Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

The Monday, March 27th decision by the city council not to move forward with the concept plans for Light House Point (LHP) was the right decision. Now, the city leaders should begin to develop a comprehensive plan for the Waterfront.

In February, Jolene Brink posted a state­ment on Facebook expressing concern for the then proposed LHP development. This was sent to her representing councilman direct­ly. Ms. Brink had significant experience as chair of the Historic Preservation Committee for Missoula, Montana. She offered valid po­tential solutions to the concerns. To date, Ms. Brink has not received a response from her Councilman. Lack of communication fuels the image of a lack of transparency for the council. This creates a distrust among many citizens as well as at times, an unnecessary uproar. This process needs improvement, but that is for another discussion.

More importantly in her post Ms. Brink also shared that the proximity to the lake and lighthouse of this development, and its im­pact on how generations to come will experi­ence such a unique space, should cause us to say not if but how will we build for the next generation, and who will benefit most?

I would argue that the unique space spans more than LHP, but the entire waterfront. This should be a top priority for the city council. Last fall John Rashid presented to the council his concerns with need to clean dilapidated piers in Agate Bay, as well as many other ar­eas along the waterfront. Prior to John’s pre­sentation, on June 27th, 2022, members of the council who were serving as the Waterfront Commission disbanded the Waterfront Task Force. Since that time, I’ve seen no signifi­cant plans or discussion regarding the water­front. Yes, it is on everyone’s list as a priority, but no movement on a solution.

The Waterfront Task Force needs to be reestablished. Perhaps Ms. Brink should be considered as a member. A longer-term plan and proposal that isn’t put on a shelf with the proposals from the last 20 years needs to be built. It is time to stop reacting every 20 years when a sudden proposal surfaces, but instead be proactive and create a thorough and thoughtful plan that can be implemented for the next 20!

Lew Conner
Two Harbors, MN