Where the rain never falls and the sun never shines,
It's dark as a dungeon, way down in the mines.
Nothing, but nothing, epitomizes the greed of big corporations more than the innocuous-sounding "surface mining" that is destroying Appalachia just to pull more tons of filthy coal from the mountains. Filthy coal, that sends megatons of carbon emissions into the air along with other pollutants, filthy coal that Minnesota Power burns at Taconite Harbor and releases into our airshed, filthy coal that could within a decade or two choke all of us trying to breathe. This we knew, or at least True knew.
But the merger of Cleveland-Cliffs with the Appalachian coal mining company with the Orwellian name of Alpha Natural Resources makes us accomplices. Last year alone in Kentucky, 50 million tons of coal were dredged from the surface of the Appalachian mountain range by, among other methods, cutting off the tops of the mountains and throwing them down into the valleys. The mountaintops are called "overburden." I shit you not.
Compare this with the five million tons of magnetite pellets being produced annually by Northshore Mining, a subsidiary of Babbitt-based Cleveland-Cliffs, now to be known as Cliffs Natural Resources, "A Leading Diversified Mining and Natural Resources Company."
It is time for residents of northern Minnesota to admit their culpability. The mountaintop leveling now supported by the merged company surely ranks right up their with the proposed Polymet copper-nickel mine that will create dead zones in our watershed.
Where is your outrage, North Shore citizens? What will you leave of earth, water and air to your children? Here's a link to the Duluth Tribune story that conveniently glosses over the devastating truth:
Duluth News Tribune | Cleveland-Cliffs announces merger with Appalachian coal company in $10 billion deal
Showing posts with label west end. Show all posts
Showing posts with label west end. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Free press in Cook County?
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
-First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
called the Bill of Rights, adopted in 1789
"Go now, and tell it on the mountains and in the cities. From your Web sites and laptops,tell it. From the street corners and the coffee house, tell it. On campus and at the mall, tell it. Tell it at the synagogue, sanctuary, and mosque. Tell it. Tell it where you can, when you can, and while you can. Tell America what we need to know--and we just might rekindle the patriot's dream."
-Bill Moyers, keynote address
National Conference on Media Reform
Minneapolis, June, 2008
Cook County is blessedly free of corporate-dominated media. Oh ya sure, the News Herald is owned by a media group but it's not Fox, not Murdoch, not even a very big player in the control-of-information game that was invented by the neocons who now control all three branches of the U.S. government--at which the founders would turn over and rise up from their grave to peaceably assemble and protest.
Lucky, yes, but well-served for the 21st century? True says no. Mind you, True is only a humble, ragtag collective. But She formed in response to a gap between the grapevine and the published Word a couple years back when Grand Marais was being invaded by Big Developers. That issue was happily resolved, to the benefit of most if not all.
New issues emerge, however, in our 21st century where technology daily changes the nature of the "press" even as most information is not now printed but rather published in cyberspace. And our backward local "press" have not joined the free and open Internet where anybody, anywhere can google something like "Poplar River impairment" and get all the published news articles from the local angle. Well, once we could get it from the News Herald but now it has gone private and you have to sign away your life story and pay money just to see an article. As for the Star, they are SO 20th century, you just have to save a copy of every paper.
And even here in our cozy little county our media have more serious limitations than Internet access. Let's name them:
The Star, the News Herald and WTIP are beholden to advertisers. Once the News Herald did editorials about issues in Cook County but now, nobody does.
WTIP is the emerging leader in comprehensive and substantive news coverage. They do a great job, covering issues and meetings that neither paper seems to manage to attend or explore.
But nobody gives us a big picture, nobody tries to put it all together (even inadequately, which would be a start), nobody fills in the gaps between the gossip mill and the deep truth.
Outsiders, even summer residents, can read and listen to every word but they still can't figure out what is really going on. That's partly because covering meetings, the basic stuff of the three branches of media, doesn't tell the stories but only describes the meetings.
OK, let's get specific, with a couple of examples.
1) The new major issue in Cook County is the big plans for development of Lutsen Mountain into an Aspen-like monstrosity. While this huge proposed travesty of the Cook County development ordinance looms large as an even greater threat than turning Grand Marais into a huge marina with Disney condos, there is scarcely a peep about it in the news.
2) Directly related to the Mountain Megalomania is the impairment of the Poplar River and the big misinformation being disseminated freely in both papers by--you guessed it--the OWNERS of Lutsen Mountain, who call themselves the "Poplar River Mangement Board." The irony here is that although these guys could well afford to BUY a page in both papers, they got it for free, in direct conflict with the policies that opinions and letters be strictly limited in word count. True will be exploring the Poplar River issues, trying to sift Truth from Sediment, in future posts.
But the point is, nobody else is looking at the big picture here, or taking any kind of a stand. Certainly not the county board which dances around and dodges with silly stuff about the legality of a special tax district that would force other Poplar River landowners to pay for the damage wreaked by the Lutsen Mountain owners, or the Lutsen Town Board that agrees to anything they want.
And here is the great failing of the media: what the Founders feared most when they wrote the First Amendment: that people can't make informed decisions without all the information. Both papers have printed full-page ads purporting to be "facts" by Lutsen Mountain owner Tom Rider. NOBODY has bothered to do any fact-checking.
Editorials have two purposes: one, to engage a public discussion and two, to bring a truthful perspective to the slipshod, piecemeal and disconnected stories that make up the daily news. We badly need them here, even without Rupert Murdoch's blockade of any facts at all.
-First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
called the Bill of Rights, adopted in 1789
"Go now, and tell it on the mountains and in the cities. From your Web sites and laptops,tell it. From the street corners and the coffee house, tell it. On campus and at the mall, tell it. Tell it at the synagogue, sanctuary, and mosque. Tell it. Tell it where you can, when you can, and while you can. Tell America what we need to know--and we just might rekindle the patriot's dream."
-Bill Moyers, keynote address
National Conference on Media Reform
Minneapolis, June, 2008
Cook County is blessedly free of corporate-dominated media. Oh ya sure, the News Herald is owned by a media group but it's not Fox, not Murdoch, not even a very big player in the control-of-information game that was invented by the neocons who now control all three branches of the U.S. government--at which the founders would turn over and rise up from their grave to peaceably assemble and protest.
Lucky, yes, but well-served for the 21st century? True says no. Mind you, True is only a humble, ragtag collective. But She formed in response to a gap between the grapevine and the published Word a couple years back when Grand Marais was being invaded by Big Developers. That issue was happily resolved, to the benefit of most if not all.
New issues emerge, however, in our 21st century where technology daily changes the nature of the "press" even as most information is not now printed but rather published in cyberspace. And our backward local "press" have not joined the free and open Internet where anybody, anywhere can google something like "Poplar River impairment" and get all the published news articles from the local angle. Well, once we could get it from the News Herald but now it has gone private and you have to sign away your life story and pay money just to see an article. As for the Star, they are SO 20th century, you just have to save a copy of every paper.
And even here in our cozy little county our media have more serious limitations than Internet access. Let's name them:
The Star, the News Herald and WTIP are beholden to advertisers. Once the News Herald did editorials about issues in Cook County but now, nobody does.
WTIP is the emerging leader in comprehensive and substantive news coverage. They do a great job, covering issues and meetings that neither paper seems to manage to attend or explore.
But nobody gives us a big picture, nobody tries to put it all together (even inadequately, which would be a start), nobody fills in the gaps between the gossip mill and the deep truth.
