Two Harbors Council Calls Special Meeting To Discuss Waterfront Development

Members of the Two Harbors City Council gathered on Monday night to talk about the devel­opment of the waterfront along Agate Bay and in Paul Van Hoven Park. There are a number of stakeholders with an interest in this develop­ment including Friends of the Waterfront, the Lake County Veterans Memorial Committee, the Chamber of Commerce, the Edna G. Com­mission, the Lake County Historical Society and others. The purpose of the meeting was to identify tasks that the Council will need to co­ordinate so that the various parties and projects can fit together in a collaborative manner.

Mayor Lew Conner presented an overview of current waterfront activities and laid out a task list for Council members to consider and add to as they think through all of the administrative and organizational pieces that will need to go together as the work moves forward.

Readers may remember that The Resilient Coastal Projects Initiative (RCPI) selected Two Harbors as one of eight cities that would re­ceive help with design and implementation for a revitalized waterfront. One of the supports that RCPI offers is to help municipalities build partnerships with technical consultants and local visionaries to bring plans for revitaliza­tion to fruition. In addition, RCPI helps secure funding sources through money provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastruc­ture Investment and Jobs Act.

Earlier this year, the Council decided that the re­moval of the dilapidated coal dock was a prior­ity in the revitalization plan. A lot of effort by a good number of people has gone into planning for other aspects of the overall project, includ­ing designing and raising funds for the Veterans Memorial, working toward moving the Edna G to dry land, surveying the public for input on revitalizing and expanding Van Hoven Park and a number of other related activities.

While there is still much work that needs to be done, it is exciting to see the forward move­ment, by both the Council and a large num­ber of local citizens who are working to make the Two Harbors waterfront a show piece for the community.