Parks & Trails Commission, city and county officials revisit Sawtooth Bluffs development
For the past two decades, the idea of developing the Sawtooth Bluffs area in Grand Marais as a public recreation destination has frequented community conversations and various city and county meetings.
The topic has recently returned to the forefront in the past year as the Cook County Board of Commissioners, County Parks & Trails Commission, and the Grand Marais City Council identify goals and priorities for 2025 and beyond.
The Sawtooth Bluffs is a 640-acre site comprised of land owned by Cook County and the City of Grand Marais. In 2018, a Sawtooth Bluffs Steering Committee, consisting of city and county officials and Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC) staff, created a Sawtooth Bluffs Master Plan to help guide the development of the site.
Location of Sawtooth Bluffs in Grand Marais | Photo from the Sawtooth Bluffs Master Plan
Since the creation of the master plan, no significant action has been taken on the site. The only development to occur is establishing a dog park on the corner of 5th Avenue and the Gunflint Trail. In 2022, the city approved a license agreement with Go Dog North Shore to use 2 acres to develop a dog park.
Mitch Travis, the County Parks & Trails coordinator, said the Parks & Trails Commission wants to reengage with the public and the city to revisit the Sawtooth Bluffs project.
“That’s been something we’ve been trying to figure out how we want to carry forward,” Travis said. “If we want to carry forward.”
Travis said to move forward with the development of the Sawtooth Bluffs, the Commission needs input to identify which projects to move forward with. Then, the city and county would work together to secure funding to begin implementation. In years past, potential uses of the property included a campground, bike trails, hiking trails, rock climbing, and a disc golf course.
“We need to identify if or how we get these projects done, which ones we want to focus on,” Travis said.
Sawtooth Bluffs Recreational Site Development Opportunities | Photo from the Sawtooth Bluffs Master Plan
Travis said that expanding and creating multi-use trails in the Sawtooth Bluffs area aligns with the goals identified in the Cook County Comprehensive Trails Plan. The plan was adopted by the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 2016 and aims to create and maintain a network of trails for multi-use purposes for the residents and visitors of Cook County.
With the potential expansion of recreational opportunities in Grand Marais, Travis said, the desire is to receive a regional significant designation from the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission (GMRPTC). The designation increases opportunities for additional funding. Recently, the Grand Marais Recreation Park received a regional significant designation.
Sawtooth Bluffs | Photo by M Baxley
While there is motivation from Travis and the Parks & Trails Commission to move forward with Sawtooth Bluffs, the city of Grand Marais has identified other priorities to focus on in 2025.
Grand Marais Mayor Tracy Benson said in a recent interview with WTIP that the Sawtooth Bluffs was put low on the priority list “because it’s not something we singularly alone can move forward.” However, she said, “We’ll certainly be there the minute the county is ready.”
For 2025, the city council identified improvements to the wastewater treatment plant, city streets, and infrastructure as their primary focus.
During the Nov. 27 city council meeting, Councilor Craig Schulte discussed the Sawtooth Bluffs in his council reports. He said, “In the near future, I think we decided to put it low on our priority list. I don’t know where it is on the county board’s priority list.” Schulte also sits on the Parks & Trails Commission.
As for the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Sawtooth Bluffs has not been an immediate area of focus. Instead, recent priorities have included approving the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and hiring an architectural firm to renovate and improve the Law Enforcement Center. The county is also undertaking the Transfer Station project and working to hire a new county administrator.
The commissioners are also working to reduce the 9.81% preliminary 2025 levy to a targeted 5% final levy. After some recent changes to the budget, the latest proposed 2025 levy is at 7.68%.
During the Nov. 26 Board of Commissioners meeting, the commissioners discussed whether to keep the allocated $29,500 in the 2025 budget for design and architectural plans for Sawtooth Bluffs.
Commissioner Stacey Johnson said in the meeting, “I just think that that whole project is kind of far away from ever getting off the ground.”
“I understand that the Parks & Trails Committee was hoping to be moving forward faster,” Johnson said. “But I think that is something in our community when we talk about housing, and we talk about our lack of space here at the courthouse for employees, when we’re talking about priorities, I would say there are other things that are a better investment for this year besides $29,500 for a plan that is not going to happen in 2025.”
Commissioner Dave Mills said Commissioner Johnson made a good point, but “it’s just never going to happen until we do the plan.”
Mills said there is a lot of work and community engagement that needs to happen with the Sawtooth Bluffs. “I agree it’s hard to prioritize this over housing, but it is a quality of life issue that previously the community was very supportive of,” he said.
The commissioners did not make a decision about the $29,500 during the Nov. 26 meeting. Budget and levy discussions are ongoing. The commissioners will finalize the budget and levy at the next Board of Commissioners meeting on Dec. 17.
WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with Mitch Travis, the Parks & Trails Coordinator, about ongoing initiatives, the Sawtooth Bluffs, and more. The audio from the interview is below.
Kalli Hawkins December 13, 2024