Outsiders, even summer residents, can read and listen to every word but they still can't figure out what is really going on. That's partly because covering meetings, the basic stuff of the three branches of media, doesn't tell the stories but only describes the meetings.
OK, let's get specific, with a couple of examples.
1) The new major issue in Cook County is the big plans for development of Lutsen Mountain into an Aspen-like monstrosity. While this huge proposed travesty of the Cook County development ordinance looms large as an even greater threat than turning Grand Marais into a huge marina with Disney condos, there is scarcely a peep about it in the news.
2) Directly related to the Mountain Megalomania is the impairment of the Poplar River and the big misinformation being disseminated freely in both papers by--you guessed it--the OWNERS of Lutsen Mountain, who call themselves the "Poplar River Mangement Board." The irony here is that although these guys could well afford to BUY a page in both papers, they got it for free, in direct conflict with the policies that opinions and letters be strictly limited in word count. True will be exploring the Poplar River issues, trying to sift Truth from Sediment, in future posts.
But the point is, nobody else is looking at the big picture here, or taking any kind of a stand. Certainly not the county board which dances around and dodges with silly stuff about the legality of a special tax district that would force other Poplar River landowners to pay for the damage wreaked by the Lutsen Mountain owners, or the Lutsen Town Board that agrees to anything they want.
And here is the great failing of the media: what the Founders feared most when they wrote the First Amendment: that people can't make informed decisions without all the information. Both papers have printed full-page ads purporting to be "facts" by Lutsen Mountain owner Tom Rider. NOBODY has bothered to do any fact-checking.
Editorials have two purposes: one, to engage a public discussion and two, to bring a truthful perspective to the slipshod, piecemeal and disconnected stories that make up the daily news. We badly need them here, even without Rupert Murdoch's blockade of any facts at all.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Press gives free full-page ads to Lutsen Mountain owners
Both the Star and the News Herald have strict policies about word limits on their editorial pages. Lots of just plain folks as well as elected officials have gotten the brush-off when they attempted to exceed the limits, maybe because they were writing about an issue too complex to cover in 400 words.
Not so the Poplar River Management Board, that thinly veiled cover for the owners of Lutsen Mountain who want a North Shore Aspen of megadevelopment to add to the already overtaxed Poplar River...
No, both papers gave these folks a full page, right a full page, presumably without charging for the advertising that their devious spin on the facts amounted to.
Corporate owners don't deserve to get public support, period. And when they are part of the problem they darned well ought to pay for the solution, and not pass it on to the hapless residents who can so ill afford to pay more taxes.
True
Not so the Poplar River Management Board, that thinly veiled cover for the owners of Lutsen Mountain who want a North Shore Aspen of megadevelopment to add to the already overtaxed Poplar River...
No, both papers gave these folks a full page, right a full page, presumably without charging for the advertising that their devious spin on the facts amounted to.
Corporate owners don't deserve to get public support, period. And when they are part of the problem they darned well ought to pay for the solution, and not pass it on to the hapless residents who can so ill afford to pay more taxes.
True
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Untreated wastewater: seven million gallons a year in Tofte and Schroeder
Tofte Schroeder Sewer District gets grants for inspections, fix-up and educational manuals
In Tofte and Schroeder, compliance inspections of Individual Septic Treatment Systems have begun on the approximately 100 lakeshore properties south of Highway 61. These inspections follow up a survey conducted in the summer of 2006 by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency licensed inspector Jeff Crosby. Crosby has been hired jointly by the district and the county to determine whether a system is in compliance or requires repair or replacement.
The inspections are funded by a $20,000 Clean Water Legacy grant to the district from the MPCA. In some cases, to complete the inspections a pumping of the septic tank may be required. The district anticipates having some grant funds available to provide pumping discounts in cases of need. Crosby expects to complete most of the inspections around the beginning of July, when letters will be sent by the county to property owners describing the results.
A recent letter from Leroy Halberg, Cook County Environmental Health Inspector, and Rick Anderson, TSSSD Chair, stated: “We all have a common desire that wastewater treatment systems in Cook County and in the TSSSD adequately treat wastewater to protect our health, drinking water, and the environment. The area along Lake Superior is very sensitive, and adequate wastewater treatment there is important to us all.”
Crosby’s 2006 survey results suggest that as many as seven million gallons of wastewater per year are not being adequately treated, in the Tofte Schroeder district alone. There are more than 300 wells in the district as well as three rivers, many streams, and the shore of Lake Superior; all are affected by wastewater.
The district has also received a CWL grant for $42,000 to help a limited number of property owners who are required to repair or replace their systems. A cost share of up to $8,000 will be made available to those systems identified as Imminent Public Health Threats, meaning that there is surfacing wastewater. Income guidelines will be established, using the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic sliding fee scale.
Anderson says that the district wishes to engage public dialogue about the important issues of noncompliant and failed septic systems as well as the best use of the $42,000 grant. Meetings are held on the third Monday of each month at 5 p.m. at the Tofte Town Hall and everyone is welcome. Next steps include a five-year plan for wastewater management that could serve as a pilot for the county as well as other rural Minnesota communities.
Another big goal of the district is education of property owners about how to care for and maintain their septic systems. Toward that end, every ISTS owner within the district was sent a copy of The Septic System Owner’s Manual, a very readable and entertaining guide, with funds provided by grants from Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program and the Arrowhead Electric Cooperative’s Roundup. Extra copies will be available at a public seminar following the inspections, as well as to county educators interested in raising awareness of septic maintenance issues.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Pro-ATV Tofte board throws hissy fit
Confronted with safety concerns cited by Cook County engineer Shae Kosmalski about connecting Highway 61 and the "600 Road" where ATV trails begin via the Sawbill Trail, Tofte township chair Paul James said that ordinances have "driven people out of the woods." "What are kids supposed to do? Stay home and watch TV?" (quotes from the Cook County Star). James was backed up by Supervisors DC Olsen and Tom Muntean.
Might True respectfully suggest that kids could hike, canoe, kayak, swim, backpack, camp out, bird watch, or in any of a thousand other ways enjoy the North Country woods without the devastation caused by ATVs, not to mention the egregious waste of gas and concomitant carbon emissions that hasten the day of reckoning when global warming destroys life as we know it on the planet? This could happen in our lifetime.
True uses gas only sparingly, only for basic necessities of life. Why the hell should spoiled kids squander gas for their destructive ATVs, and in the process erode yet more of our dwindling soils?
The "recreational" use of gas-guzzling and habitat-destroying ATVs should be going the way of the horse-and-buggy if we are to survive the 21st century.
Might True respectfully suggest that kids could hike, canoe, kayak, swim, backpack, camp out, bird watch, or in any of a thousand other ways enjoy the North Country woods without the devastation caused by ATVs, not to mention the egregious waste of gas and concomitant carbon emissions that hasten the day of reckoning when global warming destroys life as we know it on the planet? This could happen in our lifetime.
True uses gas only sparingly, only for basic necessities of life. Why the hell should spoiled kids squander gas for their destructive ATVs, and in the process erode yet more of our dwindling soils?
The "recreational" use of gas-guzzling and habitat-destroying ATVs should be going the way of the horse-and-buggy if we are to survive the 21st century.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Here's a pretty mess!
