Thankful for Harbor Friends

True, a card-carrying charter member of Harbor Friends, is thankful for the selfless hard work by the dedicated founders. These folks have virtually single-handedly saved the Grand Marais Harbor as well as the RV Park and Campground from a takeover by misguided folks who would rather see a Bayfield-style marina in our tiny harbor than an eclectic shared space for campers, boaters, birders, rock skippers, hikers, and everybody else who loves Grand Marais. It wasn't an easy struggle and the Friends got grant support to show that a mega-marina was not likely to be successful based on a study of other marinas around Lake Superior.
Some recent letters about the Friends in the papers have delegated the level of public dialogue to somewhere near the scum layer in my septic tank. So, you didn't like the anti- snowmobile- skipping campaign by the Friends? Hmm, neither did True. But, that's only one issue and not a biggie at that, not like devastating the Grand Marais harbor with a mega-marina that would eat up all the RV Park and campground space for boaters' parking and send all revenue to the DNR. Not like allowing the city to dump toxic landfill in harbor wetlands or overturning the conservation easements adopted to protect the harbor permanently....
All of this, the Harbor Friends have saved us from, us being a public interest that reaches far beyond the nearsighted few who put dibs on the "process" and refused to allow any other public input.
One writer this week brings his old grudge forward as if it is relevant to snomo skipping, sniping at the Friends even though the marina issue has now been resolved by the city in a good way that benefits everybody. The writer conveniently forgets that the process was deeply flawed by rejecting public input, and that there would have been no Harbor Friends without a great outpouring of concern and longing to protect the harbor beloved by city, county and statewide residents.
Another letter writer who doesn't like the Harbor Friends decided to attack the lifestyle of its president, Lonnie Dupre. How mean-spirited, how petty, how unkind, and how inappropriate. Stick to the issues, folks, and stick to the facts.
Public dialogue needs to be respectful and thoughtful. Most newspapers recognize this and have standards for publishing letters. True doesn't only blame the letter writers; the papers ought to have more sense than to publish letters that exceed the bounds of decency and fair play and ignore or deny the reality of a broad public consensus regarding the harbor that belongs to all of us who love it.
Thank you, Friends.
True

Friends, lighten up, have a heart

True has received a letter from Amanda Plummer about the water-skipping event in the harbor during the 4th of July and Fish Pic. Amanda's arguments seem sound to True: high attendance, jumping through the hoops to get approval, and FUN, fun fun for folks including the almighty Tourists on behalf of whom many a PC sin has now and then been committed.
Ya sure, it probably isn't that good for the fish. BUT, what about those big boats and their ballast? What about the, excuse me, detritus left behind by every single motorized vehicle? What about the city itself and its failure to clean up waste in the harbor?
Hey, we are talking about only a few hours per year at most. How much environmental damage can that do?
As for the conservation easement, which True soundly supports, that has been repeatedly violated by city and developers alike. So why pick on these little kids who just want to have a little fun?
True, it is not my idea of a fun fest, but I don't need to agree with everything that everybody wants to do. This seems relatively harmless and enjoyed by a lot of folks.
Another big issue at play here is the hubris of Homeland Security, who has now taken over the formerly friendly and service-oriented Coast Guard. They claim to own the harbor! This raises my hackles; it would never have happened when the Coast Guard was simply the Coast Guard and not an outpost of the heavy-handed Homeland Security, home of the Unitary Executive.
Plummer's letter shows that some Coast Guard personnel were willing to approve the skipping permit. This apparently got nixed at a Higher Level.
Harbor Friends, please lighten up. Coast Guard emissaries of the Homeland Deciders, please remember that WE remember you fondly as partners in protecting our harbor, not as the Heavies who Rule Jurisdictions.
-True

Reader wants water skips in harbor to continue

Gmail - Disappointed in City Council decision! - truenorthgm@gmail.com:

I am a citizen of Cook County that has been attending the water skips activities in the Grand Marais harbor during various times of the year. I am greatly disappointed in the city council’s decision to not allow this event any longer. I feel that not enough research and time was spent looking into this topic before a decision was made.

