Cancer Survivors at the Relay were Sharon Vogel, Jim Drouillard, Dottie Griffith, W. Richard Cann, Kathie Swader, and Mayme Swader. Cancer survivors took the first lap at the Cook County Relay for Life in Grand Portage on Saturday, July 12. Grand Portage celebrates and remembers with Relay for Life Jane Howard A great big wind blew the sunshine away on Saturday, July 12, 2008, but that didn’t stop Grand Portage residents from celebrating with those who have survived cancer and remembering those who have not. Held at the Grand Portage Community Center, the 2008 Relay for Life raised money for the American Cancer Society (ACS), a national leader in research on cancer prevention and treatment. ACS also provides support, information, and services to cancer patients. Lisa Dahmen, Tamarie Oberg, and Lynn Spry of Grand Portage Health services organized the relay, bringing in everything from bands to personalized t-shirts to Indian tacos. The fundraiser brought in $2,184 after expenses. Brittany Deschampe was the winner of a 50/50 drawing, which brought in $157 for Brittany and $157 for the American Cancer Society. Most, if not all, of the people who attended the event have been touched by cancer. “I’m just really passionate about it,” said Dahmen. “I’ve had a lot of family members who have had cancer.” Both Portage Creek and the Portage Band provided music – outside for a while and then inside when the rain hit. When they weren’t playing, Butch Deschampe and Arvid Dahl of the Portage Band slowly circled a long line of luminaries (white bags decorated in honor or memory of loved ones who have had cancer). They paused at each one, sharing memories of times they had with the person whose name was on the bag. One of the luminaries remembered Denise Dahmen, who died of leukemia in 1976 when she was four months old. Her mother, Barb Dahmen, said Denise had developed cold-like symptoms and died within three days of being hospitalized. Barb said her grief was so great she couldn’t even talk about Denise for 10 years. A number of cancer survivors attended the event, celebrating their successful battle with cancer. Kathie Swader had cancer in 1989 and lives a cancer-free life now. She and her two sisters have all had cervical cancer. Kathie’s mother-in-law, Mayme Swader, had a cancerous portion of her lung removed a few months ago. She is already out walking as far as a mile. An ATV brigade traveled all the way from the Gunflint Trail to Grand Portage in support of the American Cancer Society. They raised funds as part of the Polaris Challenge, which awards matching grants to ATV clubs which have raised a certain amount of money for ACS. The Cook County ATV Club is still trying to reach the $1000 mark in order to get the match. Ten riders on eight ATVs comprised only half of the group that participated in the Polaris Challenge, stopping at Tom Lake for a barbecue. The entire ride to and from Tom Lake took only about 2 hours. Sawtooth Mountain Clinic nurse practitioner Lisa Zaller greeted old friends made during the time she worked at Grand Portage Health Services and gave a speech on cancer prevention. Zaller offered five tips on preventing cancer: 1. Stop smoking. 2. Maintain a healthy body weight with diet and exercise. 3. Check into new immunizations that are available for people in certain risk groups. 4. Get a hepatitis B vaccine, which can also aid in the prevention of cancer. 5. Be aware of your family history: Prostate, breast, and colon cancers run in families. 6. Schedule regular cancer screenings such as mammograms, skin examinations, Pap tests, and colonoscopies. Zaller said she has some very interesting conversations with patients in the exam room regarding their willingness to undergo certain cancer screenings. Men especially don’t like the prostate exam, she said. “These exams are not very fun, but they save lives. …The earlier we detect cancer, the better the chances of survival.” Regarding the dreaded colonoscopy, master of ceremonies Stuart Oberg said, “The colonoscopy screening isn’t really that bad. They give you good drugs!” Zaller recognized Jim Drouillard of Grand Portage, who has survived cancer five times. When evening was upon them, participants held a moment of silence in honor of those who have lost their lives to cancer. Thanks to research and education on cancer prevention and treatment, many lives have been saved. City Attorney Don Davison disciplined Rhonda Silence On July 8, the Minnesota Supreme Court announced that Grand Marais attorney Donald B. Davison has been reprimanded and placed on two years probation. The Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility (OLPR) issued the reprimand after reviewing allegations that Davison “committed professional misconduct warranting public discipline, namely, neglect of a client matter resulting in entry of judgment and imposition of monetary sanctions against respondent’s [Davison’s] client, and failure to cooperate with the Director’s investigation of the matter.” Davison, who was admitted to practice law in Minnesota on October 1, 1976, attended a hearing with OLPR Director Martin A. Cole and agreed to abide by