Reprise: Developer mania once seen in downtown Grand Marais is alive and well on Lutsen Mountain. True is reminded of the neocon power domination philosophy so eloquently stated by Karl Rove (or was it Darth Cheney?): You just push and push and keep pushing until you get stopped.
So it is on Lutsen Mountain. The rich owners who here shall remain nameless wish to turn the moutain into an Aspen-like city of huge buildings (55 plus feet high) and infrastructure paid for by the government (as in "public-private partnership" meaning public subsidies of private enterprise) and utterly destructive of the moutain's steep-slope land with its limited soil on bedrock, and the Poplar River watershed that supports all life within its domain.
The nameless management has shamelessly advocated for a new one-percent sales tax that will like the proverbial straw break the backs of us poor folks already suffering from huge new costs for food, energy, gas and health care.
Says Leroy Halberg, water and septic inspector for Cook County, "No one is lookiing at the overall picture, the cumulative effect of development on the watershed."
A recent letter was sent to the Lutsen town board from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota Department of Health. In part this letter read, "We are starting to question whether the area can sustain such increased pressure on its water resources without impacts to human health and the environment. Currently there are 14 noncommunity wasterwater treatment systems in the area and all of this water is obtained from aquifers that have limited capabilities for providing drinking water."
In case y'all haven't noticed, neocons in the years since Reagan have increasingly de-clawed regulation; all the more remarkable that two Minnesota regulatory agencies have the courage to send a letter like this to challenge the corporate-owner dominated Poplar River Management Board.
There will be public meetings between the PRMB and the county coming up to consider wastewater treatment and drinking water safety.
Folks, turn out! Or failing that, write letters or emails or call your West End Commissioner Bruce Martinson.
Do you think Lutsen Mountain makes a profit from its disregard of the Poplar watershed? Does the Pope shit in the woods?
So it is on Lutsen Mountain. The rich owners who here shall remain nameless wish to turn the moutain into an Aspen-like city of huge buildings (55 plus feet high) and infrastructure paid for by the government (as in "public-private partnership" meaning public subsidies of private enterprise) and utterly destructive of the moutain's steep-slope land with its limited soil on bedrock, and the Poplar River watershed that supports all life within its domain.
The nameless management has shamelessly advocated for a new one-percent sales tax that will like the proverbial straw break the backs of us poor folks already suffering from huge new costs for food, energy, gas and health care.
Says Leroy Halberg, water and septic inspector for Cook County, "No one is lookiing at the overall picture, the cumulative effect of development on the watershed."
A recent letter was sent to the Lutsen town board from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota Department of Health. In part this letter read, "We are starting to question whether the area can sustain such increased pressure on its water resources without impacts to human health and the environment. Currently there are 14 noncommunity wasterwater treatment systems in the area and all of this water is obtained from aquifers that have limited capabilities for providing drinking water."
In case y'all haven't noticed, neocons in the years since Reagan have increasingly de-clawed regulation; all the more remarkable that two Minnesota regulatory agencies have the courage to send a letter like this to challenge the corporate-owner dominated Poplar River Management Board.
There will be public meetings between the PRMB and the county coming up to consider wastewater treatment and drinking water safety.
Folks, turn out! Or failing that, write letters or emails or call your West End Commissioner Bruce Martinson.
Do you think Lutsen Mountain makes a profit from its disregard of the Poplar watershed? Does the Pope shit in the woods?
Monday, March 10, 2008
Lutsen: who's minding the henhouse?
The day dawns for Lutsen township elections and Paul Quinn is challenging incumbent Supervisor Marland Hansen. Sounds like a healthy democratic process? Guess again.
Hansen and Quinn are both on the same page when it comes to the HUGE issues facing Lutsen township, namely the downtown development design approved by a public process and the Lutsen Mountain mega-developers who are not answerable to anybody. Not for their mega-slump dump of dirty water into the Poplar River. Not for their increasing push toward the limits of the TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) that can't absorb additional turbidity. But most of all, not for their Mega-Development of a new McCity on Lutsen Mountain with 55 foot high buildings, curb-and-gutters designed for a mini-urban area, and no, repeat, no, plans to mitigate the already challenged TMDL on the Poplar River watershed, a huge area affected by the Mega Mountain Corporation.
So, people of Lutsen, do you want to elect Tweedle Dum or Tweedle Dee? Either candidate washes his hands over the Poplar River/Lutsen Mountain pollution issues. Either candidate expresses disdain for the public-process-approved downtown design by the U of M Center for Changing Landscapes. True, having closely studied these designs, has nothing but praise for them, especially for the seamless integration of the bike trail into the overall plan and for the "intelligent design" (if you will pardon the reference) that will limit new development to the town center and to the publicly determined good--i.e., housing and commercial development that serves citizens.
Lutsen citizens: True can't vote for y'all. You need to stop being world-class wimps while others decide the fate of your lovely, lovely township.
Hansen and Quinn are both on the same page when it comes to the HUGE issues facing Lutsen township, namely the downtown development design approved by a public process and the Lutsen Mountain mega-developers who are not answerable to anybody. Not for their mega-slump dump of dirty water into the Poplar River. Not for their increasing push toward the limits of the TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) that can't absorb additional turbidity. But most of all, not for their Mega-Development of a new McCity on Lutsen Mountain with 55 foot high buildings, curb-and-gutters designed for a mini-urban area, and no, repeat, no, plans to mitigate the already challenged TMDL on the Poplar River watershed, a huge area affected by the Mega Mountain Corporation.
So, people of Lutsen, do you want to elect Tweedle Dum or Tweedle Dee? Either candidate washes his hands over the Poplar River/Lutsen Mountain pollution issues. Either candidate expresses disdain for the public-process-approved downtown design by the U of M Center for Changing Landscapes. True, having closely studied these designs, has nothing but praise for them, especially for the seamless integration of the bike trail into the overall plan and for the "intelligent design" (if you will pardon the reference) that will limit new development to the town center and to the publicly determined good--i.e., housing and commercial development that serves citizens.
Lutsen citizens: True can't vote for y'all. You need to stop being world-class wimps while others decide the fate of your lovely, lovely township.
Friday, November 30, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Scrubbing the air
True hates ugly, smelly, polluting and global-warming coal plants. Minnesota Power's Tac Harbor project was reviewed in this Strib story. Two points of interest:
One, "air shed." This means the area covered by polluting toxic emissions from Tac Harbor and it covers all of Cook County including our national and state forests. The glowing PowerPoint presentations by MP don't really say much about this damage. They are basically trying to keep their filthy coal plant going far into the future by posing as cutting edge clean.
Two, "scrubbing" to reduce mercury and other toxic emissions has ZERO effect on global warming. Read the story below.
True
Scrubbing the air
One, "air shed." This means the area covered by polluting toxic emissions from Tac Harbor and it covers all of Cook County including our national and state forests. The glowing PowerPoint presentations by MP don't really say much about this damage. They are basically trying to keep their filthy coal plant going far into the future by posing as cutting edge clean.
Two, "scrubbing" to reduce mercury and other toxic emissions has ZERO effect on global warming. Read the story below.
True
Scrubbing the air
Friday, May 04, 2007
News Express » Archive » EDA requests affordable housing bids from local builders
True loves News Express, the on-line headline news posted to Boreal by the Cook County News Herald.
The local folks who asked the EDA and the Grand Marais City Council for a chance to bid on affordable housing projects have gotten their wish. It's not maybe as simple as they thought, navigating the mysterious realms of federal, state and private grant applications, mortgage lending, infrastructure costs, and the strict criteria set by the Minnesota Green Communities Initiative while still creating high quality affordable housing. The Land Trust model will also have to do duty here if the project has any chance of succeeding.
