North Shore News Hour

The Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) held its regular May meeting on May 12, but it was, like so many meetings in the COVID-19 pandemic era, held remotely. That did not stop the EDA board from discussing some important issues.

The EDA board tentatively agreed to three lot sales in the Cedar Grove Business Park, pending a public hearing on Thursday, May 28 at 4 p.m. Like the regular monthly meetings, this will be held remotely. The public is encouraged to sign on to observe the meeting and public comments may be sent in advance to [email protected].

The first lot sale to be considered is to the Cook County Historical Society. This sale has been discussed at two previous EDA meetings, the first in February 2019. The historical society needs an appropriate place to house the 25,000+ items in its museum collection. The current location—the basement of the old lighthouse keeper’s home, the historical museum—has flooded twice in recent storms. The historical society currently has items stored at a variety of different areas that are not properly climate controlled.
The society had a collections assessment completed by the Midwest Arts Conservation Center, which came up with some recommendations and shared preliminary sketches of what the storage building would look like.

At that first meeting with the EDA, the historical society asked the board to consider selling the society the lot for $1, which the EDA felt was not appropriate, given the fact that other lots in business park had been sold at prices ranging from $28,000 - $35,000. The prices vary because of the condition of the lots—size of lots, how much is buildable because of wetland, etc.

EDA Director Mary Somnis also pointed out that there are special assessments on all of the Cedar Grove Business Park for utilities. For each lot sold, the EDA must pay $10,000 to $15,000 toward those assessments.

The EDA made a counter offer to the historical society to sell the lot for $20,000 plus closing costs. The historical society accepted that offer and the sale will be finalized, pending the results of the May 28 public hearing.

The second potential lot sale, called the North Point project, was before the EDA board for the first time. The buyer, Brad Shannon of Grand Marais, wants to put up a building on this small lot to build a youth activity center. North Point, Inc is working to establish a nonprofit to serve area youths.

After an offer and counteroffer, the EDA board said it would sell the lot in question for $25,000, including closing costs. That was accepted by North Point. The EDA board made a unanimous motion to move ahead with the sale, pending the results of the public hearing.
 
The third purchase request was for two lots, one that allows owner-occupancy, to a new business moving to the community, Fort Road Properties. This is a property investment and development company.  After negotiations, the EDA board agreed to a sale price of $50,000 for the two lots. One lot is in the owner-occupied section of the business park. This will also be considered at the May 28 public hearing.
 
In other business at the regular May meeting, the EDA board approved a letter of support for the proposed Lutsen Mountains ski hill expansion, contingent that the letter include a statement that there are concerns regarding the 1854 Treaty Rights and how this impacts the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
 
After some significant discussion, a motion passed to send the letter of support to the U.S. Forest Service for Lutsen Mountain’s proposed use of the land. The vote was four EDA board members in favor, two against, with one board member absent.    

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The public hearing will be facilitated by Small Business Development Center Representative Pat Campanaro. For more information on participating in the EDA Public Hearing, contact EDA Director Mary Somnis at [email protected] or call 218-387-3112.

WTIP's Rhonda Silence spoke with EDA president Howard Hedstrom after the May EDA meeting about the lot sales. Here's their conversation. 

The procedure for shopping at North Shore grocery stores varies from business to business. All three grocery stores in Grand Marais offered only curbside pickup shopping starting on Wednesday, March 25. However, that is beginning to change.

Gene’s Foods in Grand Marais has opened its doors to shoppers, asking that customers comply with CDC recommendations in the store. Gene’s asks that shoppers wear masks and limit their visits to one person per household. Hand sanitizer stations are available in the store and there are direction markers to ensure that customers follow proper physical distance guidelines.

Gene’s Foods will still provide curbside pickup for customers who are concerned about being in the public. To arrange an order for pick-up or for more information, contact Gene’s Foods by phone at 218-387-1212 or by email at [email protected].

The Cook County Whole Foods Co-op is still closed to in-person shopping and offering curbside pickup, but they are working on their plan for re-opening the doors. Co-op Manager Jennifer Stoltz told WTIP that the co-op will close on Thursday, May 28 to finalize changes to the store to allow proper physical distances for employees and customers. The co-op will reopen on Friday, May 29, with in-store shopping hours from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  

The co-op will also still offer curbside pickup for customers who are uncomfortable entering the store. For information on placing orders or for more information, contact the co-op by phone 218-387-2503 or by email at [email protected]

Johnson’s Foods in Grand Marais has no plans to re-open for in-store shopping at this time. Store co-owner Robin Johnson said their operations are complicated by the Highway 61 road construction taking place adjacent to the store.

However, for the safety of employees and customers, they also feel that it is best to continue with curbside grocery pickup. To place orders or for more information, contact Johnson’s Foods by phone at 218-387-2480 and through their new website (www.johnsonsfoods.com). The website has an order form to complete and submit. 

Hours for the store are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. 

