Grand Rapids Comprehensive Plan Appendix

Transcription

Grand Rapids
Comprehensive Plan
Appendix
Arrowhead Regional
Development Commission
October 2003
A
PPENDIX
TABLE OF CONTENTS
APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND REPORTS
PLANNING PROCESS.....................................................................................................................A1
Section 1.1: Component I ..............................................................................................A1
Section 1.2: Component II.............................................................................................A4
Section 1.3: Component III ...........................................................................................A5
Section 1.4: Component IV ...........................................................................................A5
Section 1.5: Authority....................................................................................................A6
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS .................................................................................................A7
Section 2.1: Population..................................................................................................A7
COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES BACKGROUND REPORT .............................................A12
Section 3.1: Utilities and Services ..............................................................................A12
Section 3.1.1: Publicly Provided Utilities .....................................................A13
Section 3.1.2: Privately Provided Utilities....................................................A18
Section 3.2: Emergency Services ................................................................................A20
Section 3.3: Education ................................................................................................A25
Section 3.4: Education .................................................................................................A27
Section 3.5: Parks and Recreation:.............................................................................A28
Section 3.6: Human Services ......................................................................................A32
GRAND RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Page Ai
TRANSPORTATION BACKGROUND REPORT ...............................................................................A37
Section 4.1: Previous Transportation Planning in Grand Rapids .........................A37
Section 4.2: City Walkability ......................................................................................A39
Section 4.3: Bicycle Facilities ......................................................................................A46
Section 4.4: Transit.......................................................................................................A48
Section 4.5: Airport ......................................................................................................A49
Section 4.6: Roads ........................................................................................................A51
Section 4.7: Rail Travel................................................................................................A60
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND REPORT .................................................................A62
Section 5.1: Previous Efforts.......................................................................................A62
Section 5.1.1: The Industry Cluster Approach.............................................A62
Section 5.1.2: Synergies Between the Forest Product and
Tourism Clusters .....................................................................A65
Section 5.1.3: Itasca County Economic Summit ..........................................A66
Section 5.1.4: Jobs 2020:...................................................................................A69
Section 5.2: Economic Trends ....................................................................................A86
Section 5.2.1: Major Itasca County Employers ............................................A86
Section 5.2.2: Occupation................................................................................A87
Section 5.2.3: Unemployment ........................................................................A90
Section 5.2.4: Jobs.............................................................................................A91
Section 5.2.5: Educational Attainment..........................................................A94
Section 5.2.6: Community Finances ..............................................................A96
Page Aii
Section 5.2.7: Industrial Sites..........................................................................A97
Section 5.2.8: Area Economic Development Services.................................A97
Section 5.3: Economic Base.........................................................................................A98
Section 5.3.1: Location Quotient...................................................................A99
Section 5.3.2: Shift Share Analysis...............................................................A103
Land Use .................................................................................................................................A111
Section 6.1: Existing Land Use Analysis.................................................................A111
Section 6.1.1: Land Use and Zoning............................................................A111
Section 6.2: Land Use Categories and Guidelines for Annexation Areas ........A117
Section 6.2.1 ....................................................................................................A118
Section 6.2.2: Annexation Area Zoning District Standards .....................A121
APPENDIX B: COMMUNITY SURVEY REPORT
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................B1
Quantitative Questions ..............................................................................................................B1
Question 1: Which quadrant of the city do you live in? ........................................B1
Question 2: How do you use your property? ..........................................................B2
Question 4: Do you own or rent your property? ...................................................B2
Question 5: Please rate your attitude toward the
following transportation issues in Grand Rapids.............................B3
Page Aiii
Question 7: Would you support rezoning the area west of
the current Blandin Mill for a possible future
expansion of Blandin Paper Co. & related industries? .....................B5
Question 8: What type of development should
there be in the area around the new library?......................................B6
Question 9: What is your opinion of the overall
appearance of housing in Grand Rapids?...........................................B7
Question 10: Please rate your level of
satisfaction with the following services. . ...........................................B7
Question 11: What is the most appropriate way to address traffic
congestion and safety concerns on TH2 in Grand Rapids?..............B9
Question 12: What would you like to see
on TH169, south of Home Depot?......................................................B10
Question 13: How should the area on the west side of Pokegama
Ave. between McDonald's and Sawmill Inn be used for?..............B10
Question 14: Please rate your opinions of the following statements: ...................B10
Question 15 : What should be on the land
where the current hospital is located?...............................................B13
Question 16 - What should be on the land
where the old Middle School is located?...........................................B13
Question 17: Do you feel there is an adequate
amount of affordable housing in Grand Rapids? ............................B14
Question 18: What type of housing do you
feel is needed in Grand Rapids?.........................................................B14
Question 19: If you are a business owner,
what factors limit your ability to expand in Grand Rapids?..........B16
Question 23: Should the downtown business district expand, even if in means
expanding north into what is currently a residential area? ...........B17
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Question 24: How many people in your household
use the following means of transportation to work/school...........B17
Question 25: Would you support the following
as ways to pay for local roadway
improvements if assessments were eliminated?..............................B18
Question 26: Please rate your attitude about
using the following methods to enable
pedestrian and bicycle travel within Grand Rapids:.......................B19
Question 28: How many people live in your household, including
yourself (please fill in the number in each group)?.........................B21
Question 29: What is your current before tax yearly household income? ..........B22
QUALITATIVE QUESTIONS...........................................................................................................B23
Question 3a:
If you are a resident, please describe
what you like about your neighborhood .......................................B23
Question 3b:
What should be improved or
changed with regard to your neighborhood? ...............................B28
Question 6a:
Please list two reasons why you like living in Grand Rapids.....B33
Question 6B:
Please list two things that should be improved or changed .......B42
Question 20a: What is your solution for the primary
limiting factor noted in question 18? ..............................................B51
Question 20b: If you are a business owner, what are the existing
factors that allow your business to be successful today? ............B53
Question 21a: What one or more services do you regularly
seek from outside the greater Grand Rapids area? ......................B54
Question 21b: Why?....................................................................................................B56
Question 22a: What one or more products do you consistently
purchase outside of the greater Grand Rapids area? ...................B59
Question 22b: Why? .....................................................................................................B62
Page Av
Question 27: Please describe your vision of Grand Rapids
10 to 20 years from now. What would you like Grand
Rapids to look like and what attributes should it have?...............B65
Question 30: Please feel free to comment on any question
included in this survey or on the survey as a whole .....................B76
SURVEY COVER LETTER FROM MAYOR SUSAN ZEIGE ...................................................B83
QUADRANT MAP ............................................................................................................B84
SURVEY INSTRUMENT ......................................................................................................B85
APPENDIX C: COMMUNITY MEETING REPORT: FIRST COMMUNITY MEETING
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ C1
MEETING PROCESS ....................................................................................................................... C2
MEETING RESULTS ....................................................................................................................... C5
SE Quadrant Neighborhood Meeting......................................................................... C5
SW Quadrant Neighborhood Meeting ....................................................................... C8
NE Quadrant Neighborhood Meeting ..................................................................... C12
NW Quadrant Neighborhood Meeting.................................................................... C17
DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................ C24
Special Place................................................................................................................ C24
Community Values .................................................................................................... C24
Issue Identification..................................................................................................... C24
Community Vision..................................................................................................... C25
Page Avi
APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND REPORTS
P
LANNING PROCESS
SECTION 1: PLANNING PROCESS
The Grand Rapids Comprehensive Planning Process began in November of 2002 and
consisted of four discrete process components. The first component involved
establishing membership of the planning committees, the development of a planning
manual for distribution to City staff and committee members, and the Initial Plan of
Action, a process of committee member orientation and issue identification.