But, best of luck, locals. It would be a win for everybody if we had an affordable housing coalition of city, county and contractors to meet the needs of the half of residents who fall below the median income. Go for it.
News Express » Archive » EDA requests affordable housing bids from local builders
The local folks who asked the EDA and the Grand Marais City Council for a chance to bid on affordable housing projects have gotten their wish. It's not maybe as simple as they thought, navigating the mysterious realms of federal, state and private grant applications, mortgage lending, infrastructure costs, and the strict criteria set by the Minnesota Green Communities Initiative while still creating high quality affordable housing. The Land Trust model will also have to do duty here if the project has any chance of succeeding.
But, best of luck, locals. It would be a win for everybody if we had an affordable housing coalition of city, county and contractors to meet the needs of the half of residents who fall below the median income. Go for it.
News Express » Archive » EDA requests affordable housing bids from local builders
Thursday, May 03, 2007
House tax bill passes without local tax options
True thanks the Cook County News Herald for letting us know that our local tax "options" were not approved by the Minnesota House.
True also thanks some kind providence that perhaps favors the poor.
Here's the link:
News Express » Archive » House tax bill passes without local tax options
True also thanks some kind providence that perhaps favors the poor.
Here's the link:
News Express » Archive » House tax bill passes without local tax options
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Sales tax reprise: county to hire lobbyist!
The Cook County board will spend up to $10,000 on a lobbyist to support the sales tax proposals currently wending their way through the legislature.
The board takes this step after hearing a lot of public criticism, including Yours Truly, against more sales taxes that are hardest on the poor.
Also, it comes after their knee-jerk response to the self-justifications and manufactured facts presented by the so-called Cook County Economic Analysis Council, a self-serving group that represents resort owners and others who consistently pay the lowest wages to their employees, so that they can fund yet MORE PR stuff on their own behalf than they already get from taxpayers. (See previous posts, including "Tourism sales: one-third or 82 percent?" Click on the labels for tourism, taxes, and economy.)
True thinks of forming a Cook County Bullshit Analysis Council, writing a more truthful and fact-checked report about the county's economy and our need to promote NON-tourism jobs, and making as much noise as the ATV and CCEAC folks.
As for the dropping the cap on the hospital levy, True does support this. It is a fair tax and we need our hospital. As for the so-called "infrastructure" tax, True agrees that we need infrastructure improvements in the county, but there are plenty of state and federal and private grant programs that ought to be looked at first. $10K would pay for a powerful lot of grantwriting. Moreover, the proposed improvements in the present version will all go to Grand Marais. West-Enders, a lot of whom didn't like the sales tax idea in the first place, will get shafted.
As for the three-percent recreation tax, the idea here seems to be that only tourists will be paying it. Not so, struggling young families will be paying it so their kids can have some fun.
VOTE NO on the one-percent referendum! But the ordinary citizen apparently won't even get a vote on the three-percent, if it passes the legislature. True calls this TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION! Only the CCEAC is represented, not the vast majority of voters and taxpayers.
The board takes this step after hearing a lot of public criticism, including Yours Truly, against more sales taxes that are hardest on the poor.
Also, it comes after their knee-jerk response to the self-justifications and manufactured facts presented by the so-called Cook County Economic Analysis Council, a self-serving group that represents resort owners and others who consistently pay the lowest wages to their employees, so that they can fund yet MORE PR stuff on their own behalf than they already get from taxpayers. (See previous posts, including "Tourism sales: one-third or 82 percent?" Click on the labels for tourism, taxes, and economy.)
True thinks of forming a Cook County Bullshit Analysis Council, writing a more truthful and fact-checked report about the county's economy and our need to promote NON-tourism jobs, and making as much noise as the ATV and CCEAC folks.
As for the dropping the cap on the hospital levy, True does support this. It is a fair tax and we need our hospital. As for the so-called "infrastructure" tax, True agrees that we need infrastructure improvements in the county, but there are plenty of state and federal and private grant programs that ought to be looked at first. $10K would pay for a powerful lot of grantwriting. Moreover, the proposed improvements in the present version will all go to Grand Marais. West-Enders, a lot of whom didn't like the sales tax idea in the first place, will get shafted.
As for the three-percent recreation tax, the idea here seems to be that only tourists will be paying it. Not so, struggling young families will be paying it so their kids can have some fun.
VOTE NO on the one-percent referendum! But the ordinary citizen apparently won't even get a vote on the three-percent, if it passes the legislature. True calls this TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION! Only the CCEAC is represented, not the vast majority of voters and taxpayers.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
ATV Reprise: USFS and Cook County Roads
True's mailbox includes a packet from the U.S. Forest Service about their proposed OHV (ATV) trails and asking for public comment. With chagrin, he notes that the public comment period ended today.
Still, True has read and studied the USFS scoping document as well as their maps and he thanks our Tofte and Gunflint ranger staff for making this process very open, for coming to town and county meetings, for mailing out information to interested parties such as Yours Truly. He is impressed at the effort to close dead-end trails, reclassify roads, and create trails to move from the lower to the upper forest. Okay, he (I) don't like or want ATVs over-running our county but if they must and will come here let them come to designated trails. As Tofte district ranger John Wytanis put it, "We are not going to allow everything, and we are not going to allow nothing."
But, unfortunately, on the ATV issue most all of the comments come from the ATVers themselves. Notably, a four-page document was submitted by the local ATV club recommending additional trails to be opened. Ugga bugga boo.
For most of us, the USFS plan is a compromise we can reluctantly live with, but not for the hard-core folks who like to enjoy the environment by destroying it. This puts me in mind of nasty little boys who tear the wings off of butterflies because they just don't SEE anything outside their personal ego demands for instant gratification.
Metaphors aside, a more serious ATV issue looms on the horizon, that being permission to ride on virtually all county roads. Last time the county had a public hearing at least two-thirds of those attending were strongly pro-ATV. Next time, who knows? We have a statewide lobby that would just love to devour Cook County as an ATV destination.
Commissioner Jim Johnson has promised to vote against the Open Season ATV Plan (because his constituents are adamantly opposed) but most of them, like politicos everywhere, are just watching to see which way the wind blows. Commissioner Bruce Martinson, at least, has been vocal in his reports to his West End constituency about all of the issues in play here; his personal concern is safety.
True (aka yours truly) admits that there will be an increased ATV presence here in Cook County and hopes that if enough folks who love the peace and quiet of the woods, or even enough folks who understand that the economy will suffer if the ATVers take over the woods, will speak out in time to make a difference, in time to set limits we can live with.
Still, True has read and studied the USFS scoping document as well as their maps and he thanks our Tofte and Gunflint ranger staff for making this process very open, for coming to town and county meetings, for mailing out information to interested parties such as Yours Truly. He is impressed at the effort to close dead-end trails, reclassify roads, and create trails to move from the lower to the upper forest. Okay, he (I) don't like or want ATVs over-running our county but if they must and will come here let them come to designated trails. As Tofte district ranger John Wytanis put it, "We are not going to allow everything, and we are not going to allow nothing."
But, unfortunately, on the ATV issue most all of the comments come from the ATVers themselves. Notably, a four-page document was submitted by the local ATV club recommending additional trails to be opened. Ugga bugga boo.
