Posted on August 26, 2020
Duluth will invest nearly $4.7 million to shore up the Lakewalk and extend it through Kitchi Gammi Park.
Duluth city councilors unanimously voted Monday night to repair and fortify the Lakewalk in hopes that the improved path will be better suited to withstand the sorts of punishing storms that have occurred with greater frequency in recent years.
The council authorized city staff to issue and sell $4.5 million in general obligation bonds to provide local matching funds for a three-phase project intended to make the Lakewalk more durable and resilient, after the paved trail and boardwalk have sustained repeated storm damage. Those local dollars will leverage more than three times as much state and federal funding for a project that’s expected to cost a total of about $20 million, according to Wayne Parson, Duluth’s finance director.
To cover the cost of the bonds, Parson said the city likely will need to increase its property tax levy by 1%.
“If we delayed this project, I think it would be cutting off our nose to spite our face, given the implications for not only our tourism industry but also the chance that the bids would go through the roof if we had waited another year,” said at large Councilor Arik Forsman. “This is clearly a gem of our city, and the way that it has been redone is just beautiful, and I know that it’s going to last for many years to come.”
By an 8-1 vote, the council also signed off on the first phase of a project to improve Brighton Beach, home to Kitchi Gammi Park, which has endured repeated storm damage, as well.
A federal grant will cover $375,000 of the cost, leaving the city to pay $178,500. This first phase will extend the Lakewalk, separating pedestrians and bicyclists from motorized traffic. At present, the Lakewalk simply spills out onto Brighton Beach Road, causing motorized and nonmotorized traffic to intermix.
The next phase of the project will involve reconstructing Brighton Beach Road and reorienting it so it will be less susceptible to storm damage. Funding for that second phase still needs to be lined up, but the city has a few options it can pursue, said Jim Filby Williams, Duluth’s director of parks, properties and libraries.
Once the first phase of work at Brighton Beach begins, motorized vehicles will be unable to enter the park, and Filby Williams said access will not be restored until the second phase is completed.
People hang out on the rocks at Brighton Beach along the shore of Lake Superior Monday afternoon, Aug. 24. (Jed Carlson / jcarlson@superiortelegram.com)
At large Councilor Derek Medved voted against funding the work at Brighton Beach, citing the lack of a clear path forward for the second phase of the project. He also pointed to the financial difficulties the city faces during this pandemic, saying: “I will not be supporting this tonight due to the fact of the unprecedented times we’re in.”
Filby Williams warned that if the city did not move forward, it would be placing federal funding for the project at risk, as well as damaging the prospects of obtaining additional support.
Speaking in favor of the project, 2nd District Councilor Joel Sipress noted that federal funds will cover the majority of the cost. “This is really about preserving a really important city asset — Brighton Beach — from the damage that the changing behavior of Lake Superior is causing,” he said.
1 / 3
Ben Fleming, 5, of Duluth, tosses a rock into Lake Superior at Brighton Beach on Monday afternoon, Aug. 24. (Jed Carlson / jcarlson@superiortelegram.com)
Source: duluthnewstribune