SECTION 1.1: COMPONENT I
The planning committees established for the Comprehensive Planning process were the
Steering Committee, consisting of a comprehensive broad cross section of community
interests and a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) composed of people having
technical expertise in areas germane to the issues involved in the planning process. The
Steering Committee was the planning body that oversaw the planning process and
developed the recommendations with the planning staff for the Comprehensive Plan.
The role of the TAC was to provide background information and technical expertise to
the Steering Committee and assist them in developing recommendations that will lead
to the desired outcomes. These two committees, along with City staff and the general
public, were considered the Comprehensive Planning partners.
The process for selecting Steering Committee members involved the solicitation of
applications from community members to represent a set of identified community
interests as follow:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
One Grand Rapids City Councilor
One Grand Rapids Planning Commission Member
Four residents, one representing each of four geographic areas
One economic development professional
One representative from a human services organization
One representative of Independent School District 318 Administration
One representative from the health care establishment
One representative from manufacturing
One representative from retail/service
One representative from Grand Rapids Township
One representative from the high school student body
One representative from the Itasca Community College student body
Applicants for the specific industry representatives to the Steering Committee were
solicited through groups representing those industries. Applicants for the geographic
areas were solicited through public announcements and flyers inserted into all utility
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bills for the month of November. Once applications were received, they were
forwarded to the City Council for consideration and formal appointment to the Steering
Committee. During the application process, the following set of expectations for service
on the Steering Committee during the course of the comprehensive planning process
was articulated to applicants at the time of their application:
♦ Assist in making citywide decisions
♦ Serve as an important point of contact for residents, business owners, and
surrounding communities
♦ Ability to bring not only his or her viewpoints to the Steering Committee, but also
those of others he or she represents
♦ Effect a citywide perspective in making decisions and recommendations at Steering
Committee Meetings
♦ Engage in healthy and respectful debate over contentious issues
♦ Meet on a monthly basis, missing no more than three meetings
♦ Be prepared to fully participate in Steering Committee meetings
♦ Review information presented by the consultant prior to meetings
♦ Review draft documents and offer comments and suggestions
Members selected for participation on the TAC were identified by their professional,
technical, or other expertise. Such expertise was considered important because it was
expected that TAC members would provide background information to the planners
about issues or topics relevant to the process, participate in topical focus groups,
provide expert input as needed, and help develop goal and strategy recommendations
for the Steering Committee. Although the TAC consisted of the following 16 members,
others with expertise germane to focus group topics were periodically invited to
participate:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Grand Rapids Planning Commissioner
Grand Rapids City Engineer
Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Director
Grand Rapids Public Works Director
Grand Rapids Public Utilities Commission Director
Grand Rapids Economic Development Authority representative
Airport Commission Representative
Grand Rapids Housing and Rehabilitation Authority
Grand Rapids Park and Recreation Advisory Board representative
Grand Rapids law enforcement representative
Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce representative
South Central Intergovernmental Planning Board representative
Grand Rapids Township Supervisor/Clerk
Itasca County Engineer
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♦ Itasca County Zoning Administrator
♦ Minnesota Department of Transportation Engineer/Planner/Project Manager
Each member of the Steering Committee, TAC, and City staff involved in the process
was provided with a Comprehensive Planning manual. The manual provided an
overview of the planning process, introductions to each aspect of the process, and a
glossary of planning terms. The manual also functioned as tool to organize material as
it is received from the consultant during the planning process. The manual also
functioned as material for orientation process that took place during the initial meeting
of the Steering Committee and TAC.
An orientation of Steering Committee and TAC members to the Comprehensive
Planning process took place during the initial meeting of the Steering Committee and
TAC. In addition to a discussion of comprehensive planning, the planning schedule,
and the identification of general community issues, several procedural issues were
addressed. The first of these was the decision-making process that would be used
during the planning process if an impasse were reached on a given issue that required a
decision. That decision-making process was a consensus building process based upon a
Five Point Consensus-Building Model. The argument for using consensus building for
making decisions is that it has the highest likelihood of producing long-term support
and commitment. An important element in building consensus is that underlying
conflicts should not be avoided, because without understanding and accepting their
differences people cannot jointly solve problems.
The second procedural issue addressed during the orientation meeting was a statement
of ground rules that each committee member was asked to sign. The intent of the
ground rules was to promote respectful interaction, especially during discussion of
contentious issues, and to promote participation. The ground rules contract included
the following statements:
♦ I will ask for more information when I don’t understand something.
♦ I will not jump to conclusions, but will accept comments, concerns and suggestions
as constructive.
♦ I will assume good intentions on the part of my committee colleagues.
♦ I will use good listening skills.
♦ I will stay on topic.
♦ I will work to create a supportive group environment.
♦ I will treat everyone with respect.
♦ I will not talk while others are talking.
♦ I assume responsibility for voicing my concerns and ideas to the group.
♦ I will encourage honest and open discussions with my committee colleagues.
♦ I will practice patience, tolerance and kindness.
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♦ I will focus on the bigger picture, remembering the importance of our work.
♦ I will maintain commitment during times of frustration.
♦ I will contribute to effective meetings by being on time, being prepared, staying
focused, and actively participating.
♦ I will take personal responsibility for the process and its outcomes.
SECTION 1.2: COMPONENT II
The second component consisted of a series of three community meetings; one at the
beginning of the process, one during the process and one at the end of the process. The
community meetings served two important functions. First, they ensured that the
process was a public one and that it is transparent. Second, they allowed for the general
public to voice the issues and concerns they would like to see addressed in the
Comprehensive Plan. Additionally, community meetings represent a useful
mechanism to solicit significant citizen input concerning important community values
and vision for the future of Grand Rapids.
The first community meeting was held on Tuesday, February 18, 2003. It was in the form
of four simultaneous meetings that were held in each of the four quadrants of Grand
Rapids. The four-quadrant format provided an opportunity for community members to
discuss issues and concerns about their specific neighborhood quadrant as well as those
applicable to the community as a whole. The purpose of the first set of community
meetings can be summarized as follows:
♦ To provide an opportunity for community members to give input about issues and
concerns they would like to see addressed in the comprehensive plan, thereby
informing the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee about the specific topics that
should be addressed during subsequent focus group meetings
♦ To provide an opportunity for the community members to identify issues and
concerns specific to their neighborhood quadrant.
♦ To provide information and direction to the Steering Committee concerning the
development of a meaningful survey instrument that gauged community feelings
about important issues and provided additional input concerning community values
and vision.
♦ To allow community members to identify the values that are held by the Grand
Rapids Community and help to define it. An understanding of Grand Rapids
community values helped inform the Steering Committee throughout the remainder
of the planning process.
♦ To allow community members an opportunity to articulate a vision for the future of
Grand Rapids. Input concerning vision obtained during the community meetings,
PageA4
along with that provided by the forthcoming survey, provided the Steering
Committee with the raw material it needed to distil a meaningful statement of vision
that is reflective of the Grand Rapids community and that helped inform the Steering
committee throughout the remainder of the comprehensive planning process.
The second community meeting was in the form of an open house held midway
through the focus group process (see component iv) on Tuesday, July 29, 2003. During
the meeting, a continuous loop PowerPoint presentation of the process to date was
provided and community members had the opportunity to ask questions and make
comments. All comments were relayed to the appropriate focus groups and to the
Steering Committee.
The final community meeting consisted of two presentations of the draft
Comprehensive Plan. The first of the two meetings was held on Tuesday, October 28,
2003, and the second was held on Thursday, October 30, 2003. During the meeting
community members had the opportunity to ask questions and make comments. All
comments were relayed to the Steering Committee for written responses.