The city may not have known that permission was needed from the Coast Guard to have the water skips, but we did. We have worked with them the previous 2 years to make sure it was a safe event that followed their guidelines. We followed their 30 min rule about retrieving a sunken snowmobile, we followed their rules regarding fire extinguishers and buoys attached to our sleds. We even made sure to stay in the area that was roped off for us and to not get to close to the many people who came to enjoy this event. We will now work to try and get our activity back, and I think that the city council should work with us. There is nothing for anyone over the age of 15 do during Fisherman’s Picnic, and now that the water skips aren’t happening, I have absolutely no reason to go downtown or spend any money. This event not only brought local people into town to watch it, but it also brought new people into Cook County who wanted to partake in this event. It also drew more people than any other event during Fisherman's Picnic down to watch. Let's all work together and get this great asset to Fisherman's Picnic back!!

Amanda Plummer

Social Capital Assessment

Here's a post from Boreal News of interest to all who care about Cook County. The benefits of social capital assessments are multiple and manifold. This theory, already adopted by scholars in many disciplines from evaluation/sociology to architecture and development, advocates for local communities. The idea is to inventory the community assets and then build on or strengthen them instead of the outside developer mentality of slash-and-burn.

Cook County is rich in social capital assets that include communities dedicated to the best interests of citizens and tourists.

Please, friends, if you can spare the time, consider taking part in this most important project that could have incredible impact on the long-term health and well being of our county:

Join us on Thursday, November 29 at 4:30 p.m. at the Cook County
Community Center to plan how this assessment will work in all parts of the
county. There is no charge to us as we are serving as a pilot project
for the U of M Extension. The information will be valuable for decision
makers.Contact the Community Center Extension Program to plan how this assessment will work in all parts of the county. There is no charge to us as we are serving as a pilot project.

We are looking for volunteers from all parts of Cook County to help with a county-wide social capital assessment. We want to set this up so that areas within the counties can determine how well their local
community is doing in terms of cooperating together for mutual benefit. This may differ between Schroeder, Gunflint Trail, or Grand Portage. The time commitment is one training session and getting folks to fill out the assessment in January.

If you are unable to attend the meeting but would be willing to help with the survey assessment in your part of the county, please contact Diane Booth at the Extension office at 387-3015.

I'll be back

True here.

Cook County is looking good. Development is under control. Ya, there are issues but for now the peace of summer, the joy of Fish Pic, the Library Friends sale, the upcoming County Fair, and many another celebrations take center stage.

So, I'll be back. When there's something to debate or to do.

Cheers!

Let there be gardens

"Let a hundred flowers blossom,
Let a hundred schools of thoughts contend."
-Mao Tse Tung

How remarkable. The city Park and Recreation Board doesn't want gardens in Rec Park, despite pleas from our loyal summer residents that it would make the park more home-like and beautiful.
What's the big deal? Flowers are wonderful and even vegetables have a lot of charm to many folks. Are you the same guys that dug up the wetlands and filled them with garbage not so long ago?

In another life, in Minneapolis, True once got a citation from the city for "weeds" on account of a perennial border. Now residents of that city get "Blooming boulevard" awards for planting native prairie flowers, once known as weeds.

Hey, folks. Lighten up and let the flowers bloom and grow forever, like the edelweiss in The Sound of Music. Look at Harbor Park, planted by many many of us. People love it.

