5th Avenue reconstruction project and infrastructure costs discussed at city council meeting

The city council meeting on Feb. 8 included a variety of agenda items, including a variance request, the North House Folk School annual update, and a discussion regarding the 5th Avenue project. 

During the open forum, Anna Hamilton of Hamilton Habitats, a non-profit organization providing affordable housing, spoke about her frustration with infrastructure costs. 

Hamilton said the Pebble Hill project, on the corner of the Gunflint Trail and County Road 7, cost $53,000 to connect to city sewer and water. She is currently working on developing property west of the Homestead Cooperative, and the estimated cost to access and connect to city sewer and water for the two lots is $80,000. 

“The infrastructure is going to kill me,” Hamilton said. 

“I’m here out of frustration, and I would like it to go somewhere, and maybe you think about it. And if you have any ideas, let me know,” Hamilton said. “I’m not really asking for someone else to pick that up, that expense. I’m just asking for maybe ideas.”

She added, “I just would like for you to think of me. And if you have any ideas, I would really appreciate hearing them.”

In an interview with WTIP following the meeting, Grand Marais Mayor Tracy Benson said her reaction to hearing Hamilton’s concerns is to reach out to the Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA) for its perspective. She said she sees this “as the beginning of a conversation.”

“I was happy that Anna came to talk. And that can lead us in some new directions to explore things,” Benson said. 

5th Avenue Reconstruction Project 

During the meeting, Cook County Highway Engineer Robbie Hass shared an update on the upcoming 5th Avenue Reconstruction Project. Hass said the highway department plans to commence construction on 5th Avenue mid-May. He anticipates the project will be completed by the end of the fall. 

In addition to replacing the pavement, the highway department will add sidewalks on both sides of the street and work with the city to replace stormwater infrastructure. 

While sidewalks will effectively widen 5th Avenue, Hass said the city plats for 5th Avenue include a 66-foot corridor. Hass said during the Feb. 8 meeting, “What we did really is eliminate as much impact as possible to the corridor is to put those sidewalks at the back of the curb.”

Benson said incorporating stormwater infrastructure into the project is “huge for the city.” She added, “It’s good to be able to tie these into other projects.”

The highway department is responsible for contacting homeowners and businesses along 5th Avenue to notify them of the project. Hass said the highway department would work on small sections at a time rather than close down the entire 5th Avenue.

North House Folk School

The North House Folk School attended the meeting to provide an annual update. Greg Wright, executive director of the North House Folk School, gave a comprehensive presentation of statistics throughout the past twenty years. 

Benson said, “That was a high-level history. I’m not sure we learned as much about this past year for 2022.” 

While Benson said the presentation is designed to be an annual review per the existing lease agreement, she said the city council would have the North House Folk School annual report shortly. In addition to the extensive statistical insights, Wright highlighted the 25th anniversary of the North House Folk School in 2022 and events such as hosting the Okee Dokee Brothers and being featured on PBS’s Craft in America. 

Benson shared that conversations are still ongoing regarding updating and renewing the lease with the North House Folk School. 

In other city council news, Justin Greeley requested a variance to replace an existing building on the north side of his property in the highway mixed-use district along Highway 61, 10 feet from the property line within the required 20-foot setback. The city council approved the variance. 

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with Grand Marais Mayor Tracy Benson following the Feb. 8 city council meeting. Audio from the interview is below. 

Kalli Hawkins February 14, 2023