City Council got an educational lecture on neutrinos this evening, thanks to the scheduled appearance of Alec Habig from the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. His talk for the Council was to briefly cover the research approved by the Council in April, which will be operating out of the Two Harbors Water Plant.
He began with a basic introduction to neutrinos, with a slide describing them as the “smallest and weakest of the known fundamental particles.” Electrons in atoms are what cause physical objects to collide, as they are negatively charged and, like magnets, like repels like. According to Habig, “A neutrino is a cousin to an electron that doesn’t have a charge.” Because they have no charge, they pass through almost everything, from human bodies to planets, with no discernible effect. In order to collide with an object, their incredibly small centers would have to hit the center of an atom directly, which is not common. Although they were discovered fairly recently, neutrinos are a natural phenomenon spanning back to the Big Bang, created from many energy sources such as the sun, the core of the Earth, and supernovae. Regarding the case of a supernova, Habig stated, “It’s something you can see across the whole universe, it’s that bright. It brightens the whole galaxy for a few weeks – that’s .01% of the energy of the exploding star. 99% of the energy comes out [as] neutrinos.” Despite being by far the most common particle in the universe with mass, their tiny size and ability to travel through almost everything make them very difficult to study. “We know a lot less about them than everything else,” Habig said.
The current method for study involves creating a beam of concentrated neutrinos which are directed towards a construct made for causing and recording collisions between the particles and atoms. In one example involving northern Minnesota, Fermilab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory) near Chicago directs the neutrinos to a facility built underground in the Soudan Mine. Because of how neutrinos operate, the beam between these two sites can travel below the curved surface of the planet, including through Lake Superior. This setup, known as MINOS (main injector neutrino oscillation search), is able to discover a few neutrinos a week, which has allowed for further research. Another operation at the North Pole uses a facility in ice, while an operation off the coast of Sicily in the Mediterranean is underwater, both to detect neutrinos coming from space. The proposed setup in Two Harbors will use a similar method of connecting to a collection of sensors located deep in Lake Superior to attempt to observe the beam of neutrinos from Fermilab traveling through the water. The experiment is a collaboration between UMD, Brookhaven National Lab, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute at MIT, the Physical Science Lab at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Drexel University, and Northop Grumman.
Detectors and cables will be deployed in early November, and the experiment will run until the beam at Fermilab is decommissioned in March 2027. Afterwards, the materials will be recovered for use elsewhere, though the cables will stay for possible use in further studies in Lake Superior. He ended his talk with a thank you to Two Harbors, with his final slide stating that “with your help, we get to try doing something no one has ever done before.” Council member Glaser’s question of whether Two Harbors science students would have an opportunity to engage with the project was met with enthusiasm from Habig: “We’d love to go talk to them.”
Committee Reports this session were brief, with Trees & Trails’ April meeting largely about planting new trees, especially in Lakeview Park; Planning and Zoning, meanwhile, is discussing possible changes in the Chapter 11 Ordinance involving removing R1 Zoning.
Earlier during the Agenda Meeting, Finance Director Miranda Pietila (sitting in for City Administrator Patty Nordean) introduced new Public Works Director Mark Rauenhorst. City Planner Sarah Swedburg reported working with other city officials on a scope for the City’s Park Plan, including how to prioritize funding among different city groups. The Plan will be largely handled by the Public Affairs Committee, though Council member Erikson requested that the plan be run by the Recreation Board as well before being presented to the Council for approval. There are also plans to update parking for short-term rentals.
City Engineer Andy Brotzler gave updates on the timeline for the 2024-25 street projects. The project start date has been pushed back and is now due to begin on May 18th. The 15th Street and Alley Project will start as early as late May and is due to be completed by the end of July. After the 15th’s completion, the contractor will begin work on the 4th Street Watermain Replacement Project, which should extend through the rest of the summer and be completed this autumn. The Lighthouse Point Road Project is anticipated to have bids ready for the Council’s approval during their first meeting on June 8th.
Nick Grahek of Bolton and Menk gave more details on a new business item approved this session, regarding preliminary design services for the proposed Runway 6/24 Rehabilitation and Lighting System Reconstruction Project at the Two Harbors Municipal Airport. According to Grahek, these services will include a “Geotechnical Investigation, our survey work for the design, as well as assessment of the runway safety areas.” Final design will be available later this year, with bids coming in Spring 2027.
There was also a bit of a strained topic at hand as the Mayor discussed the timing of the DNR land transfer at Agate Bay, which the DNR had described in an article for the Minnesota Star Tribune as not being until 2027. This came as a surprise to the Council and Mayor, who had hopes of the transfer this year. This comes three years after legislation was passed to transfer the Waterfront land from the DNR to the City of Two Harbors, with the Council finally agreeing to the transfer in late March this year. The Mayor and Council plan to seek more information and a way to expedite the transfer. “I just feel like we need to have this pushed,” Mayor Conner said. Council members Erikson, Heil, and Glaser shared his discontent, with Glaser stating, “I would like to see a group rather than just one person having the conversation” on figuring out a way to push forward on the process. In response to questions on whether to delay grants and other in-process preparations, the Mayor stated, “I don’t think we should cease any planning that we’re doing already. The dollars are there, they’ve been funded, they’ve been approved. I think we need to keep the ball rolling forward, assuming we’re going to get the land.”
Consent agenda items approved included: a quote for interior work for the campground building from Lambe Homes; a quote for relocation of gas main services near the anticipated roundabout on 16th street and Highway 61 from Gulbranson’s; and a special event permit for the Twin Ports Youth Rugby Jamboree on May 30th at the old football field near Burlington Bay.
New Business items approved not yet noted included Bolton & Menk’s assistance with the development of updated design standards for public infrastructure projects; the approval of the Two Harbors Twelfth Addition Final Plat, which includes the location of the Shepherd of the Lake Church; support for a grant application to the Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Council to help cover engineering and design plans for the wetlands park area of the Agate Bay waterfront; accepting proposals for a new mural on the Bandshell cover and a utility box cover for Thomas Owens (Bandshell) Park. The Council’s unofficial response to a call for Bandshell cover and utility box art suggestions? Neutrinos!