True

It's good because it's good

Recently my nephew Eric turned eight years old and for the occasion I gave him some removable tattoos and $30 in cash. By email he sent his thanks. He was saving the money towards a Wii, whatever that is, which he was sure he would be getting soon. "It's good because it's good," he wrote about my gift.
A couple of days ago, a reader accused me of being "Syndical" in response to my post, "America the Beautiful." I interpreted this to mean a combination of sinful and cynical. The post was about my longing for an idealized America and my frustation and grief at how the Bush administration has systematically destroyed all the best. I'm a Woody Guthrie kind of guy, a "This Land is Your Land" sing-a-longer. I'm a peacenik, a tree-hugger, a Buddhist and a vegetarian. But not a cynic or a sinner, I hope. My heroes are Cindy Sheehan and the Dalai Lama, who are just so good because they are good.
Anonymous and my nephew got me to thinking. There's a lot of stuff in Grand Marais and Cook County that is good because it's good.
For one, our transparent and responsive City Council. It's such a relief to know that they represent the voters, that they resist demands for inappropriate development, that if they have a conflict of interest they don't vote. I don't have to agree with every single action or vote to rest easy, because their interest is the public interest. Thanks, City Council!
Two, we are so blessed to have Harbor Friends. Always vigilant, these watchdogs caught the nasty infill of two harbor wetlands sites. The city is even now removing the landfill and restoring the wetlands. Thanks! I don't think it is too Syndical to ask who threw assorted junk in the first place. This has not been mentioned in any press reports. I am just curious.
Hey! Snowmobiles without mufflers skipping all over the harbor on the 4th of July? Well, as my mom used to say, that's why they make chocolate and vanilla. Sometimes a little live-and-let-live goes a long way.
Three, I am so delighted by the joint city-county decision to hire a housing coordinator. The Housing Study (previously reported on True) is a most excellent document and the joint decision to implement its findings deserves high praise. Everything we care about, we who live here, depends on the availability of housing for the young families, the working poor, the year-round residents, the senior citizens and retirees who give and have given so much to our history, culture, arts and well-being.
Four, WTIP continues to surpass itself in its outstanding coverage of local news. I dips me hat. Volunteer-driven, it still manages to achieve world-class coverage. BBC news every morning? You don't even get that on MPR. Hint: It's their fund drive. Please join up.
We are so lucky to live here. But having these fabulous resources: City Council, joint city-county affordable housing advocates, Harbor Friends and amazing radio coverage isn't just about luck. It's about people who care enough to make a difference.
True

Study finds nitrates up in Lake Superior

Check out this Duluth news story: there's a lot more going on than we can understand. But we desperately need to look for answers.
True


· Duluth News Tribune ·

WTIP North Shore Radio - 90.7 FM » Park board drops wetland identification and mapping proposal

Ah, so. The Grand Marais Park Board narrowly defeats a gentle and sustainable plan to explore, simply explore, identifying wetlands in the harbor. Who remembers that Grand Marais means "big swamp"?
Anyway, lots of folks would like to look further into this issue. And where's the harm in that? The city attorney has assured us that this won't bind the city to anything.
It makes True wonder, why? Is there some subtext here?

Check the story link:

WTIP North Shore Radio - 90.7 FM » Park board drops wetland identification and mapping proposal

Congressman James L Oberstar -- Water Resources Bill Benefits Minnesota

Grand Marais harbor redesign by the Army Corps of Engineers in included among the billions of dollars funding water resources passed last week in the House of Representatives. Follow the link to read more:

Congressman James L Oberstar -- Water Resources Bill Benefits Minnesota

Congressman James L Oberstar -- Oberstar Statement on Failed Coast Guard Program

Will Deepwater join Blackwater, Katrinagate, Plamegate and the growing oversight of misbehavior, incompetence and criminal negligence (at least) that is damning the Bush administration? True has never heard Oberstar speak so sternly as he does here:

Congressman James L Oberstar -- Oberstar Statement on Failed Coast Guard Program

What a week in Cook County!

