By Rick Evans
Eric Leagjeld of Bolton and Menk, met with the Two Harbors City Council at last Monday’s meeting to talk about the process of finally moving the Edna G out of the waters of Agate Bay and installing the tug on dry land as a part of the greater efforts to make improvements to the city’s waterfront.
Moving the Tug to land was originally proposed in 1992 and while the move didn’t happen at that time, the intention to place the Edna G on land as a permanent public attraction has been a topic of perennial discussion by city councilors for 30 years. In 2018, the projected cost of moving the tug to land was about one million dollars. Since then, the cost of maintaining the tug in its present location has increased, and the condition of the ship has deteriorated as it has been subjected to the seasonal changes of the lake.
The Edna G carries a storied history, and maintaining it as a public attraction has both local and national significance. It is important for the Council to act now, as further inaction will only cause further damage to the Edna G and make the project of moving and restoring the tug more expensive.
City Administrator Patty Nordean reminded the council that the Edna G receives a monthly lodging tax of $1,800 and that these accumulated funds are designated for maintenance, restoration, and planning for the Edna G’s future. The cost of the entire project to move and restore the Edna G is currently unknown, but with the funding from the lodging tax, staff from Bolton and Menk can begin to do the engineering and planning that is needed to answer those questions. Using the lodging tax funds will mean that no cost for that work will be passed on to taxpayers. The work that Bolton and Menk will provide will inform city officials on how to move forward and will aid in the decision-making process of how to fund the overall project. At present, the plan is to seek grant funding and to explore the possibility of raising money through private donors once the preliminary survey work is done.
The Council voted to approve the proposal of Bolton and Menk to provide the preliminary engineering services to facilitate the relocation of the Edna G. An additional proposal to participate in a project with Lake County to pave the area behind the Sonju Arena for the purpose of using the Zamboni to flood the outdoor ice rink was tabled until the council can get a final estimate on what the costs to the city will be for that work.
The next Two Harbors Council meeting is scheduled for November 24th at 5:30 PM.