SECTION 1.3: COMPONENT III
The third component consisted of a community-wide survey. A community survey
provides an excellent means for soliciting input from a broad cross-section of
community residents and can serve to validate or challenge in a quantifiable manner
the statements made during the visioning process. The community survey was used to
garner wider public input and to help provide plan direction. It contained questions
concerning topics and issues important to the City of Grand Rapids. ARDC planners,
city staff, and the Steering Committee used information received during the initial
community and committee meetings to develop a survey that addressed issues
important to the community and that needed further examination. The analysis and
summary of survey results were used during the planning process and can be found in
Appendix 2. The survey, along with the first community meeting formed the basis
from which the Steering Committee identified a community vision, community values,
and a set of guiding principles that represented key components of Plan’s outcome.
SECTION 1.4: COMPONENT IV
The fourth component consisted of focused plan elements that addressed the specific
topic areas identified above; transportation, land use, economic development, and
community facilities and services. The outcomes of focus group and Steering
Committee meetings, along with the Vision, values, and guiding principles, informed
the composition and structure of the Comprehensive Plan and determined the goals,
objectives, strategies, and action steps.
PageA5
SECTION 1.5: AUTHORITY
The Grand Rapids Comprehensive Plan is the legal basis for the City’s land use
controls. The Comprehensive Plan was developed in accordance with the 1965
Municipal Planning Enabling Act (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 462, sections 462.351 –
462.365). Minnesota Chapter 462 provides municipalities with the regulatory authority
to develop and implement a comprehensive plan as a “means of guiding future
development of land so as to insure a safer, more pleasant and more economical
environment for residential, commercial, industrial and public activities, to preserve
agricultural and other open lands, and to promote the public health, safety, and general
welfare.” Implementation of a comprehensive plan may take a variety of forms
including the adoption of official controls, such as zoning and other ordinances, an
official zoning map, incentive programs, application for state and federal assistance,
and a change in spending priorities. Official controls and other implementation tools
must be consistent with the adopted comprehensive plan. Many implementation
strategies are included in this plan. Implementation tools are discussed in more detail
in the plan implementation chapter.
PageA6
P
OPULATION CHARACTERISTICS
SECTION 2: POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS
Census Data provides a valuable baseline of information for comparison with
subsequent data gathering efforts, and can be utilized as control variables for the
analysis of survey and field data during the course of future needs assessments and
planning efforts. Census data can help to identify trends and can provide insight into
the patterns of change that have occurred within Grand Rapids over time. Year 2000
census data represents the most recent data available on many topics at the time of
writing and is therefore used extensively. Table 2.1 provides an overview of general
demographic changes that have occurred between 1980 and 2000.
Table 2.1: General Demographic Changes at a Glance, 1990-2000
Change 1990-2000
Category
1990
2000
Number
Percent
7,976
7,764
-212
-2.7%
Population Totals
2,270
2,020
-250
-11.0%
Population Ages 19 and Under
1,622
1,783
161
9.9%
Population Ages 65 and Older
2,106
1,942
-164
-7.8%
Number of family Households
3,246
3,446
200
6.2%
Number of Households
2.35
2.15
0
-8.5%
Persons per Household
3,380
3,621
241
7.1%
Total Number of Housing Units
3,246
3,446
200
6.2%
Number of Occupied Units
2,107
2,067
-40
-1.9%
Owner-Occupied Units
1,139
1,379
240
21.1%
Renter-Occupied Units
9
33
24
266.7%
Seasonal, Recreational Housing
Source: U. S. Census Bureau.
SECTION 2.1: POPULATION
Understanding the population and population trends of a community represents a key
component of planning for the development of its economy, infrastructure, housing,
land use, and services. Questions to consider include whether the community’s
population is increasing or decreasing, whether it is aging or becoming more youthful,
and how likely it is that its young people will remain in the community after
completing high school. The answers to these questions can inform public and private
decision-makers when considering which development strategies are appropriate to
pursue. Table 2.2 indicates that the overall populations of Grand Rapids and Grand
Rapids Township have remained relatively stable between 1980 and 2000.
Page A7
Table 2.2: Population, 1980-2000
Change Percent Change Change
1980-1990
1980-1990
1990-2000
7,934 7,976 7,764
42
0.53%
-212
City of Grand Rapids
3,179 3,199 3,378
20
0.63%
179
Grand Rapids Twp.¹
11,649 11,613 11,747
62
0.56%
-33
City and Twp.²
¹Excluding the City of La Prairie and the City of Grand Rapids.
² Excluding the City of La Prairie.
Source: US Census Bureau.
Area
1980
1990
2000
Percent Change
1990-2000
-2.66%
5.60%
-0.30%
It is important, however, to look beyond the overall population and consider its age
structure. The age structure of the population is important for understanding the
service and infrastructure needs of the population and can inform local economic
development decisions because it represents an important determinant of consumer
behavior. The overall population can be broken into age categories to gain insight into
the relative increase or decline of younger and older segments of the population.
People at different ages have differing housing and service needs, for example, as well
as differing product tastes and needs.
Thus, the current and anticipated future age structure can influence capital
improvement decisions, public policy direction, grant and loan applications, and the
relative success of local businesses that cater to a primarily older or younger clientele.
Knowledge of the relative maturity or youth of the population can prove valuable to
local public and private decision-makers. Table 2.3 presents the number and percent of
Grand Rapids population that is accounted for by various age groups in tabular form
and Figure 2.1 presents the percentage data in graphic form.
Table 2.3: Population by Age Group Categories, City of Grand Rapids 1980-2000
1980
(%of Total)
2,497 (31.5%)
19 and under
2,627 (33.1%)
20-44
1,609 (20.3%)
45-64
1,201 (15.1%)
65 and over
Total
7,934
Age Group
1990
(% of Total)
2,270 (28.5%)
2,682 (33.6%)
1,402 (17.6%)
1,622 (20.3%)
7,976
2000
(% of Total)
2,020 (26.0%)
2,329 (30.0%)
1,632 (21.0%)
1,783 (23.0%)
7,764
Change 1980-2000
Number
Percent
-477
-19.1
-298
-11.3
23
1.4
582
48.5
-170
-2.1
Change 1990-2000
Number
Percent
-250
-11.0
-353
-13.2
230
16.4
161
9.9
-212
-2.7
Figure 2.1: Population by Age Group Categories, City of Grand Rapids 1980-2000
40
Percent
30
20
10
0
1980
19 an d u n d er
2000
1990
20-44
45-64
65 an d o v er
Page A8
When the larger Grand Rapids area is
considered, a similar pattern emerges. For the
purposes of this consideration of population
change by age category, the Grand Rapids area
has been defined by the boundaries of Census
tracts surrounding Grand Rapids proper. The
Census tracts used for this analysis include
Census tracts 9803 and 9806 through 9810.
Prior to the 1990 Census, Census tracts were not
defined or used. Thus, only 1990 and 2000
population data are readily available for the
Grand Rapids area described here. A simple
map of the area is provided to the right for
reference.
6
Nashwauk
38
Dear River
Marbel
Zemple
Coleraine
169
Taconite
Bovey
Cohasset
6
La
Prairie
65
Grand
Rapids
2
Warba
169
Table 2.4 presents the 1990 and 2000 population data for the Grand Rapids area, as
defined above, and Figure 2.2 provides the same information in graphic form. The data
reveals that the Grand Rapids area population has a smaller percentage of people over
65 years of age, has similar percentages of people in the two youngest age categories,
and has a higher percentage of people in the 45 to 65 years age group than does the City
of Grand Rapids proper. What is striking about the population of the Grand Rapids
area, however, is the rate at which older age groups are growing.
