What hapened at the Wed Three Bays meeting ?

[StillFishin']

Anyone who atteneded care to comment what whent on?

StillFishin'

[JMWalleyes]

Way to go Terry and Gary...keep givin em h***!

This is reprinted from the Timberjay

Thursday, December 16, 2001904 Volume 15, Issue 51

Forsman vows to support Breitung plan

By Marshall Helmberger

About 50 Lake Vermilion area residents gave a clear message to county officials Wednesday night ? U.S. Steel?s proposed development plan is too dense, and threatens fish spawning and the scenic beauty of the lake?s remote east end.

Commissioner Mike Forsman, after hearing plenty of criticism at Wednesday?s public meeting at the Tower Civic Center, pledged that he wouldn?t support more than 64 lakeshore lots in the development, which he said was the most the county could allow under current ordinance. U.S. Steel?s proposal calls for 73 lakeshore lots, most of them far smaller than the 300 front foot minimum called for under the Tower-Breitung Comprehensive Plan.

But Forsman also warned area residents that U.S. Steel was a big company that could afford to play rough if it didn?t get its way? and he said the company has already threatened county officials about possible reprisals. ?They?ve threatened to eliminate our trail permits,? said Forsman, noting that such an action could have serious repercussions for the recreational trails, including snowmobile, hiking, and biking trails, across northern St. Louis County. ?It?s not an idle threat,? he said. ?More of the Mesabi Trail goes across U.S. Steel land than any other.?

Forsman said those threats prompted him to make changes in the Breitung plan, by retaining some SMU zoning in Armstrong Bay, in order to head off such an action. ?Sometimes you can?t bite the hand that feeds you,? Forsman said.

?Does that mean we?re going to knuckle under to U.S. Steel,? asked Breitung resident Chuck Tekautz. ?We didn?t knuckle under to them,? said Forsman. ?We did limit their development capability there,? Forsman added, pointing to the Breitung plan.

An U.S. Steel spokesperson in Pittsburgh, John Armstrong, denied that the company has sought to use recreational trail permits as leverage with the county. ?Nothing could be further from the truth,? he said. ?We originally had 50 parcels in the Mesabi Trail system, and have been adding parcels, including on our Vermilion property. We are strong supporters of the trail, and any other indication would be innaccurate,? he said.

Forsman acknowledged on Thursday that he had heard about U.S. Steel?s threat indirectly, from another county commissioner. He said at the time he had assumed the information was accurate.

The question of why the county seems supportive of U.S. Steel?s plan was of less concern to local residents. They were more upset that the county seems willing to amend the Breitung plan to allow U.S. Steel to develop far smaller lakeshore lots than would be allowed under current ordinance. County planning officials have stated publicly that they are supportive of U.S. Steel?s development plan, stating they believe it is a better plan than what is possible under a traditional sub-division.

But Phil Bakken, a Breitung resident who served on the comprehensive planning effort, wasn?t buying it. He said residents clearly stated that lakeshore density was their number one concern. ?I think there?s a huge disparity between what people want to see in terms of density and what?s been proposed,? he said. ?I?m certainly not opposed to development, but it insults our intelligence to say this plan is better. This is not what we had intended,? he said, to loud applause from the audience.

Gary Kvitek, a Vermilion fishing guide, said Vermilion would be losing one of its most popular attractions, the lake?s largely undeveloped east end. He said visitors and anglers flock to the east end for its scenic value and quality fishing. ?This is the most beautiful part of Vermilion,? he said. Kvitek argued that a sharp increase in the number of docks, boat traffic, and related water structures, would have a serious impact on spawning areas in the shallow bays in the area. ?To me this is a catastrophe,? he said.

Terry Sjoberg, another local fishing guide, called the spawning areas in Armstrong Bay critical to the Vermilion fishery. ?I can?t stress enough how important this area is for the fishing,? he said.

Tower Mayor Steve Abrahamson said the idea behind the Tower-Breitung plan was to maintain the quality of the shoreline, something he said wouldn?t happen under the U.S. Steel plan. ?The beauty will be gone,? he said.

That beauty is one of the lake?s main drawing cards for visitors, said Tower resident Judy Reinhardt. ?Fishermen and houseboaters come from all across the lake to the east end, because that?s where the lake gives them the open space and fresh air they come here for,? she said. ?If we develop it like this, we will lose it.?

John Aronson, a lifelong lake resident, said water quality on the lake?s east end is more vulnerable to pollution because water remains there much longer than in other parts of the lake which are flushed more quickly by lake currents.

Ellen Hintz expressed frustration that lake residents must continually voice their concerns about overly-dense development, even as plans are developed to head off the problems. ?I don?t understand how many more times we have to tell you how we feel before you?ll enforce it,? she said. ?Why are we even here tonight?? she asked. ?Why did the county agree to consider this??

County Planning Director Barb Hayden said the Tower-Breitung plan didn?t prohibit development.

Forsman, who was criticized at points in the meeting for not representing local views on the issue, said he was listening closely to the concerns of local residents. ?What you say is important. I pledge that I will not support a plan that goes beyond the most that?s allowed under the current [Tower-Breitung] plan. And that?s based on what I?ve heard here tonight. I can?t make U.S. Steel do what we want, but I?ll do the best I can.?

At the same time, Forsman said he may still support a planned unit development (PUD), as long as it complies with the current ordinance.

That idea seemed acceptable to many. Breitung Supervisor Rod McPeak, said an amended PUD proposal by U.S. Steel could allow a ?win-win? for everyone.

The county is slated to complete a scoping environmental assessment worksheet by February. At that point, the county?s planning commission will have to decide how to proceed with further environmental review of the project.

[HansB]

Thanks to all who were there to look out for the interests of the lake.

[TomWehler]

Great job everyone.

Thanks a Zillion.

Tom