On Monday night, the Two Harbors City Council heard a presentation on the design for the proposed Two Harbors Municipal Liquor Store. Erik Wedge and Carlie Kemp, from DSGW Architecture in Duluth were on hand with architectural renderings to show the Council what the proposed liquor store will look like from both an interior and exterior perspective. The design plans include an ample parking lot with space for vehicles with boat trailers. The store will accommodate a large selection of cold beverages, wines and spirits and will feature high windows to allow natural light into the retail space. When completed, the store will be situated to the south of Culvers and the Holiday Station ,near the intersection of 7th Avenue and Highway 61. Wedge indicated that there will need to be some wetland mitigation work done on the site to get the area ready for construction.
The Council also heard a presentation on the proposed work to upgrade the Water / Wastewater Treatment Plant. The current facility is over 50 years old and some components of the plant are no longer up to code. The proposed improvement project will modernize the plant and bring the facility in line with current codes. The estimated cost for the project is $7.7 million. The city has received a $4 million grant for this work with the possibility of access to an additional $1 million. The Council approved the proposal for the project at Monday night’s meeting.
The public can view renderings and descriptions for both the Municipal Liquor Store and the Water Treatment Improvements by visiting the Cities web page and clicking on the Council’s Agenda link.
Joe Rhein from Bolton & Menk provided a brief update on the Odegard Park Trail Project. The City has secured a $100,000 grant for the trail extension and Lake County has applied for a grant of $300,000 to put toward the project. The projected cost to the city is $500,000 which, when all is said and done, will bring the total cost in line with the City’s Capital Improvement Plan. Moving forward, the plan is that the work on the Odegard Trail Project will be done this coming summer.
The City is looking to hire a new City Administrator and has six candidates to interview. The interviewing process is scheduled for February 4th.
The Mayor and City Clerk were authorized to execute a Memorandum of Understanding between the city of Two Harbors, the Cities of Silver Bay and Beaver Bay and the entity that provides Fire Department Service for Finland. This will allow for a grant application for the purchase of self-contained breathing apparatus.
The Council also authorized the purchase of two pickup trucks, one for the Sewer Collection Department and the other for the Gas Distribution Department. The trucks will be acquired through the State Bid Program.
