or email [email protected]. 

The comment period ends August 3.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with Lt. Paul Rhynard about this possible closure and about the future of the Coast Guard building on the Grand Marais waterfront.
 
 
** This article was corrected regarding the number of Coast Guard calls, which averaged less than one case per year over the decade. **

In May, the superintendent position for School District 166 was offered to Christopher Lindholm of Pequot Lakes and he accepted. He will be starting as the new superintendent here in Cook County on July 1.

Since then, some community members have discovered press reports about Lindholm’s involvement with the “Voices for Rural Resilience” project in Pequot Lakes. Lindholm was featured in a video on the group’s website, along with other community leaders.

The videos address the complex issues facing the BIPOC community in rural Minnesota. The website is still available for viewing, but the link for the video featuring Lindholm is not available. Lindholm told WTIP that he did ask the group to remove the video.

According to Red Lake Nation News, Lindholm’s video shared his “perception and experiences” of the Pequot Lakes community when he arrived in the district in 2013. Those comments were apparently not well received by some community members.

Another news report, in the Brainerd Dispatch, states that the Pequot Lakes School District received a lot of feedback when the video was released.  

There were statements that Lindholm had inappropriately defined the whole Pequot Lakes community by a single, or a few, negative incidents. However, there were also comments saying that yes, bullying, racism, and homophobia do exist in the Pequot Lakes school district.

Lindholm made an apology in a public meeting to those who may have felt marginalized by his comments, but he said the issues discussed in the video and the need for inclusivity in our schools need to be addressed. He said “courageous discussions” need to take place to make sure all students feel welcome in our schools.

WTIP asked Lindholm if the controversy in Pequot Lakes played a role in his desire to leave the area. Lindholm reiterated what he said in his first interview with WTIP that he had hoped to come to Cook County since he and his wife spent their honeymoon in the area in 1996. He applied but was not selected for a principal position in 2001. Lindholm said he jumped at the opportunity to finally live and work on the North Shore when he saw the superintendent opening. 

Cook County has not been immune to concerns about equity in the local school and community. WTIP asked Lindholm if he learned from the experience in Pequot Lakes and if that would help as he takes the leadership role at School District 166. Lindholm said he believes it will. He said he is a lifetime learner and will continue to learn about these issues.

Lindholm added that equity work is difficult, and anyone doing this type of work will likely make some missteps. But, he added that doesn’t mean the work does not need to be done.

He also said that he is looking forward to being in Cook County where he can meet and talk with people in person about matters like this.

In the meantime, Superintendent Chris Lindholm spoke with Rhonda Silence at WTIP. Here’s their conversation.
 
 

Representatives of the Minnesota Housing Partnership visited Cook County Friday, June 4, to learn about some of the housing projects proposed or underway in the county. They also shared information on how their organization could possibly help via the creation of a Housing Redevelopment Authority.

Three people in various stages of developing housing were part of a panel discussion—Anna Hamilton of Hamilton Housing; Joe Swanson of Bluefin Bay Resorts; and Rob Dieter of a new project, Sawbill Village.

The gathering was facilitated by Mary Somnis, director of the Cook County-Grand Marais Economic Development Authority, who said the meeting included a lot of “thoughtful dialogue” and good questions and comments.

The meeting was recorded for those who could not attend. The recording of the meeting can be seen here.  (Somnis recommends forwarding to 14:45 when the panel discussion begins.)

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with Somnis about the presentations and conversation at the meeting—and about the next steps.
 

The Grand Marais City Council met on Wednesday, June 9 and covered a variety of topics, ranging from zoning matters to the status of the sod in the ongoing Highway 61 project.

The meeting started off with public comments, both related to a street or alley in Grand Marais. Kathryn Ramberg appealed to the city council to do something about the condition of 4th Avenue, which had the failing pavement removed recently, creating a gravel road. Ramberg said without the potholes in the pavement, cars are speeding down the now-gravel road, stirring up a great deal of dust. Ramberg asked the city to consider repaving the road, or at least putting calcium chloride down to eliminate some of the dust.

The other comment came from Jeff Gecas, co-owner of GunFlint Tavern, who asked the city to consider repairs and paving of the alley behind the Tavern and other businesses. Gecas said the city could likely get a good deal on the work as the Highway 61 road construction is being done now.

The council agreed to put discussion of the roads on a future agenda. Councilor Anton Moody volunteered to check on the schedule for application of calcium chloride to see if that could be done soon.

Council adopts Planning Commission recommendations
The council reviewed requests for conditional use permits for two home occupation businesses at residences on Broadway Avenue. One was for a relatively new chiropractic office that sees limited clients. The other was for a longtime small engine repair business. The council followed the planning commission recommendation and approved both requests, with the conditions suggested by the planning commission. See WTIP's report on the planning commission meeting here. 

A third planning commission matter was a request for a variance for a carport. The planning commission recommended denial of the request which would have allowed construction of a carport closer than 25-feet from the lot line. The city also followed suit and denied the variance.

City Council considers priorities
The council has been reviewing its list of priorities for some time now. Brainstorming sessions and discussion with department heads led to a long list of things that the city should invest its time and money on. In an effort to narrow that list, councilors were asked to list their personal top priorities. There was considerable discussion as councilors shared some initial thoughts.

Among his choices, Councilor Craig Schulte said he would like to see general maintenance projects get more attention. There was discussion of whether that perhaps falls under “Capital Improvements.”

Councilor Kelly Swearingen said she would like the city to focus more on code enforcement. She said it seems the city is getting more and more complaints about the condition of properties in the city and there seems to be no enforcement.

Councilor Anton Moody, who serves as the city representative on the Cook County-Grand Marais Economic Development Authority, noted that housing has become an issue for the entire community. To bring economic success to the county, Moody said workers are needed and to have workers there needs to be housing. So Moody said that is one of his top priorities for the city.

Councilor Mike Garry said he would like to see the renovation and rebuilding of city hall and the municipal liquor store at the top of the list, as that is something the council has talked about and promised the public that this would be happening. Likewise, he said the Sawtooth Bluffs project is also something that people have been asking about.

Mayor Jay DeCoux gave similar comments but added that he would like to see sustainability in the face of climate change as a top priority.

The discussion continued and the council scheduled a special work session to continue with more time.

Highway 61 sod
The council briefly discussed the Highway 61 construction project, noting that with the good weather to date, the project is ahead of schedule. There were concerns about the sod put down in the completed eastern section of the project. Mayor DeCoux said he had a conversation with the Minnesota Department of Transportation about it and learned that the contractor does not get paid for the work unless the sod takes root.

Coast Guard Station may be closing
The Mayor also shared the news that is concerning for boaters on Lake Superior. The U.S. Coast Guard has notified the city that it will be completely closing the Grand Marais Coast Guard Station, taking away the small seasonal crew that has been here for decades. The mayor encouraged his colleagues to share their concerns with the Coast Guard.

Meeting closed for pending litigation
Finally, there was a closed portion of the meeting to discuss pending litigation regarding the city’s NPDES permit, which pertains to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System – the city’s waste system.
The city council can close a meeting due to attorney-client conversations in situations like this, but must announce later what it was about and the outcome of the case or of any settlement reached. WTIP will provide more information on this matter when it is available.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with Grand Marais Mayor Jay DeCoux about all this.
 
 
               
 
 
 
 
 
 
WTIP’s Rhonda Silence learns more in this interview.