The first City Council meeting of March 2026 included a brief public appearance by Jessica Peterson, representative of Friends of Two Harbors Dog Park, asking for a renewed contract for the summer-use Two Harbors Dog Park. She also commented on ongoing talks with the City to consider a permanent, year-round dog park for Two Harbors, considering it a matter of safety for dogs as well as residents.
The City Administrator then covered progress on several city projects, including the Highway 61 construction projects, the City Hall Facade Project, the Waterfront Project, the Airport Capital Improvement Plan for the future related project, the Odegard Trail Project, and the 2nd Avenue Project.
Committee reports: The Waterfront Committee had a special meeting where they took public input, which they are currently reviewing. The Public Arts Committee recently had a membership overhaul due to term limits, and discussed several new potential ideas, including adding small art-related kiosks around town, painting the bandshell, adding flower planters near benches and tables, murals, and wrapping utility boxes. For reference, the practice of painting utility boxes has become a popular way to showcase local artists and allow cities to add their own personal style to the otherwise blank fixtures. The Planning and Zoning Committee held a public hearing for the 12th addition plat and discussed the Lighthouse Point Road Project as well as parking standards.
The consent agenda items approved during the meeting included: minutes for the previous meeting, claims payments, and payroll; the resignation of Liquor Clerk and posting a job opening for their replacement; approving partial payment for the 2024-25 Street & Utility Reconstruction Project; a loan application to the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority for the Trunk Highway 61 Water main Replacement Project; and transferring money from the Sales Tax Fund to cover Water & Sewer debt service payments. Two new items added to the agenda involved approving pay for new equipment and repairs at the water plant, and attendance at the Water and Wastewater Technical Conference in St. Cloud.
The rest of the meeting handled new business. The Council approved sponsoring North Shore Lumber’s application to IRRR (Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation) for demolition grant funds. North Shore Lumber plans to demolish an existing building and rebuild it to better suit its needs.
Item 2 had some debate over how to handle a transfer of property from the DNR (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources) to the City of Two Harbors. This transfer would come at no cost to the City, provided the City’s plans include all stipulations given by the DNR. One such request from DNR is that the City not include any reference to commercial development in their plan. The City’s preliminary planning involved using the land mostly for outdoor recreation, but also includes setting aside almost 4 acres for commercial development. In this plan, the revenue from the commercial development would go towards maintenance and operations costs for the park. Councilor Glaser expressed concern at the lack of opportunity in the current contract to allow the land to be used for commercial development. Considering the substantial size of the future park, roughly estimated at around 25 acres, there is a fear that without additional funding provided by a commercial space, the City would be unable to adequately pay for the park’s upkeep without raising property taxes. While all Council members were enthused about the general transfer of the land, they divided on the details of how to handle the matter at hand. Glaser made clear she would choose to delay the long-awaited transfer in order to have it “done right the first time”, continuing on to say: “I really want to make sure that we’ve done everything we can to make this work for the future residents of the city of Two Harbors.” Mayor Conner mentioned his own conflicted feelings on securing future funding for the park versus ensuring the transfer is completed before circumstances make the deal less favorable for the City. “I want to do everything possible to get it done this year,” he stated. The Council eventually reached a compromise to delay a decision until after the fundraising event, Capitol Days, and speaking further with the DNR, agreeing to table the issue for up to 30 days.
The Council passed without discussion progress on the Lighthouse Point Road and 3rd Street Reconstruction Project, and progress on water main replacement projects for 4th Street from 10th Avenue to 12th Avenue, and 15th Street & Alley. Also approved was progress on amending height limitations on buildings to possibly include features such as underground parking and peaked roofs, with additional stipulations to be determined. These amendments would maintain the City’s current three-story limit. A public hearing is scheduled for March 23 to consider the issue. The Council approved the resolution to apply for an LCCMR (Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources) grant to help fund city projects such as the amphitheater and park management buildings, pending Finance Committee approval. The Planning Commission’s recommended approval of the 12th Addition Preliminary Plat application was accepted. The Council had some discussion with the City Attorney on how to handle item 10, involving whether to accept or deny requests from NAI Legacy regarding their purchase contract with the City of Two Harbors. It was recommended that the Council give an immediate response, and after deliberation, the Council chose to respond to NAI by giving a statement standing by their earlier positions. Last approved was a letter to Breakwall Indivisible regarding their recent request for a statement on current civil rights issues.