Table 2.3: Population by Age Group Categories, Grand Rapids Area 1990-2000
1990
(% of Total)
19 and under
9,141 (30.7%)
20-44
10,144 (34.1%)
45-64
5,900 (19.8%)
65 and over
4,595 (15.4%)
Total
29,780
Age Group
2000
(% of Total)
8,828 (27.6%)
9,566 (29.9%)
8,532 (26.7%)
5,040 (15.8%)
31,966
Change 1990-2000
Number
Percent
-313
-3.4%
-578
-5.7%
2,632
44.6%
445
9.7%
2,186
7.3%
Figure 2.2: Population by Age Group Categories, Grand Rapids Area¹ 1980-2000
Percent
40
30
20
10
0
1990
19 and under
2000
20-44
45-64
65 and over
Page A9
Figure 2.3 employs population pyramids to graphically depict the age and sex structure
of the 1980, 1990, and 2000 City of Grand Rapids populations and Figure 2.4 does the
same for the Grand Rapids area for 1990 and 2000. The population pyramids present
the distribution of population by age and sex graduated in five-year increments.
Figure 2.3: City of Grand Rapid Population Pyramids, 1980, 1890, and 2000
1980
Male
80-84
2000
1990
80-84
Femal
Male
Femal
70-74
60-64
60-64
60-64
50-54
50- 54
50-54
40-44
40-44
40-44
30-34
30-34
30-34
20-24
20-24
20-24
10-14
10-14
10-14
0-4
0-4
0-4
6
4
2
0
2
4
6
6
4
2
0
2
4
Male
80-84
70-74
70-74
6
6
Femal
4
2
2
4
Population
Population
Population
0
Source: US Census Bureau
The 1980 population pyramid for the City of Grand Rapids shows a population bulge
beginning in the 15 to 19 years through the 25 to 29 years age groups and a smaller
population bulge in the 50 to 54 years through the 65 to 69 years age groups. Looking at
the 1990 and 2000 population pyramids, the two population bulges can be identified as
they move through the age structure. Perhaps the most striking feature is the noticeable
aging of the Grand Rapids population between 1980 and 2000.
Figure 2.4: Grand Rapid Area Population Pyramids, 1890 and 2000
2000
1990
Male
8 0 -8 4
Femal
Male
8 0 -8 4
7 0 -7 4
7 0 -7 4
6 0 -6 4
6 0 -6 4
50- 54
5 0 -5 4
4 0 -4 4
4 0 -4 4
3 0 -3 4
3 0 -3 4
2 0 -2 4
2 0 -2 4
1 0 -1 4
1 0 -1 4
0 -4
Femal
0 -4
6
4
2
0
2
Population
4
6
6
4
2
0
2
4
6
Population
The 1990 population pyramid for the Grand Rapids area shows a population bulge
beginning in the five to nine years through the 15 to 19 years age groups and a similar
population bulge in the 30 to 34 years through the 45 to 49 years age groups. As was
the case with the pyramids for the City, the bulges can be identified as they move
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6
through the age structure of the 2000 pyramid. The population of the Grand Rapids
area is somewhat more youthful than is that of the City proper, however, the aging
trend is clearly visible from 1990 to 2000.
The population pyramid method of depicting the age and sex distribution of a given
population is called a ‘pyramid’ because the classic high fertility, high mortality
population (a very youthful population), with a broad base and rapidly tapering to the
top, resembles the shape of a pyramid. Generally, the more triangular the shape of a
population pyramid, the younger the population. Conversely, the more rectangular its
shape, the older the population. The 1980 population pyramid for the City of Grand
Rapids has a wider base and a narrower peak, indicating a more youthful population.
The 1990 and 2000 population pyramids for Grand Rapids are increasingly rectangular
in shape, indicating an aging population. The Grand Rapids area population pyramids
have a more youthful shape in both 1990 and 2000 than do those for the City of Grand
Rapids. However, the population of the Grand Rapids area is clearly aging. Assuming
unchanging fertility, mortality, and migration trends, one can envision an increasingly
more rectangular shape for both the City and the area. Eventually these may give way
to an inverted triangle over time.
An inverted triangle on a population pyramid can spell trouble for the long-term
viability of a community because there is an ever-decreasing pool of women of
childbearing age over time. Because fertility tends to reflect trends associated with the
larger regional and national communities, the only avenue available to a community
such as Grand Rapids to counter the trend toward fewer young people is to attempt to
influence migration patterns.
Page A11
C
OMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES BACKGROUND REPORT
SECTION 3: COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES BACKGROUND REPORT
A community provides a variety of services to residents, visitors, and businesses.
Community facilities and services is a collective term used to describe a variety of essential
activities that sustain and enhance the quality of life for residents within a community.
Community facilities and services include such things as drinking water, solid and
sanitary waste disposal, right-of-way and park maintenance, education, emergency
services, power, and health care. The provision of utility services, public safety
programs, and facilities for public health and education are all issues that increasingly
challenge local governments. Planning is essential to ensure that the provision of these
services and facilities meet the future needs of the City of Grand Rapids. Community
services require significant expenditures of public funds and have a tremendous impact
on the quality of life of residents.
The provision of adequate community facilities and services is fundamental to the
health and well being of a community. It can also have a significant impact on
economic development because many families, businesses, and industrial companies
look at the availability of community facilities as an important factor in deciding where
to locate. Not only are such issues as access to safe drinking water and access to quality
health care key elements in the quality of life in a community, the are also vital to the
long-term viability of a community.
The community facilities and services planning consisted of developing a background
report and two focus group meetings. The background report presents historical
information and data and community input obtained during the community meetings,
the community survey, and community interest group meetings. The focus groups was
composed of representatives from the Public Works Department, the Public Utilities
Commission, Independent School District (ISD) 308, Parks and Recreation, the Police
Department, and the high school student body.
The scope of the first focus group meeting was to review and enhance a preliminary
inventory of community facilities. At the meeting, the focus group developed goals,
objectives, and strategy recommendations. The community facilities and services
element will begin with an inventory of the community facilities and services within
Grand Rapids and will conclude with the identification of overall goals and the
intermediate objectives, strategies, and action steps that will help realize those goals.
SECTION 3.1: UTILITIES AND SERVICES
Utility services include the systems for the delivery of natural gas, electricity, telephone,
telecommunications services, cable television, as well as water, sanitary sewer, waste
disposal, and storm water collections system.
Page A12
SECTION 3.1.1: PUBLICLY PROVIDED UTILITIES
There is a wide array of services provided publicly within the City of Grand Rapids.
These services are discussed below as well as who is responsible for overseeing and
maintaining them.
Public Works Department
The City of Grand Rapids Public Works Department prides itself in promoting a “clean
city image”. Some of the responsibilities of the Public Works department includes, but
is not limited to:
♦ Road Right-of-Way
(City/County/Mn/DOT)
♦ Storm Sewer
♦ CBD Maintenance
♦ Snow and Ice Control
♦ Park Maintenance
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Traffic Control
Athletic Field Maintenance
Facilities Maintenance
Outdoor Rink
Maintenance
♦ Fleet Maintenance
The Public Works Department also supports inter and intra governmental units such as:
♦ Other City Departments
♦ County
♦ State
♦ Independent School District 318
In addition, the Public Works Administration provides support for the Public Works
budget, handles requests from citizens, collects and enters data, record keeping and
prepares reports.
Storm Sewers
Grand Rapids has five lakes and the Mississippi River within its corporate boundaries.
Upon completion of the City of Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Township Ten Year
Orderly Annexation Plan, Horseshoe Lake as well as a portion of Pokegama Lake will
be included. There is 184,147.70 linear feet of storm sewer pipe and eight storm water
retention ponds that are maintained by the City of Grand Rapids Public Works
Department. Currently Grand Rapids is in the process of developing a proposal to
implement a Storm Water Utility to help further develop and fund the comprehensive
storm water management plan which will assure compliance with the Federal Clean
Water ACT and MPCA enforcement of the act and its effects on the City.