For most of us, the USFS plan is a compromise we can reluctantly live with, but not for the hard-core folks who like to enjoy the environment by destroying it. This puts me in mind of nasty little boys who tear the wings off of butterflies because they just don't SEE anything outside their personal ego demands for instant gratification.
Metaphors aside, a more serious ATV issue looms on the horizon, that being permission to ride on virtually all county roads. Last time the county had a public hearing at least two-thirds of those attending were strongly pro-ATV. Next time, who knows? We have a statewide lobby that would just love to devour Cook County as an ATV destination.
Commissioner Jim Johnson has promised to vote against the Open Season ATV Plan (because his constituents are adamantly opposed) but most of them, like politicos everywhere, are just watching to see which way the wind blows. Commissioner Bruce Martinson, at least, has been vocal in his reports to his West End constituency about all of the issues in play here; his personal concern is safety.
True (aka yours truly) admits that there will be an increased ATV presence here in Cook County and hopes that if enough folks who love the peace and quiet of the woods, or even enough folks who understand that the economy will suffer if the ATVers take over the woods, will speak out in time to make a difference, in time to set limits we can live with.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Tourism sales: one-third or 82 percent?
Readers, check out this story in yesterday's Duluth paper. It says about one-third of sales in Cook County are tourism-related, a far cry from the 82 percent used by the tourism group calling itself the Economic Analysis Council that wants us all to pay more in sales taxes to increase tourism promotional budgets.
It does look like the Minnesota House may balk at the proposal for a recreation tax to create a super-tourism board.
True has heard rumblings all over the county of people who don't want to pay a regressive sales tax to support the industry that pays us the least (on average $297 per week) of all county jobs.
Click the link to read the story, "Tapping Assets of the North Shore":
· Duluth News Tribune ·
It does look like the Minnesota House may balk at the proposal for a recreation tax to create a super-tourism board.
True has heard rumblings all over the county of people who don't want to pay a regressive sales tax to support the industry that pays us the least (on average $297 per week) of all county jobs.
Click the link to read the story, "Tapping Assets of the North Shore":
· Duluth News Tribune ·
Monday, April 02, 2007
ATVers Steal the Peace
True,
If the CCStar would once display some objectivity, some balance in their reporting and choice of letters I wouldn't write this weekly digression but , here we go again: if there are no letters that disagree with the pro ATV view of the paper it is either 1) anyone disagreeing is not likely to be published, or 2) those in disagreement don't bother writing to the CCStar because it is a waste of time.
Thomas Bernier writes that Cascade Beach Rd is noisy because of semis on 61 so we should put up with the additional noise of ATVs. Really. If you are having difficulty with the existing noise level it is OK to add to it because you are already disturbed? Really! I live a mile and a half back from 61 and the trucks don't make as much noise as the ATVs. I suppose I should invite the truckers to drive closer to me because the ATVs are already disturbing my peace! Sorry Tom, that analogy doesn't cut it. But you did ask if I ever "read the safety warnings in your motor vehicle"? Well, yes, Tom, I have and if ATVs met 10% of my motor vehicles safety standards I might be more accepting of them sharing road space with me. But, Tom, ATVs are exempt from almost every safety standard applied to road vehicles because they are not designed for road use, so, no, I am not willing to share the road with them.
Brian Silence suggests that since fatalities on the ski hill have been greater than fatalities illegally riding ATVs on the road we should allow ATVs the opportunity to challenge those casualties by permitting them to legally compete! Yes, Brian, there are risks in every activity, but the usual response is to try to REDUCE that risk, not increase it. And, Brian, I am glad you can laugh, and I hope you can laugh at yourself as Clyde's comments are at least statistically defensible, looking at who was at the meeting only tells you who was at the meeting, not how bright or how financially secure they are.
I think a quick and thorough search of economic data will support the thought that silent sports in general contribute far more to the area than the noisy sports and with less negative impact, and that birders are on the high end of that scale. But this isn't a laughing matter, Brian, it has serious impacts on a lot of lives up here, not just for the convenience of a few but for the impact the noise, added pollution, and added damage to the landscape has on all of us. The reason many of us have chosen Grand Marais is that it was a peaceful haven, an outpost of wilderness, a community of arts. If you like the noise, if you like the interaction of motorheads, if you like the cacophony of a mechanized society: live in the TC metro area. Me, I love big cities with their hustle and bustle, but only for short periods, for relief I live in Grand Marais, don't try to steal that from me.
fastjerry
If the CCStar would once display some objectivity, some balance in their reporting and choice of letters I wouldn't write this weekly digression but , here we go again: if there are no letters that disagree with the pro ATV view of the paper it is either 1) anyone disagreeing is not likely to be published, or 2) those in disagreement don't bother writing to the CCStar because it is a waste of time.
Thomas Bernier writes that Cascade Beach Rd is noisy because of semis on 61 so we should put up with the additional noise of ATVs. Really. If you are having difficulty with the existing noise level it is OK to add to it because you are already disturbed? Really! I live a mile and a half back from 61 and the trucks don't make as much noise as the ATVs. I suppose I should invite the truckers to drive closer to me because the ATVs are already disturbing my peace! Sorry Tom, that analogy doesn't cut it. But you did ask if I ever "read the safety warnings in your motor vehicle"? Well, yes, Tom, I have and if ATVs met 10% of my motor vehicles safety standards I might be more accepting of them sharing road space with me. But, Tom, ATVs are exempt from almost every safety standard applied to road vehicles because they are not designed for road use, so, no, I am not willing to share the road with them.
Brian Silence suggests that since fatalities on the ski hill have been greater than fatalities illegally riding ATVs on the road we should allow ATVs the opportunity to challenge those casualties by permitting them to legally compete! Yes, Brian, there are risks in every activity, but the usual response is to try to REDUCE that risk, not increase it. And, Brian, I am glad you can laugh, and I hope you can laugh at yourself as Clyde's comments are at least statistically defensible, looking at who was at the meeting only tells you who was at the meeting, not how bright or how financially secure they are.
I think a quick and thorough search of economic data will support the thought that silent sports in general contribute far more to the area than the noisy sports and with less negative impact, and that birders are on the high end of that scale. But this isn't a laughing matter, Brian, it has serious impacts on a lot of lives up here, not just for the convenience of a few but for the impact the noise, added pollution, and added damage to the landscape has on all of us. The reason many of us have chosen Grand Marais is that it was a peaceful haven, an outpost of wilderness, a community of arts. If you like the noise, if you like the interaction of motorheads, if you like the cacophony of a mechanized society: live in the TC metro area. Me, I love big cities with their hustle and bustle, but only for short periods, for relief I live in Grand Marais, don't try to steal that from me.
fastjerry
Thursday, March 29, 2007
True Exclusive: Lutsen town plan
Lutsen Meeting Minutes from Tuesday 3-27-07
Thank you to everyone who attended Tuesday night's meeting!
We have just posted our concepts/drawings on our server. Follow this link:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~cland/
There will be two folders labeled 11x11 and 8x8. This refers to the size of the drawing so you can either print them out on 11x17 or 81/2x11 if you wish. Inside the folders will be pdf files of all of our boards. Let me know if you have any technical difficulties. Please remember that this work is preliminary. We have posted it so people can refer back to it and ask any additional questions or give us additional comments on the work. For those who could not attend the meeting the drawings will help you have a better understanding of the meeting minutes. We will will be re-shaping the work for a final presentation that will be scheduled for sometime in June.