the conditions of probation. During the two-year probation period, Davison will be subject to supervision by a licensed Minnesota attorney. Within 10 days of agreeing to represent a client, whether paid or pro bono, Davison must notify the OLPR with the names of two attorneys who have agreed to serve as his supervisor. Davison must cooperate fully with the supervisor, scheduling a minimum of one in-person meeting per calendar quarter. Davison was also instructed to initiate and maintain office procedures that ensure prompt responses to correspondence, telephone calls, and other important communications from clients and the court. Davison must also pay $900 in costs. The disciplinary action was made in response to a complaint by Larry Boen of Grand Marais, who was defended by Davison in a breach of contract lawsuit in 2004. In a phone interview, Davison said, “This is someone that I represented without a fee. I received no remuneration for this.” In that case, the petition for disciplinary action states that Davison failed to respond to inquiries from the other party’s attorney and failed to inform Boen of progress on the case, including informing him that summary judgment had been made against him. The court ultimately began garnishment actions against Boen and in December 2005, Boen entered into a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs. Davison was also reprimanded for not responding or providing information to the OLPR despite seven letters and several telephone calls requesting that information. In the petition for disciplinary action, it was noted that Davison was also issued private admonitions on September 26, 1989 and December 2, 2002 for failure to exercise diligence in representing a client and failure to communicate with a client. The requirement for supervision of interaction with clients does not apply to Davison’s work as Grand Marais city attorney. Davison is contracted to handle legal matters for the city at a rate of $80 per hour. Reached by phone, Director Cole said Davison’s work with the city is exempted because he is already being supervised by the city council. However, the council could choose to terminate its relationship with Davison. In response to a phone inquiry, Mayor Evelyn Larsen said the council was surprised to hear of the disciplinary action. “None of us knew this was coming. It was news to us,” she said. Davison said he did write the council to inform them about the disciplinary action, but said the press release about the matter was issued before they received it. Larsen declined further comment, noting that “whatever does or doesn’t happen is council action.” More noise about noise Carah Thomas-Maskell Only one citizen weighed in on the ongoing noise ordinance debate during the open forum segment of the Grand Marais City Council’s Wednesday, July 9 meeting. Hal Greenwood addressed the council, saying that he felt it would be fine to restrict outdoor music after closing hours, but that anything else would be “punitive to the businesses that are working and struggling here in town.” Later in the meeting, during discussions regarding the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival, councilor Tim Kennedy said he felt the council should address the issue of noise and set some standards so that businesses know what to expect and law enforcement has some clear direction. “I don’t have a problem with having live music until eleven o’clock,” said Kennedy, “but I know some people do. If they knew the music was going to end at eleven o’clock, at least they might have some tolerance to, you know, not complain before that.” Referring to the outdoor movie shown in Harbor Park on Thursday, June 3, sponsored by the Grand Marais Chamber of Commerce and approved by the city council, Kennedy said that it had been very loud and while he didn’t have a problem with it, complaints had been made. “I think if we’re going to allow these kinds of things to happen, which to me makes a lot of sense,” said Kennedy, “we ought to have some standards in place to recognize that there is going to be sound and noise above what would be normally heard that time of day or night.” “People should understand if we’re allowing that kind of noise to happen that there’s an end to that kind of noise too. And not that it’s going to happen all night long.” In regards to the Dragon Boat Festival, Kennedy said that once again, the council is allowing a festival to take place that will have outdoor music and that fact should be recognized, so that if law enforcement receives complaints, they will know that the city has given authorization for it to happen. “I just think that we need to be clear in what we’re doing here, because there have been complaints,” said Kennedy. City Administrator Mike Roth commented that there had been very few complaints made to city hall regarding noise. “Our complaints we’re receiving in city hall really aren’t even significant at this point,” he said. Mayor Larsen said that she had received only two calls regarding noise. One call was from a gentleman in the recreation park complaining about loud music coming from the Birch Terrace on a Saturday