Road Right-of-Way
The Public Works Department maintains 67 miles of roads throughout Grand Rapids.
Road right-of-way maintenance includes street sweeping, storm sewers, pothole
patching, tree trimming, and boulevard maintenance such as sidewalks, general
mowing and trail maintenance. The Public Works Department also contracts street
crack sealing. Crack sealing, which prolongs the life of city streets, follows a pavement
maintenance schedule developed by both the Engineering and the Public Works
Page A13
Departments. The City of Grand Rapids has received a Tree City USA award for the
past fifteen years by participating as an active member.
Roadway maintenance involves all types of maintenance in a cost-effective,
comprehensive pavement maintenance program. In order to maintain and preserve
existing pavement surfaces preventative maintenance, corrective maintenance, and
emergency maintenance are all essential. Completing the right repair on the right road
at the proper time provides the best means for prolonging pavement service life.
Incorporating these maintenance efforts into the City of Grand Rapids pavement
management software will insure that the City is achieving the highest Pavement
Condition Index (PCI). Maintaining a high PCI results in the longevity of public
investments in Grand Rapids infrastructure.
Snow and Ice Control
Depending upon the snowfall, the Public Works crew generally plows early in the
morning to provide clear roads for city traffic. For more information on the snow
plowing and sanding of City streets and alleys refer to the City of Grand Rapids Snow
and Ice Control Policy.
Traffic Control
Street signs and stop signs are maintained through the Public Works Department. In
case of emergencies, or a broken sign, temporary signs may be installed until a new or
replacement sign can be installed. The Public Works Department also paints crosswalks
within the city.
Facilities Maintenance
The Facilities Maintenance Division was created to ensure that the city buildings are
maintained and repaired. The division ensures cost-effectiveness and that both the
exterior and the interior of city buildings are kept in good condition. Some of the
buildings maintained are:
♦
♦
♦
♦
IRA Civic Center
Fire Hall
Central School
Blandin Beach House
♦
♦
♦
♦
City Hall
GRSC Concession/washrooms
Library
4 Warming Houses
Fleet Maintenance
The City of Grand Rapids fleet as well as heavy equipment and various pieces of
maintenance equipment are maintained through the Fleet Maintenance Division.
Preventive maintenance, servicing and repairs are performed in the public works
garage located in the Public Works/Public Utilities Service Center located at 500 SE 4th
Street. Prevention and careful inspection by the Fleet Division ensures that the
operating of the various city vehicles will continue without major system problems.
Page A14
CBD Maintenance
Public Works staff maintains all city property throughout the central business district.
This includes the Central School grounds, the Grand Rapids Area Library, the
Mississippi Riverfront Development, downtown streetscape, sidewalks, boulevards,
and parking lots.
Park Maintenance
The many 200 acres of parks throughout the City are maintained through the Public
Works Department. Mowing, weed removal, tree maintenance and litter pickup are
important to the upkeep Grand Rapids parks. The most centrally located park in the
City of Grand Rapids is the Central School. The Public Works full-time and part-time
staff spends many hours during the summer keeping Central School and many other
parks mowed and litter free. Along with the many parks that the Public Works
Department maintains, they also keep the two trails in the city limits, the Legion Ski
Trail and the Mesabi Trail mowed.
Athletic Field Maintenance
Public Works maintains a variety of athletic fields throughout the City such as the
Legion baseball field, youth baseball fields, the sports complex softball, and soccer
fields and the various youth fields around the city.
Outdoor Rink Maintenance
There are four public hockey rinks and four pleasure skating rinks within Grand Rapids
that all have warming houses.
Public Utilities Commission
On March 30th, 1910, the Grand Rapids Village Council adopted a resolution
establishing a Water, Light, Power, and Building Commission for the Village of Grand
Rapids. Minnesota Statutes, Section 412, provides the authorization for the creation of
these commissions. In 1949, in accordance with state statutes, the Water, Light, Power
and Building Commission was changed to a Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The
PUC consists of five members that are appointed by the City Council, however, the City
Council cannot rule on activities of the PUC. The PUC serves the City of Grand Rapids
and also provides electric, wholesale water, and wastewater treatment services to the
City of LaPrairie, wastewater treatment services to the City of Cohasset, water and
wastewater to services to Itasca Community College, and electric power distribution to
other rural area within its assigned service territory.
Electricity
The Grand Rapids PUC provides electrical power distribution to approximately 4,734
city customers, 1,585 rural customers, 111 dual fuel users, and five industrial customers
(see table 3.1 below). The power is purchased from Minnesota Power under an
exclusive contract that expires in 2005. Power is received at 115-kilovolts (kV) and
Page A15
converted to 22.9 kV. The 115 kV to 22.9 kV substation is jointly owned by the Grand
Rapids PUC and Minnesota Power, allowing the PUC to purchase wholesale power at a
reduced rate. This distribution system is made up of approximately 200 overhead and
110 underground circuit miles. The PUC is responsible for all construction, operation,
and maintenance of the electric distribution system. Results of a survey conducted by
Sig Corp. Communication Services, as part of a feasibility study for the City of Grand
Rapids, indicated that 20-percent of customers were satisfied and 79-percent very
satisfied with their electric service.
Table 3.1: City of Grand Rapids PUC Customers
2001 Number of Meters
3,535
1,017
1,477
187
5
86
6,317
City Residential
City Commercial
Rural Residential
Rural Commercial
Industrial
Dual Fuel
Total Number of Meters
2002 Number of Meters
3,675
1,059
1,408
177
5
111
6,435
Table 3.2 below shows the electric utility rates established by the PUC (see table 3.2)
Table 3.2: City of Grand Rapids Electric Utility Rates
Energy Charge
City Residential
City Commercial
Rural Residential
Rural Commercial
Dual Fuel
City Light & Power
Rural Light & Power
$0.559/kWh
First 10,000 kWh/month: $0.0615/kWh
Over 10,000 kWh/month: $0.0417/kWh
$0.0625/kWh
First 10,000 kWh/month: $0.0734/kWh
Over 10,000 kWh/month: $0.0502/kWh
$0.303/kWh
All kW @ $10.00/kW, All kWh @ $.0272/kWh
All kW @ $11.50/kW, All kWh @ .0343/kWh
Customer Charge
$4.20/month
$6.10/month
$6.30/month
$8.15/month
$5.10/month
$100.00 minimum
$115.00 minimum
Water
Taken for granted by most residents, the water infrastructure of a community is critical
for sustaining social, economic, and environmental amenities. A shortage of clean
water is an impediment to economic development and, when the shortage is severe, can
threaten the very survival of a community. The Grand Rapids PUC provides water for
3,053 city and seven rural customers, the City of LaPrairie, and the Itasca Community
College. Water for Grand Rapids comes from five primary wells with a combined
pumping capacity of 1,600 to 2,500 gallons per minute. Monthly water rates for the City
of Grand Rapids are based on meter size and are shown below in Table 3.3. The City of
Grand Rapids has a water storage capacity of approximately 2,000,000 gallons. Average
water demand is approximately 1,250,000 gallons per day with peak demand of
2,160,000 gallons per day.