Other grocery options
Clearview General Store: Clearview General Store in Lutsen is still open to the public, providing groceries and gasoline. Customers are not required to wear masks or gloves to enter the store, but are welcome to do so. Curbside pickup is also available, if customers want to call in orders. Hours are 7 a.m.-8 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sundays. 218-663-7478

Lockport Marketplace: Lockport in Lutsen is open to the public every day for groceries, gas, baked goods and coffee from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.  The grill is open from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. for takeout, and pasties are available at any time when the store is open. Curbside pickup is also available. Call for curbside service or grill orders. 218-663-7548

Tofte General Store & Bottle Shop: The Tofte General Store remains open to the public. Curbside pickup is also available if preferred. Wearing of masks is welcome. Hours are 8 a.m.- 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 8 a.m-6 p.m. on Sunday. The liquor store hours are the same, with the exception of Sunday: open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. 218-663-7288
 
Trail Center: Gunflint Trail’s Trail Center has many grocery items available. The store and restaurant are closed to the public, but you can call ahead to place a grocery order. Credit card info will be taken over the phone to limit contact (no walk up and preferably no cash). Call ahead to Trail Center. 218-388-2214

Zup’s Food Market: Zup’s grocery store in Silver Bay remains open to the public. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m-7 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Curbside pickup is available. The wearing of masks is welcome. For more information or curbside pickup, call 218-226-4161
 

A capsized canoe on Tuscarora Lake ended in the death of a 29-year-old male today. 

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office 911 dispatch received a call reporting an overturned canoe on Tuscarora Lake, one portage in from Round Lake, at approximately 1:51 p.m. Three people had been in the canoe.

 Two of the people swam to an island and one, a 29-year-old male, was reported missing.

Cook County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Cook County Search & Rescue, Gunflint Fire Department, North Shore Health Ambulance, Minnesota DNR conservation 0fficers, United States Border Patrol, United States Forest Service (USFS) law enforcement and a Forest Service Beaver float plane responded to the staging area at Tuscarora Lodge to begin search and rescue operations.

The body of the missing party was located in the water and was recovered at approximately 3:26 pm by the USFS Beaver. The body was transported to North Shore Health by Cook County Search & Rescue.

“This certainly is not how we hoped the search would turn out, and a tough way to start the season just days after the stay-at-home order was lifted,” said Sheriff Pat Eliasen. “Our hearts are with the two survivors and the deceased’s family. I also commend all of our emergency services who responded to this incident with swift action and professionalism.”

Identity is being withheld pending notification of family. No further information is available at this time.

After Governor Tim Walz announced on April 23 that Minnesota schools need to remain closed for the remainder of the year, WTIP thought we would reach out to some of our local teachers to see how things are going with distance learning. 

Here’s WTIP’s Rhonda Silence in a conversation with School District 166 English Teacher Michael McHugh, who also teaches some graphic design and film studies courses. McHugh sent out kudos to the students who are giving distance learning a great effort. 

Here's their conversation. 

During the coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic, WTIP Community Radio has been checking in with local government officials to learn more about community response to the virus. WTIP's Rhonda Silence spoke with Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Chair Beth Drost on Tuesday, May 12 to learn how the Grand Portage is preparing for loosening COVID-19 restrictions.

Chair Drost said as of the 13th, the Grand Portage Lodge & Casino has been closed for eight weeks. She said work continues at the lodge and casino, establishing protocols for opening the restaurant and greeting guests. A deep cleaning of the entire facility will be underway soon. Drost noted that the date that Grand Portage Lodge & Casino opens does also depend on when the U.S. – Canadian border is open for nonessential travel.

Grand Portage, like many other communities, has seen its share of cancelled events. The traditional Mother’s Day PowWow was cancelled and the Grand Portage June Health Fair, a longstanding event combining health tips and socializing, has been cancelled. The Rendezvous Days Committee meets this week and a decision may be made then regarding whether or not the 2020 Powwow will be held.

Rhonda Silence noted that the Grand Portage Tribal Council primary election is coming up on June 9. Drost is running for re-election, challenged by Robert Deschampe and Earl Johnson. There is also a committee person seat on the June ballot and running for that seat are incumbent Rick Anderson, Marie Spry, Eric Pehrson, Orlando Swader, Rob Hull and Esther Deschampe.

WTIP is reaching out to all of the candidates to offer them the opportunity to do an interview regarding their candidacy. Rhonda Silence asked Drost if she believes it is worthwhile for candidates to spend some time with WTIP. Drost said yes, adding that the local radio station is a great forum for candidates. She said, “If you’re up for up for the challenge of getting your views out there, I encourage all the candidates to call in and get on that broader audience—to be heard and to let people know your issues…We all need to represent and have our people see what we can do for them,” said Drost.

Drost said she would like to end her weekly summary with an update on meals prepared and delivered to community members who are staying in place. She said the staff at the Elderly Nutrition Program (ENP) has been working incredibly hard to ensure homebound folks are being fed. She said 1,703 lunches and dinner were served in April, but after the interview reached out again to let WIP know that the actual number of 3,250.

Drost said Miigwech to the hard-working folks putting those meals together and to all the frontline workers in the community.