Dear True,
Snowbirds, beware. You may leave for the winter and return to find your scenic highway decimated of trees, your quiet roads invaded by ATVs, your family pets killed by trappers on your very doorstep, your property tax values doubled, and your taxes on lodging, recreation and just general stuff all increased to support the touts of the tourism industry. WHO say they need money to promote events, while they save thousands by laying off locals and hiring low-paid international workers in the short summer season.
Oh, look out, because nobody, nobody, is minded to preserve the fragile and beautiful ecosystem here, to keep our history alive for the many who would love to come visit and learn of it, or to promote eco-friendly, small scale economic ventures and affordable housing solutions for our young families and seniors.
Well... maybe not NOBODY, but nobody who votes with their dollars.
ALSO this week, the two county papers gave the most ink to the contractors protesting Sawtooth Cottages at the Grand Marais City Council meeting...
What does THAT mean? First of all, none of their facts were checked... second, over the last year and a half, many a person has braved the cameras to speak to the Council, but nary a one has achieved front-page coverage.
And last but not least, we meet the new Bidness Council, who declare their intention to "work with" the city in a "political" manner.... Who are these guys? They are not affiliated with GMATA. They are truly not representing anybody except themselves, themselves apparently being downtown bidness owners. Those same ones who don't want any restrictions on development of the properties that they own.
We have also seen new attacks on Harbor Friends for asking for a wetlands study of the harbor based on good historical records.
It's not enough to read the two papers. Or even to attend all the county, city, township, school, zoning, hospital, etc. meetings.... It's what is NOT said at the meetings that matters.
As dear Bill Moyers pointed out in a major speech this week, our so-called democratic elections are funded 95 percent by the richest five percent. Think about it. And don't believe everything, or maybe anything, you read in print.

An ordinary voter in Cook County

Still Speaking My Piece!

First of all, mea culpa to Pastor Bill Christ; but to those of you who have yet to take the pledge, read on.

The New Year is off to a decidedly weird start – Anna Nicole, astronauts in diapers, Bush in denial (OK, not new, but still weird), mummified corpses watching TV in Long Island (what was on?), Alberto Gonzales saying there is no habeas corpus, Britney bald, and so much more… thank God we in Grand Marais are free from all this insanity!

Last fall the local electorate chose the path of common sense and threw out Mark Sandbo and Bob Spry by a 2 to 1 margin in a referendum on the marina, cronyism, corruption, and stupidity. Then, in early January, with a new mayor and one new councilman seated, the remnant of the old guard promptly rewarded Sandbo and Spry with seats on the EDA and PUC. One would have thought those commissions would be held in higher esteem.

This was followed by a definite bow to the clear wishes of the November electorate when the entire council opted to rid the city of the sorry partnership Sandbo had crafted with the DNR. Emboldened, the council decided to take a wait and see approach to any final decision on the East Box Sidewalk Snatch. All this, of course, was followed by an immediate storming of city hall by self proclaimed leaders of the business community who decried the council’s return to wisdom under the leadership of Evelyn Larsen.

This week, returning to the East Box Bollix, after a clear opinion from the Attorney General, a unanimous council delivered a more reasonable, if overly generous, agreement on pretty much the original terms crafted by city attorney Don Davison.

What do we get from all this? Well, those very same business leaders formed a new business organization, evidently dedicated to peace and love, and hell bent on dragging us all collectively back to the good old days when our city was run by the few, for the few. Holy herring! Get over it!

And now, last week, this farcical fish cake of a rump commerce klatch, though baked in Grand Marais, got some pro bono frosting from Schroeder, and it was, without a doubt, worth every penny. One can only marvel at the level to which lawyering has slipped in the West End.


True

East Box: Avaricious and mendacious interests ask City Council to reverse Attorney General opinion

At the latest City Council meeting last Wednesday, a half dozen tenacious provincials buttressed the secretive, avaricious and mendacious East Box entrepreneurs looking to exploit resources for robber-baron takings using Machiavellian wiles. The testosterone was thick in the room as these white male bidness folks crossed arms and made malevolent faces while attorney Dehlia Seim defended the self-named gun-toting gals from the East Box.
To quote dear Gertrude Stein, “There is no there there.” That sums up the futile arguments of the Gals that they had a “done deal” to get the council to cede its sidewalk despite advice from the City Clerk and City Attorney and the recent opinion by the highest attorney in the state that the giveaway is illegal.
Council member Ed Bolstad moved to rescind the illegal granting of the permanent easement last December, but was persuaded by Clerk Mike Roth to withdraw the motion until the next council meeting in hopes that the Gals would accept a “compromise” solution.

True

Name-calling or Truth-telling?

Dear True,

One reason I like to read your blog is that opinions on all sides are tolerated that don't meet the "mainstream media" criteria. But, I like best for opinions to be backed up by facts.