Page A16
Table 3.3: City of Grand Rapids Water Utility Rates
Meter Size
5/8 – 3/4 inch
1 inch
1 ¼ inch
1 ½ inch
2 inch
3 inch
4 inch
6 inch
Commodity Charges
Within Grand
Rapids
$5.25
$7.05
$7.95
$8.90
$13.85
$50.55
$64.15
$95.85
First 10,000 gals. @ $3.10/1,000
Next 30,000 gals. @ $2.83/1,000
Next 210,000 gals @ $2.64/1,000
Next 250,000 gals @ $2.45/1,000
Outside Grand
Rapids
$5.65
$7.65
$8.65
$9.65
$15.10
$55.25
$70.10
$104.80
First 10,000 gals. @$3.35/1,000
Next 30,000 gals. @ 3.07/1,000
Next 210,000 gals @ $2.85/1,000
Next 250,000 gals @ $2.66/1,000
Based on the community survey mailed out to Grand Rapids residents as a component
of this planning process, a total of approximately 68-percent of respondents are either
“satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the drinking water service within Grand Rapids. A
total of only six-percent of survey respondents are either “unsatisfied” or “very
unsatisfied” with drinking water service. There was a total of 26-percent of
respondents who were “neutral” on the issue. On a scale of one to five, with one being
“very unsatisfied” and five being “very satisfied”, drinking water service within Grand
Rapids received an average score of 3.9. Overall, Grand Rapids residents appear to be
pleased with the water service they are receiving from the City of Grand Rapids PUC.
Wastewater
The collection and treatment of sanitary wastewater are the primary functions of the
City of Grand Rapids PUC. Wastewater collection and service are provided to
approximately 2,996 city customers and 22 rural customers, as well as one industrial
customer - Blandin Paper (see Table 3.4 below). The Itasca Community College and the
cities of Cohasset and LaPrairie also receive service from the Grand Rapids PUC. The
wastewater collection system within Grand Rapids is made up by 10 sewage lifts and
51-miles of sewer main. The actual treatment facilities consist of the Industrial
Screening/Pumping Station, the Industrial Treatment Plant, and the Secondary
Treatment Plant. These three facilities treat an average of 9 million gallons of waste
effluent per day, 7.5 million gallons per day from industrial users (based on reduced
flows in 2003), and 1.5 million gallons per day from domestic users. The current
capacity of the wastewater treatment facilities is approximately 15,200,000 gallons per
day. Table 3.4 on the following page shows the total influent of wastewater treated for
2001 and 2002 within the Grand Rapids PUC area.
Page A17
Table 3.4: City of Grand Rapids Wastewater Influent 2001-2002
2001
2002
Domestic Flow (gallons)
487,200,000
566,900,000
Industrial Flow (gallons)
Total Influent (gallons)
3,463,000,000
3,950,200,000
3,631,100,000
4,198,000,000
Table 3.5 below lists the wastewater rates for the City of Grand Rapids. All charges are
calculated on a per month basis.
Table 3.5: City of Grand Rapids Wastewater Rates
Monthly Service Charge
Collection/Treatment Charge per 1,000 gallons
Within Grand
Rapids
$4.15
$1.36
Outside Grand
Rapids
$4.30
$1.45
The comprehensive plan community survey focused a number of questions on
wastewater service within the City of Grand Rapids. When asked about sanitary sewer
service, a total of approximately 62-percent of the respondents were either “satisfied” or
“very satisfied” with their service, while 5-percent were “unsatisfied” or “very
unsatisfied”. A total of 33-percent of respondents were “neutral” on the issue. On a
scale of one to five, with one being “very unsatisfied” and five being “very satisfied”,
sanitary sewer service within Grand Rapids received an average score of 3.8 by survey
respondents.
Itasca Community TeleVision, Inc. (ICTV)
Itasca Community TeleVision (ICTV) Inc. was incorporated as a non-profit organization
in 1983 to provide community access to television. It now cable casts local
programming on channels 2, 5, and 7. These community access channels are available
for use by any individual or organization that reflects the views or talents of the
community.
ICTV is governed by a board of directors and receives its funding primarily from a
portion of the cable franchise fee. Local programs are provided through memberships,
grants, donations, and service fees.
Volunteers play an essential role at ICTV. They produce, edit, cable cast, and perform a
variety of technical functions to produce quality programs of local interest. All local
government meetings and events in the Grand Rapids area are covered on ICTV.
SECTION 3.1.2: PRIVATELY PROVIDED UTILITIES
In addition to the services provided publicly to the citizens of Grand Rapids, there are
also wide array of services provided privately within the City of Grand Rapids. These
Page A18
include such services natural gas, telecommunications, Internet service, and garbage
collection.
Natural Gas
Natural gas services within the City of Grand Rapids are provided by Aquila, formerly
known as Minnesota Utilities/Energy One. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, Aquila, Inc.
operates electricity and natural gas distribution networks serving customers in seven
U.S. states and in Canada and the United Kingdom. Aquila also owns and operates
power generation assets. Aquila delivers energy through a network of pipes serving
the mid-west United States. Aquila serves 891,000 natural gas distribution customers in
Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and Michigan. Rates for
natural gas service in the City of Grand Rapids include $4.50 per month base charge
and $0.5420 per 100 cubic feet (Ccf) used.
Telecommunications
There are a number of telecommunications and Internet service providers within the
City of Grand Rapids. These providers are listed below.
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Lake Country Power
Mediacom Online
Paul Bunyanet
Qwest
Superior Broadband
U.S. Link
Mediacom Communications is eighth largest cable television company in the nation,
and the leading cable operator focused on serving smaller cities and towns in the
United States. Since Mediacom was founded in 1995, it has followed an unyielding
commitment of service to non-metropolitan communities and dedicated itself to
providing the newest and best cable services available. Currently, Mediacom is
transforming its cable television systems, which serve more than 1.6 million subscribers
in 23 states, to provide digital cable service, high-speed Internet, and other option such
as video-on-demand.
Waste Removal
The City of Grand Rapids has a license agreement with Waste Management that issues
sole and exclusive collection and disposal of residential and recyclable materials from
residences within the City of Grand Rapids. Business and commercial garbage is not
regulated by the agreement the City has with Waste Management.
Page A19
SECTION 3.2: EMERGENCY SERVICES
Emergency services, including disaster relief and coordination, law enforcement
protection, fire protection, and emergency medical response, are considered to be
essential services. The provision of emergency services is also important to the quality
of life of a community.
Disaster Relief
The Red Cross
The Red Cross provides disaster relief by meeting people’s immediate emergency
disaster-caused needs. When a disaster threatens or strikes, the Red Cross provides
shelter, food, and health and mental health services to address basic human needs. In
addition to these services, the core of the Red Cross disaster relief is the assistance given
to individuals and families affected by disaster to enable them to resume their normal
activities independently.
The Red Cross also feeds emergency workers, handles inquiries from concerned family
members outside the disaster area, provides blood and blood products to disaster
victims, and helps those affected by disaster to access other available resources.
Assisting victims of house and apartment fires accounts for the majority of Red Cross
disaster responses.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a former independent agency
that became part of the new Department of Homeland Security in March 2003. It has
the task of responding to, planning for, and recovering from, and mitigating against
natural and human-caused disasters. The that end, FEMA provides the following
services:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Advising on building codes and flood plain management
Teaching people how to get through a disaster
Helping to equip local and state emergency preparedness
Coordinating the federal response to a disaster
Making disaster assistance available to states, communities, businesses, and
individuals
♦ Training emergency managers
♦ Supporting fire services of the nation
♦ Administering the national flood and crime insurance programs
Law Enforcement Protection
The role of law enforcement protection is to ensure public safety through the protection
of people and their property. Fair and effective law enforcement has the outcome of
enhancing the quality of life within a community. Furthermore, the perception of a low
crime rate and an adequately funded and efficient law enforcement service can help
Page A20
make a community an attractive place for businesses and families to locate. The
mission of the City of Grand Rapids Police Department is to enhance the quality of life
throughout the City of Grand Rapids by working cooperatively with all citizens to
preserve the peace, enforce the law, reduce the perception of fear and provide for a safe
and caring environment.
