Boreal Access

At the Grand Marais Park Board meeting on Tuesday, May 6, 2008, Recreation Park Manager Chuck Carbert shared some bad news about the Grand Marais Municipal Swimming Pool building. The building, plagued with maintenance issues in recent years, has a new problem. Carbert said there is an approximately six to eight-foot bow in the wall on the south side of the structure where the siding and sheathing has become detached from the studs. At the Grand Marais City Council meeting on Wednesday, May 14, the council approved up to $10,000 for the repair.
At the Park Board meeting, Carbert said the problem “goes back to our moisture issues.” He said he had no idea what the cost would be until a contractor opened up the exterior wall, but added, “We have to get it fixed.”
Park board members asked if the repair would require closing the swimming pool, and Carbert again said he didn’t know. “If we don’t have to remove any of the tongue and groove inside, probably not. But at this point, we don’t know if these are load-bearing walls. We won’t close if we don’t have to.”
At the subsequent City Council meeting, councilors learned that Carbert had acquired estimates ranging from $6,000 - $14,000.
City Administrator Mike Roth said the estimates include taking off the damaged siding and underlayment, replacing the studs, and putting on new T-1 siding. Roth recommended approving up to $10,000 for the repair.
Pool manager Charles Christianson reported that pool use is down a little bit from 2007, with about 140 fewer visitors, but he said an upcoming swimming ticket sale should boost sales.