afternoon at 3:29 p.m. Larsen said she attempted to locate the gentleman but was told by park staff that there was no one registered by that name. She also said that while in the park she found the music to be anything but loud. “It was one man,” said Larsen, “playing on a keyboard, and he played from…twelve until three-thirty, four o’clock in the afternoon.” She added that there is no live music outside at the Birch after four o’clock in the afternoon. Larsen said that the other call she received was from a downtown resident who said that she and her husband “absolutely love the music…and enjoy every bit of it.” Existing noise ordinance “generic” During last year’s summer season in Grand Marais, there were a small number of complaints called in to law enforcement regarding outdoor musical performances. In one case a Cook County Sheriff’s deputy arrived at a 50th wedding anniversary gathering at a private home in downtown Grand Marais at 10:00 p.m. In another case, a rooftop bar musical performance by the local band Bump and the Boys at the Gun Flint Tavern in downtown Grand Marais was shut down by a Cook County Sheriff’s deputy at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday night of Labor Day weekend. According to Gun Flint Tavern owners Jeff and Susan Gecas, the deputy who ordered the music to be shut down gave the business owners no option to turn down the volume and continue the performance, causing patrons to depart and a financial loss to the business. “They threatened me with arrest if I didn’t shut it down,” said Jeff Gecas. Because of those complaints and the resulting responses from law enforcement, the mayor and city council took a look earlier this year at what the city’s current ordinances are regarding noise. It was discovered that while there was a noise ordinance on the city’s books from 2004, it had never been published and therefore was not in effect. The Council subsequently voted to publish the 2004 ordinance in order to have at least something on the books to assist in dealing with future noise complaints. However, in a city council work session held June 11, 2008 to discuss the ongoing noise issue, councilor Tim Kennedy described the city’s existing city noise ordinance as “very generic. ” “To me it creates more problems than it solves,” said Kennedy. “If you want to stop all noise, you can cite people for making noise, but I don’t think that’s what we’re trying to do…” Ultimately, no action was taken by the council at its July 9 meeting to amend or clarify the city’s current noise ordinance, which reads, in part: S. 46-9. Noise as a public nuisance. (a) Generally. (1) “Unless otherwise permitted by the city council, it shall be unlawful for any person to make, continue, permit or cause to be made, continued or permitted within the city, any loud, disturbing or excessive noise which would be likely to cause significant discomfort or annoyance to a reasonable person of ordinary sensitivities in the area.” (2) “The characteristics and conditions which shall be considered in determining whether a noise is loud, disturbing or excessive for the purpose of paragraph (a) of this section, shall include, without limitation, the following: a. The time of day or night when the noise occurs. b. The duration of the noise. c. The proximity of the noise to a sleeping facility and/or a residential area. d. The land use, nature and zoning of the area from which the noise emanates and the area where it is perceived. e) the number of people and their activities that are affected or are likely to be affected by the noise. f. The sound peak pressure level of the noise, in comparison to the level of ambient noise. (b) Noisy assembly. (1) Defined. The term “noisy assembly” shall mean a gathering of more than one person in a residentially zoned or used area or building that would be likely to cause significant discomfort or annoyance to a reasonable person of ordinary sensitivities present in the area, considering the time of day and the residential character of the area, due to loud, disturbing or excessive noise. (2) Permitting noisy assembly. It shall be a violation of this section for any person having dominion, care or control of a residentially zoned or used area or building knowingly to permit a noisy assembly. (3) Remaining at a noisy assembly. It shall be a violation of this section to participate in, visit or remain at a gathering knowing or having reason to know that the gathering is a noisy assembly, except any person(s) who have come to the gathering for the sole purpose of abating the noisy assembly. (d) Amplified sound. It shall be a violation of this section to play, operate or permit the playing, use or operation of any radio, tape player, disc player, loud speaker or other electronic device used for the amplification of sound, unless otherwise permitted by law, located inside or outside, the sound of which carries to points of habitation or adjacent properties, and is audible above the level of conversational speech at a distance of fifty (50) feet or more from the point of origin of the amplified sound. S. 46-10 Penalties. (1) A violation of any section