I think people like to read your posts because they walk the borders among truth, facts, opinion and even invective. It is up to the reader to decide. For example, is it a fact or opinion that the East Bay is a Big Box?

Or, is calling big outside developers "Disney" or "Big Box" (aka Wal-Mart) fact or opinion? Personally, I think it is fact. Others may disagree.

At today's City Council meeting (two and one-half hours long!) nearly every issue facing the city and the county came up. The new council and mayor chose wondrously practical, even-handed and transparent decisions that allow for plentiful public input before any binding decisions get made.

Even the Gals got another chance, after the Attorney General ruled that their permanent easement from the city was illegal.... they have two weeks to work out a compromise.

Mayor Larsen is just so practical, but also her transparency shines like a Nova Star in the night.

Civil discourse, as our Vision Adviser Rudy Schoolderman reminded us today, can lead to c0nsensus-based solutions such as his CGI team have proposed this afternoon. But Rudy could not help but notice from his team's inclusive process that there is a big, big 50-50 split on some design standards.

Dear Truer than True,
Even in our opinion posts we like to hear some facts or at least some ethical justification for the opinions presented. Sticks and stones may break our bones but names can never hurt us. I didn't notice any facts or ethics in your post, but perhaps you might be willing to elaborate.

I hope, nonetheless, that all of our readers will be careful about name-calling.

Jane Marple
A regular True contributor and an old village tabby

Send $$$ to Shinners!

Here we go again!

The latest word in Grand Marais is that a certain element of the business community is organizing to thwart any plans to improve the present marina or to implement any of the findings of the visioning process. Allegedly, Shinners and Associates are collecting funds ($200 each contributor for a war chest) from various business owners to form an organization to stop the visioning process from affecting any of their plans for development, and to stop Harbor Friends from collecting the information that is needed to make rational, fact based decisions on the future of the marina.

The problem they have is that the visioning process, like Harbor Friends, has broad community support. The last election told the tale when Mark Sandbo and Bob Spry lost. Sandbo lost by a tremendous margin. The two of them lost mainly on the issues of downtown development (read the East Box, and the related condominium scams) and the marina issue, not to mention the strong smell of favoritism and self dealing.

Time will tell, but the people of Grand Marais spoke once and they will continue to speak in support of the new city council, in the support of development policies that strengthen and not destroy the city, and in support of the efforts of Harbor Friends’ dedicated, open and honest hard work to protect and improve the harbor.

So, if you want to protect the city center, the harbor, and the gains made in the last election, support the new mayor and city council. If, on the other hand, you want more East Boxes, and you want to destroy the harbor with a large marina, sign up with Shinners – and don’t forget the $200 entry fee. Make the check payable to cash.

True

What were they thinking? or, With what were they thinking?

Dear True,

It is amazing when you read about the mess unfolding in the sweetheart deal that Sandbo and Spry did for the Gunflint Gals in giving them a free perpetual easement for city property, that one of the first actions of the old guard on the council was to vote them in on the important Public Utilities Commission (Spry) and on the Economic Development Agency (Sandbo). They failed as servants to the city in terms of protecting city property with clear displays of likely misfeasance, if not out right malfeasance, but even worse, they displayed an uncommon lack of common sense.

It will be surprising if they don't do the same degree of damage in their new positions as they did in their old. I always thought recycling was supposed to be a positive thing.

Pincushion Pal

East Bay Giveaway Goes Away?

True,

Attorney General Says, “Not So Fast” to East Bay Give Away!

The word out of St. Paul at the end of last week was that the office of the attorney general has decided that the giveaway of city property that was Mark Sandbo’s Christmas gift to the Gunflint Gals, is now a deal undone. Presented with a clearly illegal giveaway of Grand Marais’ sidewalk, the attorney general reports an opinion of not so fast. It appears that Sandbo, in his lust for one last dance with the gals, did indeed run roughshod over the laws he had pledged to uphold.

