This past Monday night, the Two Harbors City Council voted on a resolution providing Municipal Consent for the MNDOT Highway 61 Corridor Project. Construction on the project is scheduled to start in 2027. This issue was before the Council once again as the design team prepared for the final design stage prior to construction. Councilor Cathy Erickson asked for clarification on financing for the project. Readers will likely remember that $11,000,000 has been secured for construction. City Engineer Joe Rhein reminded the Council that the city will be covering the cost of the public utilities. Those funds have been included in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan. The Council has until February to work with MNDOT on the remaining details that need to be ironed out for the project to move forward. Also on Monday’s agenda was the contract decision for building the new Municipal Liquor Store. The Council voted unanimously to have Rochon Construction build that project.
Cheryl Sundstrom spoke with the Council about the upcoming Heritage Days Street Dance. Working in conjunction with Lovin Lake County, Sundstrom has secured the Bellamy Brothers for the event. The Brothers have had a career that has spanned over 40 years and has garnered a string of hit songs including Let Your Love Flow and If I Said You Have A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me. Heritage Days 2024 is scheduled for July 11th through 14th and will include live music, arts & crafts, local food purveyors, and two parades. Stay tuned for more information.
City Council and Library Board member Uriah Hefter, informed the Council of the recent purchase of a set of emergency slings that are now available for use at the Two Harbors Public Library. The slings will allow library staff to move patrons who are wheelchair-bound to safety in the event of an emergency or if the elevator is not working. Hefter said that the slings will be available to the police and fire departments for their use as well. Library staff have seen a 50% increase in people using the library over the past year and have expanded the selection of large print books that are available.
There will be a joint meeting of the Lake County and Two Harbors Housing and Redevelopment Authorities (HRAs) on January 18th. The purpose of the meeting is so that both entities can discuss various issues related to the need for affordable housing in the area and can collaborate on addressing those needs.
The City Council has been working with the Rural Coastal Projects Initiative (RCPI) regarding a couple of potential projects along the city’s waterfront. The two projects being considered were the removal of the derelict coal docks at Agate Bay and addressing the erosion problem along Burlington Bay. The RCPI has asked the Council for a decision on which project is a priority for the city. The Council voted to focus on coal dock removal. This decision will support the work being done by folks from the Edna G Commission, the Veterans Memorial, and residents who are involved with the Citizens Institute on Rural Design as they collectively work on revamping Van Hoven Park.
Finally, Robin Glaser was elected Council President for 2024 and Ben Redden was elected Council Vice President.
The Next Two Harbors Council meeting is scheduled for January 22nd at 6:00 p.m.
