Grand Marais expands parking ban, reviews remaining 2026 priorities

The Grand Marais City Council passed a parking ordinance Sept. 16, expanding a ban on overnight parking along Highway 61 to year-round enforcement.

Previously, the overnight parking restriction was enforced only during the winter to allow snowplows to clear the roadway. Mayor Tracy Benson said overnight parking along Highway 61 within city limits had also begun to affect businesses and community members.

“We originally made a change the other year, and said it would join the overnight parking ban that goes into effect during snowplow season, so November to April,” Benson told WTIP. “We have discovered that that is not effectively dealing with that issue, so we simply broadened it to 365 days a year. There is no overnight parking in the city of Grand Marais along Highway 61. ”

2026 Priorities

The council meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss the city’s remaining priorities for 2026. Benson said those include plans for the wastewater treatment plant.

“We had some success with the legislature this year, the state legislature and the federal appropriations as well,” Benson said. “When you’re looking at a plan that was originally estimated at about 9 million back in 2023, and now we’re three years into it, and that was just a very preliminary engineering estimate. It’s going to be significantly more, and there’s a possibility that we’ll look at a completely different design piece when we examine everything.” 

Benson said the city’s wastewater treatment system must meet stringent standards because treated wastewater is discharged into Lake Superior. The city has also examined wastewater projects undertaken by other communities in the region as it considers its options.

“Those would be a lot bigger in investment, and what we would need to determine is that fee–does it get you the results you’re looking for?” Benson said.

Benson said the city intends to work with Cook County and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa as it moves forward with plans for the wastewater treatment plant. The city is also working with Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority Executive Director Lucas Wakefield.

“We need all hands on deck, right?” Benson said.

WTIP spoke with Benson about the primary levy, the new ordinance, and the new barriers set up downtown. The audio of that conversation can be heard below.

Josh Hinke September 24, 2026