of this chapter is a misdemeanor, and a sentence of not more than ninety (90) days in jail, or a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), or both, may be imposed. (2.) Each day a violation of this ordinance is committed or permitted to continue shall constitute a separate offense and may be punished separately. (3.) This chapter may also be enforced by civil injunction. Staff photo/Jane Howard Jan Beberg of Cloquet and Grand Marais and her sister, Kathy Bergman of Carlton, enjoyed looking at the quilts displayed by the Sawtooth Mountain Quilters on Saturday, July 12. The women are standing in front of a beautiful quilt made by Carol Harris. Unorganized Territory Baby boomers want warm water A few months ago, the Joint Recreation Powers Board submitted a report regarding the history and possible future of the Grand Marais Municipal Swimming Pool. Not much has happened since then. A few joint governmental meetings were held but no consensus on how to handle the problem of our deteriorating municipal swimming pool was reached. I can’t say I’m disappointed that nothing has happened, because I was disappointed in a key recommendation of the Joint Recreation Board. I applaud the folks on the board for the great job they did compiling historic information about our swimming pool. They spent a lot of time talking to pool managers at facilities around the region about what works and what doesn’t. They collected old swimming pool user surveys. They did a lot of work and I agree wholeheartedly with most of the recommendations. They state that a large waterpark complex does not seem to be necessary or viable. As much as I would like to see a pool with a float-tube lazy river and multiple waterslides, I can’t imagine that such an attraction would get enough business to pay for itself. The addition of a single slide was found to be sensible, and I agree. I also agree that the pool should have a shallow depth area for young children. Having tried to teach kids to swim, I know that it is much easier if there is a knee-deep area to start from. Jumping into a pool that is over the head is pretty darn scary. And also not much fun. A shallow depth area allows all members of the family to play together and learning to swim happens naturally. But the Joint Recreation Board and I part ways when they note that a “therapy pool, to be used for medical and rehabilitation purposes does not appear to be justified.” The report states that the construction, maintenance, and supervision of a separate pool would be cost-prohibitive. The report explains that a separate area is necessary for confidentiality purposes. As someone who benefited from a therapy pool last winter, I strongly disagree, both with the assertion that such a pool is not needed—and that it has to be private. The ability to exercise in warm water when you cannot move is priceless. I am positive that being able to move without gravity helped my recovery immensely. There are hundreds of people—with arthritis, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, paralysis and other debilitating illnesses that cannot exercise at our Fitness Centers. There are hundreds of people recuperating from auto accidents or knee or hip replacements that would benefit from exercising in warm water. The buoyancy of the water, combined with its soothing warmth, is miraculous. When I was released from rehab at Miller Dwan Medical Center, I began exercising at the Grand Marais Municipal Pool. I needed to be able to move in water, but the cooler water of our pool was torture. Fortunately, I was recuperating and eventually my tolerance returned, but those first visits were incredibly hard. I’m very lucky. My body has healed enough to withstand exercise in cooler temps. But there are hundreds of folks who can’t, because of age and/or disability. And with the number of aging baby boomers, those numbers are growing. I don’t think a separate area needs to be created; walled off from a main pool area. The people who need warm water therapy probably don’t care if they see others or others see them. I know I didn’t care. I just wanted to once again feel the freedom of movement I once felt. The Grand Marais pool staff has tried to accommodate folks like me and they keep the pool temperature at around 82-degrees. Unfortunately, for the robust, healthy, people who like to swim laps, that is uncomfortably warm. So because of the compromise, no one is happy. Before a decision is made ruling out a therapy pool, I urge our governmental leaders to reach out to the older folks in Cook County and perhaps to those enrolled in physical therapy programs at the hospital. Find out if there is a need. I’m sure there is. If another pool facility is built, whether it is at the current Rec Park site or at the Community Center, if there is once again one pool, with one temperature, the situation will be the same. No one will be satisfied—not those who need the pool for therapy, or those who use the pool for physical fitness. And for this caliber of community investment, we need to get it right. A healthy body is a guest chamber for the soul; a sick body is a prison. Francis Bacon