I have attached the meeting minutes in a word document and also pasted it below.
Again, if you have any additional questions or comments please feel free to call or email.
Nichole Schlepp
Design Coordinator
Center for Changing Landscapes
University of Minnesota
612-624-2976
schl0482@umn.edu
Lutsen Meeting Minutes 3.27.07:
A steering committee workshop was held in February. In that meeting we received many comments/inputs on the Gitchi Gami Trail alignment through Lutsen , discussed some town center concepts, and received feedback on what people saw as the character of Lutsen and the potential character of a future town center. Based on that meeting we were able to refine our concepts and present them Tuesday night at a preliminary design meeting held in the Lutsen Church basement. Here are the topics that were presented/discussed at Tuesday night’s meeting:
1. Gitchi Gami Trail:
-An existing regional trail map was shown that spanned from the Poplar River to the Caribou Trail. The DNR has funding for the trail and an alignment with property owners’ consent to Arrowhead Electric. This portion of the trail was shown as a solid line on the map. It is in the power line corridor after crossing Poplar River and then makes its way to the right-of-way along Highway 61 before reaching Arrowhead Electric.
From this point the trail was shown as a dashed line and split into two options along the right-of-way: one is on the north side and one is on the south side of the highway.
2. Zoning and Linear Systems:
-A map of the existing town center from Arrowhead Electric to Lutsen Church was shown with dashed lines for the Gitchi Gami Trail on the north and south side of the highway.
-Town Center ‘Gateway’ locations were shown to the west of Arrowhead Electric and to the east Lutsen Church. This is where the speed could drop to 30 m.p.h,, town center signage would be placed, there could possibly be curb and gutter along the highway, ‘Town Center Plantings’ could be incorporated helping to signify that you are entering the town center of Lutsen.
-Zoning as specified from Lutsen’s town plan is also shown on this map. One of the only changes we would be suggesting is that in the ‘LGC’ area the density could be more than .25/acre with an option for single-family residential to enter this area as ‘Town Center Housing’.
-Within the ‘LGC’ area a thicker red line was drawn indicating our ‘Town Center Study” area. This line is carried out through the town center concept drawings as well.
-A section line (in red) was cut just to the east of Lutsen Church for studying the highway/frontage road/Gitchi Gami trail spacing.
3. Highway/Frontage Road/Gitchi Gami Trail Section Studies
-Section studies were cut at a pinch point east of the Lutsen Church where a home is approx. 12’ from the R.O.W.
The studies shown were: existing conditions, a very ‘bare minimum’ MNDOT typical rural section at 40 m.p.h., a curb and gutter option at 30 m.p.h., and a section showing the trail on the south side.
From these studies it was apparent that there is more room on the north side (100’ of R.O.W.) of the highway for a frontage road and/or trail. On the south side there are steeper slopes and there is only 50’ of R.O.W. causing the trail to be within 2’ of the road with guardrails on either side.
People responded well to the curb and gutter option because it allowed a separation between the trail, the highway, and the frontage road and allowed the plantings to come in closer to the highway creating a narrow visual corridor.
In terms of stormwater runoff, the rural section with its ditches works best. Curb and gutter eliminates the ditches and would require some other type of detention or treatment before moving into the creek.
For next time, more studies will be done that take a closer look at the stormwater for the curb and gutter option Discussions will continue with the DNR and with MNDOT to ensure we are meeting trail and highway requirements as well as having something that works well for Lutsen.
4. Town Center Concepts:
-Two concepts were shown for the town center. These drawings are meant to be a vision for the future, to help the community of Lutsen see what their zoning and town plan could possibly accomplish, and how having a plan for the future can help the community retain and protect the character of Lutsen and become an even greater resource along the North Shore. Both concepts worked to emphasize the feeling of community, to create a pedestrian-friendly cohesive town center, and to focus the town center and housing on amenities such as the creek or open green spaces as well as thinking about potential stormwater collection/treatment facilities.
-Town Square Concept- this concept focuses the town center core around a small square. (See Town Square axon drawing for a closer look at the square). It is a very traditional plan that would be pedestrian-friendly. “The square” uses the land quite efficiently and therefore allows for more commercial/retail buildings. As the design moves up the hill it changes to live/work units, small single-family tuck-unders and single-family rear attached that focus on a common green space. (See drawing of Town Center Housing Types 1&2). Beyond that the housing shifts to single-family residential rear detached on 60’x120’ lots. (See drawing of Town Center Housing Type 3)
-Town Green Concept- this concepts follows the same principles as the Town Square concept but focuses the town core commercial area around a single curving “Main Street” that frames a large central green. (see Town Green Axon drawing for a closer look of the green) This design is not as dense as the Town Square so there is less square footage of commercial/retail in this plan. A ring pattern emerges in this design where each ring is a different type of commercial building (all commercial/retail or live/work units) and then shifts to the different patterns and densities of housing types (again see Town Center Housing drawings)
Of course, before all of this could possibly happen a community septic system and water system would have to be in place as well as a stormwater plan. We discussed septic package plants and were they are located in the plan. Another big question was water. Water is a much larger issue that needs to be looked at by engineers but we will do what we can. Again, we will continue to develop our stormwater plan for these town center concepts.
There were also many questions about costs, funding, timelines, etc. These concepts are a vision and would be a very long term idea for Lutsen. This would not happen overnight but very gradually. Costs and funding are big questions as well as the market in Lutsen for this type of development. Some ideas about funding sources were discussed. We will explore some of these questions for next time.
The community decided that the final presentation should be before the busy season starts so we will be back sometime in June. We will continue to work on the details, the character of the buildings, and develop a signage and detail package for the town center. The Gitchi Gami trail/frontage road/highway sections will also be studied again.
Lutsen Meeting Minutes 3.27.07.doc
29K View as HTML Open as a Google document Download
Thank you to everyone who attended Tuesday night's meeting!
We have just posted our concepts/drawings on our server. Follow this link:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~cland/
There will be two folders labeled 11x11 and 8x8. This refers to the size of the drawing so you can either print them out on 11x17 or 81/2x11 if you wish. Inside the folders will be pdf files of all of our boards. Let me know if you have any technical difficulties. Please remember that this work is preliminary. We have posted it so people can refer back to it and ask any additional questions or give us additional comments on the work. For those who could not attend the meeting the drawings will help you have a better understanding of the meeting minutes. We will will be re-shaping the work for a final presentation that will be scheduled for sometime in June.
I have attached the meeting minutes in a word document and also pasted it below.
Again, if you have any additional questions or comments please feel free to call or email.
Nichole Schlepp
Design Coordinator
Center for Changing Landscapes
University of Minnesota
612-624-2976
schl0482@umn.edu
Lutsen Meeting Minutes 3.27.07:
A steering committee workshop was held in February. In that meeting we received many comments/inputs on the Gitchi Gami Trail alignment through Lutsen , discussed some town center concepts, and received feedback on what people saw as the character of Lutsen and the potential character of a future town center. Based on that meeting we were able to refine our concepts and present them Tuesday night at a preliminary design meeting held in the Lutsen Church basement. Here are the topics that were presented/discussed at Tuesday night’s meeting:
1. Gitchi Gami Trail:
-An existing regional trail map was shown that spanned from the Poplar River to the Caribou Trail. The DNR has funding for the trail and an alignment with property owners’ consent to Arrowhead Electric. This portion of the trail was shown as a solid line on the map. It is in the power line corridor after crossing Poplar River and then makes its way to the right-of-way along Highway 61 before reaching Arrowhead Electric.