You will recall that the East Bay Condominiums and Suites in Grand Marais became, just before the end of the term of Mayor Sandbo, an egregious example of the special deals and favoritism that were a hallmark of his time in office. Ever sweet on the Gals, against the express opinion of the City Attorney Don Davison, and in the face of advice to the contrary from the City Manager, Mike Roth, Sandbo, complaining about “nit picking” legalisms, forced through a giveaway of city property to those bellicose belles who own East Bay. He could not move fast enough to consummate their passion for city pavement. Anything for the Gals and for the business he had once managed.

The Gals had been called to task immediately when Davison and Roth realized that they had built on city property. Cease and desist meant nothing to them since they were in tight with the mayor. Instead of listening to reason and complying with the law, the Gals saddled up Swanson Law Firm lawyer Dehlia Seim and galloped into city hall to plead that their breathless desire for special treatment far outweighed any need to comply with city regulations and that it was a virtual outrage to deny them city property when they were oh, so tight with Mayor Mark. Our mayor, ever true to character in his slavish loyalty to his old employer, was eager to trod on the city’s own regulations and castigated one and all who questioned the giveaway to his Gals.

Citizens protested, officials protested, the city attorney pointed out the clear requirements of the law and all were told, in effect, to sit down and shut up. The attorney general was contacted by at least one citizen and by the city attorney for an opinion from a higher authority. Instead of doing the prudent thing and waiting to hear from the attorney general, Sandbo, now with the support of the entire council, decide to give a last goodbye kiss to the Gals.

Well, as we all know, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over; and in this case it’s back to the dance at city hall because the attorney general, according to the reports from the capitol, says it was all illegal. Davison and Roth have evidently been fully vindicated and this is once again going to be another case of Sandbo screwing up. This time, however, it might get very expensive for the city. But, with a new mayor and recast council, we can hope that the city attorney will be listened to and that we will soon hear jack hammers at work tearing out the illegal ramp. Some legal nits, it turns out, just need to be picked.

A True Friend

Grand Marais City Council Drops DNR Marina

In July of 2005, the Grand Marais City Council passed Resolution 2005-16. This formally resolution set in motion the planning for a large marina in the southwest corner of the harbor. In a unanimous vote tonight on a motion brought by newly minted councilman Lenz, seconded by Costello and "double seconded" by Bolstad, the council created an almost clean slate for marina planning by rescinding Resolution 2005-16. In comments made by council members during discussion on the motion it was clear that they were frustrated with the DNR and were responding to the November elections that saw a new mayor (Evelyn Larsen) and a new council member (Bill Lenz) elected on promises of just this action. The council clearly does not want a large Marina in the southwest corner of the harbor and wants instead to focus on the existing marina.

Harbor Friends had proposed this action in the open session that is scheduled at the start of every council meeting and was gratified tha the council promptly passed it. In addition, Harbor Friends asked the council for its endorsement of a Harbor Friends funded and managed study of the feasibility of rebuilding the existing marina in its present location. That proposal is to be taken up over the next few weeks by the council

True

Coleman Lobbies for Year Round Coast Guard Presence at Grand Marais

Coast Guard needed longer in North Superior Waters

In Minnesota, we are privileged to have some of the world’s most abundant lakes and natural resources at our fingertips. During the summer, thousands head up north to enjoy the lakes, catch a few walleye and water ski with friends and family. During recent years, we’ve been able to keep enjoying the great outdoors during the balmy fall days of September and even October.

A problem is the Coast Guard leaves Grand Marais at the end of August, and Cook County does not have the resources to sustain its high level of effective-response capabilities. I share Sheriff Mark Falk’s concern that the combination of continued marine activity, the changing of the season, windy days and cold water bring the potential for tragic consequences.

To protect the safety of Minnesota boaters, last week I sent a letter to the commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District urging him to extend the operation season of North Superior Station in Grand Marais through the month of September, at a minimum. We will never be able to take all the risks out of boating, but we can make certain there are highly skilled people ready and able to respond and prevent accidents from turning into tragedies. By extending Coast Guard operations a month or more, we will be better able to protect Minnesota’s marine enthusiasts throughout the season.

We all know how cold it gets up north during winter. We should seek ways to help Minnesotans safely continue their water sports.

Sen. Norm Coleman
Washington, D.C.