If you’ve spent any time along the Two Harbors waterfront lately, you know that there is a lot going on there. You also know that there is a lot of work to do to make the waterfront all that it can be. Friends Of The Waterfront, a group of interested Two Harbors residents, have been selected to work with the Citizens Institute of Rural Design (CIRD) which is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment of The Arts. The Citizens Institute exists to help local residents shape their communities by using their own unique artistic and cultural ideas and resources to aid in the local development and future design of their cities. CIRD has held more than 80 workshops in far flung communities across the nation like Midway Alabama, Spring Grove Minnesota, Keene New Hampshire and Frederiksted Virgin Islands. Friends Of The Waterfront, started by Jolene Brink and a small cadre of local residents, will have the opportunity to work with professional architects, community planners, landscape architects and community development experts to bring their homegrown creativity to bear on the development of Two Harbors’ 47-acre waterfront.
Plans are moving along for the new Two Harbors Municipal Liquor Store. Design plans are facing some adjustments to ensure that the project comes in on budget. State law requires that an archeological survey be done on the site. Bolton & Menk have received estimates from companies that do that kind of work and have recommended that the city contract with Situ Archeological Consulting for a background literature review and archeological survey of the property. It is hoped that all of the pieces of the pre-construction work will be done by October so that actual construction can begin. The Council voted to move forward with the recommendation from Bolton & Menk.
John Leupke, President of Serene Quarters, has asked the City to extend water and sewer utilities to a vacation rental project that he is developing on East Stanley Road. Though there is the potential for future commercial development on city owned property near the East Stanley Road site, it is felt by council members and by the Public Utilities Committee that extending the utilities to the Serene Quarters site does not meet with city statutes regarding utilities extension and is not in the city’s best interest at this time.
The newly formed Housing Committee is continuing to develop plans to address housing needs in Two Harbors. The committee is reviewing housing development needs and goals, creating a location inventory of potential properties, working with Lake County on plans for development of the John Johnson property and creating a housing portfolio plan.
The next City Council meeting is scheduled for August 14th at 6:00.