From this point the trail was shown as a dashed line and split into two options along the right-of-way: one is on the north side and one is on the south side of the highway.
2. Zoning and Linear Systems:
-A map of the existing town center from Arrowhead Electric to Lutsen Church was shown with dashed lines for the Gitchi Gami Trail on the north and south side of the highway.
-Town Center ‘Gateway’ locations were shown to the west of Arrowhead Electric and to the east Lutsen Church. This is where the speed could drop to 30 m.p.h,, town center signage would be placed, there could possibly be curb and gutter along the highway, ‘Town Center Plantings’ could be incorporated helping to signify that you are entering the town center of Lutsen.
-Zoning as specified from Lutsen’s town plan is also shown on this map. One of the only changes we would be suggesting is that in the ‘LGC’ area the density could be more than .25/acre with an option for single-family residential to enter this area as ‘Town Center Housing’.
-Within the ‘LGC’ area a thicker red line was drawn indicating our ‘Town Center Study” area. This line is carried out through the town center concept drawings as well.
-A section line (in red) was cut just to the east of Lutsen Church for studying the highway/frontage road/Gitchi Gami trail spacing.
3. Highway/Frontage Road/Gitchi Gami Trail Section Studies
-Section studies were cut at a pinch point east of the Lutsen Church where a home is approx. 12’ from the R.O.W.
The studies shown were: existing conditions, a very ‘bare minimum’ MNDOT typical rural section at 40 m.p.h., a curb and gutter option at 30 m.p.h., and a section showing the trail on the south side.
From these studies it was apparent that there is more room on the north side (100’ of R.O.W.) of the highway for a frontage road and/or trail. On the south side there are steeper slopes and there is only 50’ of R.O.W. causing the trail to be within 2’ of the road with guardrails on either side.
People responded well to the curb and gutter option because it allowed a separation between the trail, the highway, and the frontage road and allowed the plantings to come in closer to the highway creating a narrow visual corridor.
In terms of stormwater runoff, the rural section with its ditches works best. Curb and gutter eliminates the ditches and would require some other type of detention or treatment before moving into the creek.
For next time, more studies will be done that take a closer look at the stormwater for the curb and gutter option Discussions will continue with the DNR and with MNDOT to ensure we are meeting trail and highway requirements as well as having something that works well for Lutsen.
4. Town Center Concepts:
-Two concepts were shown for the town center. These drawings are meant to be a vision for the future, to help the community of Lutsen see what their zoning and town plan could possibly accomplish, and how having a plan for the future can help the community retain and protect the character of Lutsen and become an even greater resource along the North Shore. Both concepts worked to emphasize the feeling of community, to create a pedestrian-friendly cohesive town center, and to focus the town center and housing on amenities such as the creek or open green spaces as well as thinking about potential stormwater collection/treatment facilities.
-Town Square Concept- this concept focuses the town center core around a small square. (See Town Square axon drawing for a closer look at the square). It is a very traditional plan that would be pedestrian-friendly. “The square” uses the land quite efficiently and therefore allows for more commercial/retail buildings. As the design moves up the hill it changes to live/work units, small single-family tuck-unders and single-family rear attached that focus on a common green space. (See drawing of Town Center Housing Types 1&2). Beyond that the housing shifts to single-family residential rear detached on 60’x120’ lots. (See drawing of Town Center Housing Type 3)
-Town Green Concept- this concepts follows the same principles as the Town Square concept but focuses the town core commercial area around a single curving “Main Street” that frames a large central green. (see Town Green Axon drawing for a closer look of the green) This design is not as dense as the Town Square so there is less square footage of commercial/retail in this plan. A ring pattern emerges in this design where each ring is a different type of commercial building (all commercial/retail or live/work units) and then shifts to the different patterns and densities of housing types (again see Town Center Housing drawings)
Of course, before all of this could possibly happen a community septic system and water system would have to be in place as well as a stormwater plan. We discussed septic package plants and were they are located in the plan. Another big question was water. Water is a much larger issue that needs to be looked at by engineers but we will do what we can. Again, we will continue to develop our stormwater plan for these town center concepts.
There were also many questions about costs, funding, timelines, etc. These concepts are a vision and would be a very long term idea for Lutsen. This would not happen overnight but very gradually. Costs and funding are big questions as well as the market in Lutsen for this type of development. Some ideas about funding sources were discussed. We will explore some of these questions for next time.
The community decided that the final presentation should be before the busy season starts so we will be back sometime in June. We will continue to work on the details, the character of the buildings, and develop a signage and detail package for the town center. The Gitchi Gami trail/frontage road/highway sections will also be studied again.
Lutsen Meeting Minutes 3.27.07.doc
29K View as HTML Open as a Google document Download
Monday, March 26, 2007
An Alternate ATV Strategy
ATV use on county roads could be bad news for some residents and I have a couple of proposals to eliminate the problem.
I think a few of us might be in for some unpleasant surprises in the future if the county ATV ordinance comes to pass. Imagine a young family living out near Pike Lake, or up the Caribou Trail or Sawbill trail, or any of the county roads for that matter.
Families might have two people working different schedules, both driving to a town or work. The children will be taking the school bus twice a day during the school year, but there are still after school things that require extra trips. When school isn't in session, extra trips are required to get the kids to friends, the pool, special events, etc.
My point is that most of us who live out of town spend a lot of time driving to and from town. It is unfortunately part of our lifestyle. Now imagine that this ATV ordinance goes through. We will be facing groups of ATV riders on our county roads traveling at no more that 30 MPH. There could be a lot of groups and they could travel in packs of up to a dozen machines. Passing these groups could be a dangerous proposition due to lack of visibility on many of our roads, or oncoming traffic.
Think of this over and over as you go about your busy life driving to work or hauling your children. Most county gravel roads can accommodate vehicle traffic at up to 50 MPH safely and the black top sections 55 or 60 MPH. Now we will all be forced to slow to 30 MPH, perhaps more than anybody realizes. (I know the ATV clubs says this is just for the locals but they want this to pass for their own selfish reasons and don't want to explore the consequences.)
Of course this bodes well for some of the business community who will love the extra business that these out of town ATV riders will bring. Other businesses that cater to a different type of outdoor enthusiasts will see business decline due to the turn off factor of seeing these machines buzzing around which destroys the esthetics of the region.
Imagine if you live on a county road that becomes a connection to a larger trail system up over the hill. The ATV traffic on these stretches is hard to predict. The business people in Tofte want the Sawbill Trail to provide this connection. Prepare to waste a lot of time following ATV dust and plan a little extra time to get to town.
Now I have an answer on how to accommodate the ATV community. Why not build hard surface trails along side the roads like they are doing for bicycles along highway 61. The only reason I can think that this can't be done is that the majority of the Minnesota population support bike riders and don't support ATV use.
Another solution would be for ATV users to learn how to balance and take up riding motorcycles.
This ordinance is a bad idea and has wasted a lot of time and energy and I can't believe the county is even entertaining the idea. It is going to detract from the quality of life for many of us, and we vote.
Pike Lake Jake
I think a few of us might be in for some unpleasant surprises in the future if the county ATV ordinance comes to pass. Imagine a young family living out near Pike Lake, or up the Caribou Trail or Sawbill trail, or any of the county roads for that matter.