The City of Grand Rapids currently employs a total of 14 full-time officers, one
community assistance officer, and three civilian employees. Although the GRPD
employs 14 full-time officers, it can carry up to 16. One of the goals of the department is
to reach full staffing levels for full-time officers. The police department has mutual-aid
agreements with every law enforcement agency within Itasca County. The Grand
Rapids Police Department (GRPD) is a part of the Minnesota Gang Task Force, made up
of many agencies across the State. The police department headquarters are located in
the City Hall building and the police garage is located next to the fire department. The
GRPD has an annual budget of about $1,300,000 and receives approximately 8,000 calls
for service each year. The number of calls is anticipated to increase as the GRPD is
expanding services through the orderly annexation of Grand Rapids Township.
Police Reserves
In addition to the full-time police force, the Grand Rapids Police Reserve unit assists the
department with a force of civilian volunteers. The Police Reserves assist with traffic
direction and crowd control, assisting officers at accident and crime scenes, area
saturation during special events in the City, assisting at City events such as parades and
sporting events, and participating in ride-alongs with officers. In addition, several
police officers along with members of the Police Reserves use bicycles to patrol
neighborhoods and the downtown area. This allows fast response time as well as being
more accessible to the public. There are currently 15 police reserves.
Police Explorers
Another volunteer group are the Police Explorers, a group that was formed in 1996.
This is the only law enforcement explorers post in Itasca County. Currently the Police
Explorers have 14 members between the ages of 14 and 21 years of ages. The Police
Explorers assist with crowd control and traffic direction, helping out at area events
including the county fair and parades, and participating in ride-alongs with full-time
officers.
Crime Prevention Programs
There are a number of other crime prevention programs in the City of Grand Rapids
including the following:
♦ McGruff
♦ National Night Out
♦ Neighborhood Watch
♦ Operation Identification
♦ Safety Camp
♦ Crime Prevention Tips
Page A21
The Grand Rapids community survey focused a number of questions on the
performance of the GRPD. Of the nearly 1,400 survey responses, approximately 67percent were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with law enforcement services
provided in Grand Rapids. On a scale of one to five, with one being “very unsatisfied”
and five being “very satisfied”, law enforcement service within Grand Rapids received
an average score of 3.7 by survey respondents.
DARE
Three officers from the GRPD teach Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) at three
area schools to the fifth grade classes. Officers from the GRPD go to schools one day a
week for 17 weeks and teach a curriculum on how to resist drugs and violence.
The GRPD also employs one school liaison officer that alternates duty at the middle
school and senior high school. This officer is responsible for handling juvenile
complaints and investigations.
Historical Grand Rapids Crime Data
Table 3.6 identifies the number or Part I offenses by the City of Grand Rapids PD
between 1991 and 2002. Part I offenses, considered to be more serious crimes, are
defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as including murder, rape, robbery,
aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson.
Table 3.6: City of Grand Rapids Historical Part I Crime Offenses
Type of Offense
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002
Murder
0
0
0
0
0
Rape
0
0
0
0
0
Robbery
1
8
7
6
4
Aggravated assault
0
0
1
1
3
Burglary
51
35
57
67
41
Larceny
65
67
77
116
42
Motor vehicle theft
11
14
15
25
14
Arson
1
3
0
3
0
Total Part I Offenses
146 143 171 234 113
Source: Minnesota Planning Criminal Justice Statistics Center
0
0
3
2
44
79
19
0
160
0
0
2
3
35
87
15
1
152
0
0
5
5
57
415
11
2
511
0
0
6
2
36
308
11
0
376
0
3
0
7
7
42
4
0
63
1
0
1
7
10
9
10
0
38
Table 3.7 identifies the number and type of Part II offenses reported by the City of
Grand Rapids PD between 1991 and 2002. The FBI identifies Part II offenses as all
offenses other than Part I crimes, juvenile offenses, and traffic violations. Part II
offenses include forgery and counterfeiting, fraud, embezzlement, buying, receiving, or
possessing stolen property, vandalism or destruction of property, weapons violations,
prostitution and commercialized vice, sex offenses, narcotics offenses, liquor law
violations, gambling violations, offenses against family and children, driving under the
influence, disorderly conduct, vagrancy, and all other offenses.
Page A22
Table 3.7: City of Grand Rapids Historical Part II Crime Offenses
Type of Offense
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002
Other assaults
66
82
122 125
72
Forgery and counterfeiting
9
20
11
22
14
Fraud
19
21
30
36
23
Embezzlement
0
0
0
0
0
Stolen property
0
0
0
3
2
Vandalism
34
43
39
64
29
Weapons offenses
2
3
18
24
11
Prostitution
0
0
6
0
1
Other sex offenses
11
9
13
12
4
Narcotics offenses
3
13
22
46
45
Gambling offenses
1
0
2
3
0
Offenses against family or children
14
18
21
19
10
Driving under the influence
48
43
60
63
32
Liquor laws
0
2
12
61
31
Disorderly conduct
102
78
146 164 101
Other offenses (except traffic)
30
40
80
125
78
Total Part II Offenses
339 372 582 767 453
Source: Minnesota Planning Criminal Justice Statistics Center
101
33
17
0
1
28
9
0
5
18
0
5
46
69
239
118
689
67
91
20
35
22
49
0
0
0
0
33
211
4
1
0
2
14
11
32
46
0
0
2
3
39
51
78
80
243 387
43
244
597 1,211
52
12
13
0
1
109
2
4
6
40
0
2
60
85
275
188
849
34
4
5
0
3
29
0
1
1
21
0
4
47
25
24
74
272
12
5
8
0
0
5
1
0
1
5
0
1
48
2
28
35
151
Fire Protection
Adequate fire protection is an essential service within any community, often saving
lives and property. Manpower, equipment, and a good emergency response system are
important considerations, not only for current Grand Rapids residents, but also for
prospective residents and businesses.
The City of Grand Rapids Fire Department (GRFD) provides fire protection to the
greater Grand Rapids area, including the City of La Prairie, and the townships of Grand
Rapids, Arbo, Blackberry, Harris, Splithand, Trout Lake, Wabana, and Wildwood. The
GRFD has mutual-aid agreements with each community in Itasca County, plus Hill City
and Jacobson, which are both located in Aitkin County. The annual budget for the
GRFD is approximately $350,000 dollars. The total population of the service area is
approximately 18,921 people covering 275 square miles.
The GRFD is made up of 29 firefighters who are paid on call. There are a total of two
fire stations in Grand Rapids, one each on the north side and the south side. The north
fire station contains seven fire engines and the south station contains two engines. The
fire department averages about 240 calls for service per year including fire calls,
rescues, and hazardous material spills and leaks with a chemical assessment team.
As with law enforcement, the community survey focused a number of questions on the
performance of the Grand Rapids Fire Department. Of the nearly 1,400 survey
responses, approximately 80-percent were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with fire
protection services provided in Grand Rapids. On a scale of one to five, with one being
Page A23
“very unsatisfied” and five being “very satisfied”, fire protection service within Grand
Rapids received an average score of 4.2 by survey respondents. The survey responses
indicate that Grand Rapids residents on a whole are very satisfied with the fire
protection they are receiving.
Hazardous Materials
The GRFD is a contractor to the State of Minnesota as a Chemical Assessment Team for
the State Hazardous Materials Regional Response Team Program. The State realizes the
need for professional/technical services from regionally located Hazardous Material
Response Teams to assist local authorities in protecting the pubic from the effects of a
hazardous materials release. The GRFD team is recognized as the Arrowhead Chemical
Assessment Team (CAT). The primary response area of the Arrowhead CAT includes
the following counties: Aitkin, Beltrami, Cass, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake of
the Woods, Wadena, part of Crow Wing, and part of St. Louis. The secondary response
area of the Arrowhead CAT includes the entire State of Minnesota. All equipment for
the team is stored at the Grand Rapids Fire Hall.
