One of the top priorities that the Two Harbors City Council has identified for the immediate future is addressing the need for affordable housing. To that end, the council has asked Mayor Lew Conner and Council Vice President Cathy Erickson to focus on developing plans to address this need. They will likely begin to look at potential funding sources and possible locations where housing can be built. Now that the State Legislature has provided funds for local projects, the council is anxious to move beyond the discussion stage, to actually start the process of meeting this important need.
Jeff Anderson, Government and Public Affairs Consultant at the Costin Group, was on hand to give the Council a legislative update. He summarized the work that was done during the last legislative session and highlighted the various ways that Two Harbors and Lake County will be benefiting from the work of Senator Grant Hauschild and Representative Natalie Zelenikar. There will be an increase in government aid for the city that includes $8 million for the school construction projects that Lake Superior School District has undertaken, $11 million for the Highway 61 project, money to help support area nursing homes, and to continue to develop the GitchiGami Trail. Additionally, Anderson said a rail road development project that had been scrapped when Republicans controlled the legislature, is back on the table. While details of this project are still being discussed, it appears that the overall plan is to improve public access to rail transportation across the state including between Duluth and Two Harbors.
Tara Solem, District Manager for the Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District, spoke with the Council about concerns over storm water runoff into Agate Bay, Burling-ton Bay and Skunk Creek. There is evidence that e coli bacteria is present in each of these waterways. Solem outlined a number of mitigation methods that can be employed to address this concern and the Council will be in discussion with Lake County Soil and Water on how best to proceed. This issue will be discussed again at the next Council meeting on June 26th.
The Council authorized the execution of a grant agreement between the City and MND-OT for maintenance and operational expenditures at the Airport.
Finally, the Council approved the recommendation of the Planning Commission to approve the request of Burlington Express Hospitality LLC (BEH) for a variance from the building height standards as outlined in City Code Section 11.40. BEH is planning on building a 94 unit hotel on a 1.80 acre site along the B-1 Highway Business District.