Families might have two people working different schedules, both driving to a town or work. The children will be taking the school bus twice a day during the school year, but there are still after school things that require extra trips. When school isn't in session, extra trips are required to get the kids to friends, the pool, special events, etc.
My point is that most of us who live out of town spend a lot of time driving to and from town. It is unfortunately part of our lifestyle. Now imagine that this ATV ordinance goes through. We will be facing groups of ATV riders on our county roads traveling at no more that 30 MPH. There could be a lot of groups and they could travel in packs of up to a dozen machines. Passing these groups could be a dangerous proposition due to lack of visibility on many of our roads, or oncoming traffic.
Think of this over and over as you go about your busy life driving to work or hauling your children. Most county gravel roads can accommodate vehicle traffic at up to 50 MPH safely and the black top sections 55 or 60 MPH. Now we will all be forced to slow to 30 MPH, perhaps more than anybody realizes. (I know the ATV clubs says this is just for the locals but they want this to pass for their own selfish reasons and don't want to explore the consequences.)
Of course this bodes well for some of the business community who will love the extra business that these out of town ATV riders will bring. Other businesses that cater to a different type of outdoor enthusiasts will see business decline due to the turn off factor of seeing these machines buzzing around which destroys the esthetics of the region.
Imagine if you live on a county road that becomes a connection to a larger trail system up over the hill. The ATV traffic on these stretches is hard to predict. The business people in Tofte want the Sawbill Trail to provide this connection. Prepare to waste a lot of time following ATV dust and plan a little extra time to get to town.
Now I have an answer on how to accommodate the ATV community. Why not build hard surface trails along side the roads like they are doing for bicycles along highway 61. The only reason I can think that this can't be done is that the majority of the Minnesota population support bike riders and don't support ATV use.
Another solution would be for ATV users to learn how to balance and take up riding motorcycles.
This ordinance is a bad idea and has wasted a lot of time and energy and I can't believe the county is even entertaining the idea. It is going to detract from the quality of life for many of us, and we vote.
Pike Lake Jake
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Highway 61 MN Dot Boos and Blues!
MN Dot exhibited a new low in governmental agency common sense with its clear cutting of innumerable trees along Highway 61 in Hovland and at Cascade. Scenic highway! Not with MN Dot in charge!
MN Dot's protestations that it was done to improve the efficacy of highway salt makes little sense when you look at what they cut and where they cut, particularly the cut in front of Cascade Lodge. That cut seems to be more to improve the lake views from the lodge than anything else, but the fact is that none of it seems to have any logical basis.
And, the daily drive past the cut area in Hovland has changed forever - not for the better.
More than an explanation is due, especially one that begs credulity, which is all we have been given so far. What needs to be done is to have this action thoroughly investigated and we need to have put in place an oversight system that does not allow such an egregious assault on the North Shore's Highway 61 to occur again.
True
MN Dot's protestations that it was done to improve the efficacy of highway salt makes little sense when you look at what they cut and where they cut, particularly the cut in front of Cascade Lodge. That cut seems to be more to improve the lake views from the lodge than anything else, but the fact is that none of it seems to have any logical basis.
And, the daily drive past the cut area in Hovland has changed forever - not for the better.
More than an explanation is due, especially one that begs credulity, which is all we have been given so far. What needs to be done is to have this action thoroughly investigated and we need to have put in place an oversight system that does not allow such an egregious assault on the North Shore's Highway 61 to occur again.
True
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Poplar River meeting canceled due to pending blizzard
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 14:30:59 -0600 (CST)
From: etoile@boreal.org
To: news@boreal.org
Subject: Poplar River TMDL meeting canceled
Subject: CANCEL: Poplar River Public Meeting
Importance: High
Due to significant travel safety concerns related to the pending
blizzard that will be in the region over the next couple days, we are
canceling the Poplar River public meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday ,
3/1 ) evening. We will reschedule the meeting for a future date to be
determined. Please communicate this as soon as possible to as many
people as you can. We will do the same on our end as well. Thanks and
we’ll be in touch to talk about follow-up in the near future (after we
dig out!?).
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about this
decision.
Pat Carey, MPCA Duluth Watershed Supervisor
------------------------
From: etoile@boreal.org
To: news@boreal.org
Subject: Poplar River TMDL meeting canceled
Subject: CANCEL: Poplar River Public Meeting
Importance: High
Due to significant travel safety concerns related to the pending
blizzard that will be in the region over the next couple days, we are
canceling the Poplar River public meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday ,
3/1 ) evening. We will reschedule the meeting for a future date to be
determined. Please communicate this as soon as possible to as many
people as you can. We will do the same on our end as well. Thanks and
we’ll be in touch to talk about follow-up in the near future (after we
dig out!?).
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about this
decision.
Pat Carey, MPCA Duluth Watershed Supervisor
------------------------
Monday, February 26, 2007
Impaired Poplar River: public meeting March 1st
From: "Rebecca Wiinanen"
To: news@boreal.org
Subject: Poplar River: Public meeting on the official study to determine sources of pollution
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:15:07 -0600
Recent monitoring on the Poplar River found that the river’s water quality is poor enough to be officially listed as impaired due to excessive turbidity (cloudiness or muddiness of the water). Because of this, the river was put on the state’s list of impaired waters by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in 2004. On Thursday, March 1, the Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will host a public meeting to discuss the study being completed to determine the sources of turbidity to the Poplar River. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. March 1, 2007, at the Lutsen Evangelical Lutheran Church, 5307 W. Hwy. 61 in Lutsen.
The MPCA is required to complete the study to determine what’s known as a
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum
amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards. This first public meeting is meant to introduce stakeholders to the partners working on the study, provide an overview of work done to-date and planned activities, and will also address how this project fits in to other current projects on the Poplar River (such as the “megaslump” erosion control project).
Although the Cook County SWCD will serve as the local resource agency for the project, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contractor will complete most of the study’s technical portions. Citizen participation is encouraged, and will be addressed through a series of public meetings like this one, interactions with the Poplar River Management Board and other interested stakeholders, and an official public comment period.
Contact: Dave Stark, Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District
(218) 387-3648 - Office
(218) 428-4413 - Cell
To: news@boreal.org
Subject: Poplar River: Public meeting on the official study to determine sources of pollution
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:15:07 -0600
Recent monitoring on the Poplar River found that the river’s water quality is poor enough to be officially listed as impaired due to excessive turbidity (cloudiness or muddiness of the water). Because of this, the river was put on the state’s list of impaired waters by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in 2004. On Thursday, March 1, the Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will host a public meeting to discuss the study being completed to determine the sources of turbidity to the Poplar River. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. March 1, 2007, at the Lutsen Evangelical Lutheran Church, 5307 W. Hwy. 61 in Lutsen.
The MPCA is required to complete the study to determine what’s known as a
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum
amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards. This first public meeting is meant to introduce stakeholders to the partners working on the study, provide an overview of work done to-date and planned activities, and will also address how this project fits in to other current projects on the Poplar River (such as the “megaslump” erosion control project).
Although the Cook County SWCD will serve as the local resource agency for the project, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contractor will complete most of the study’s technical portions. Citizen participation is encouraged, and will be addressed through a series of public meetings like this one, interactions with the Poplar River Management Board and other interested stakeholders, and an official public comment period.
Contact: Dave Stark, Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District
(218) 387-3648 - Office
(218) 428-4413 - Cell
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