Ambulance Service
Like fire protection, emergency medical response is an essential service within any
community. Within Grand Rapids, the ambulance provider is Meds-1, located in the
Northwest Quadrant of the City. Meds-1 currently employs 30 people, of whom 10 are
full-time and 20 “casual” employees. Meds-1 has four ambulances. Three of these
ambulances are advanced life-support/critical care units and one is a basic unit that can
be upgraded at any given time. Three of the four ambulances are owned by Itasca
County. Meds-1 was the first rural, non-urban, advanced life support (ALS) provider in
northern Minnesota.
The service area for Meds-1 is roughly the 400 square mile area around the City of
Grand Rapids, one of the largest service areas in the State of Minnesota. Meds-1 is the
only service provider within this area, but does have mutual aid agreements with some
neighboring communities. Primary funding for Meds-1 comes from Medicare Part B.
Medicare Part B is helps pay for medical services such as physicians, ambulance
services, outpatient therapy and other professional services. Meds-1 draws additional
subsidies from Itasca and Aitkin counties, as well as a fee for call subsidy.
In 2002, Meds-1 received 2200 requests for services. Of those requests, nearly 2/3 were
911 calls with the remaining 1/3 being primarily patient transfers. Meds-1 also
provides stand-by and first-aid services at community events. Most of Meds-1 requests
for services come within a 10-minute response time radius, with the average being
approximately 6.6 minutes.
The Grand Rapids community survey asked citizens their opinion of ambulance
services within the area. Of the nearly 1,400 survey responses, approximately 63GRAND RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Page A24
percent were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with ambulance services provided in
Grand Rapids. On a scale of one to five, with one being “very unsatisfied” and five
being “very satisfied”, ambulance service within Grand Rapids received an average
score of 3.9 by survey respondents. The survey responses indicate that Grand Rapids
residents on a whole are very satisfied with ambulance services.
SECTION 3.3: EDUCATION
Public Education
Public education represents the heart of a community. Whether located within the
community or within a neighboring community, no other institution symbolizes the
notion of a community, as does the public school. Public education transmits
knowledge to new generations and displays the achievements of society. A strong
public education system can prepare young people to be productive citizens and enable
them to enter college, a community college, or directly into the general workforce.
Public schools are key determinants of the quality of life and are valued symbols of
community identity and achievement. The entire community benefits from public
schools and is often evaluated on the basis of their quality.
School District
Schools within the City of Grand Rapids are part of the Independent School District
(ISD) 318. This encompasses most of Itasca County, covering an area of nearly 2,000
square miles. Approximate enrollment for the School District is approximately 3,900
students. Enrollment into ISD 318 schools has been decreasing approximately 2-3
percent a year as a result of declining birth rates. The School District currently employs
244 full-time teachers as well as a full-time support staff of 249.
ISD 318 has an operating budget of $34 million dollars. In recent years, school funding
has been flat and has failed to keep up with the pace of inflation. As a result of this, the
School District has been forced to make budget cuts averaging around $1 million per
year over the last five years. If the School District does not receive help from the State
Legislature it will consider an operating cost referendum. Within the Grand Rapids
School District, there are a total of nine schools. These are shown in Table 3.8 below.
Table 3.8: 2003 I.S.D. 318 Schools and Enrollment Data
School Name
Grand Rapids High School
Grand Rapids Middle School
Bigfork School
Cohasset Elementary
Forest Lake Elementary
Murphy Elementary
Southwest Elementary
Riverview Elementary
Squaw Lake Elementary
Grades
Built
9-12
1972; remodeled in 1997
6-8
2003
K-12
1960s, attached elementary 1997
K-5
1950s
K-5
1960s
K-5
1960s
K-5
1960s
K-5
1950s
K-6
1950s
Sq. Ft.
304,000
156,000
87,950
38,899
53,857
40,017
37,625
40,865
18,157
Enrollment (approx)
1,356
827
314
284
290
300
303
190
36
Page A25
Elementary and Secondary Education
Currently, there are no plans for consolidating schools or school districts in the future.
However, rather than consolidation, the ISD 318 is involved in ongoing discussions
with Greenway, Deer River, and Naswauk/Keewatin focusing on collaborating on
certain issues that might make each School District operate more efficiently. Four of the
above mentioned elementary schools are scheduled air quality renovations within the
next five years. In addition to the buildings listed in the above table, ISD 318 leases
space at Itasca Community College for the Area Learning Center and the Itasca Juvenile
Center to hold classes for detainees.
Pre-School Education
Head Start
Head Start is a federal and state funded anti-poverty program focused on school
readiness. The goal of the Head Start program is to assist low-income families break the
cycle of poverty by improving the heath and social competence of preschool aged
children by promoting economic self-sufficiency for parents. Head Start provides a
comprehensive program of health, education, parent involvement, and social services,
all of which are coordinated with community-based service systems.
Early Childhood Family Education
Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) programming addresses the needs of
families with children up to age five by offering programs that teach parenting skills,
school readiness, and socialization. The programs are funded through a combined local
levy and state-aid formula that can be supplemented with registration feels and other
funding sources.
Private Schools
The City of Grand Rapids is also home to four private schools. Three of these are
private Christian schools and one is a private Catholic school. Combined enrollment in
these schools is 271. These schools are identified in table 3.9 on the following page.
Table 3.9: Private Schools in Grand Rapids Area
School Name
St. Josephs Catholic Schools
Grace Christian School
Christian Community School
Itasca Christian Academy
Grades
Enrollment
K-6
K-12
K-9
4-11
147
25
36
63
Post-Secondary Education
There is one opportunity for post-secondary education within the City of Grand Rapids.
This is the Itasca Community College (ICC), a two-year public college located at 1852
East Highway 169. The school currently has an enrollment of approximately 1,200
students. The school offers two-year diplomas in practical nursing, wild land
Page A26
firefighting, nursing assistance, accounting, and natural resources/forestry. The ICC
faculty is made up of 40 full-time employees. The cost of tuition for 32 credits a year is
as follows:
♦ Out of State Resident - $221.00/credit ($7,072.00 per year)
♦ In State Resident - $118.03/credit (3,776.96 per year)
♦ Itasca has reciprocity with WI, ND, SD, and Manitoba
SECTION 3.4: PUBLIC LIBRARIES
Library resources are an important part of the community base. They provide residents
with opportunities for personal cultivation, literary and cultural pursuits, continuous
development of knowledge and personal skills, and lifelong learning.
The Arrowhead Library System
The Arrowhead Library System (ALS) serves rural residents and member community
libraries in the seven counties of northeast Minnesota. The ALS is geographically the
largest library system in the state. Through the Bookmobile service, ALS provides high
quality library access to residents who live outside member library communities. A
number of different types of materials and services are available through the ALS
Bookmobile. These include the following:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Adult and children’s books
Large print books
Videocassettes
Books on tape
Compact disk music
Inter-library loan
The ALS “Mail-A-Book” program is designed to supply library services to rural
and homebound residents of member counties. Patrons that qualify for this
program may order materials, which will then be mailed to them at no cost.
Mail-A-Book is available at no costs to rural resident of Minnesota who live in a
city without a public library, and homebound residents of cities in general. The
Mail-A-Book collection includes materials in a number of formats including the
following:
♦ Paperback books
♦ Audio books
♦ Videotapes
♦ Large print books
The Grand Rapids Area Library is a part of the Arrowhead Library System. The 26,500
square foot building was completed in 2000 and employs seven and a half full-time
Page A27
employees. While the City of Grand Rapids owns the building, the library board
maintains it. The Library Board contracts with the City of Grand Rapids for some of
the facility maintenance. The Library Board also has full responsibility over the use of
the facility. Funding for the new library came through grants, donations, Itasca
County, and the City of Grand Rapids funding approximately 25-percent of the
original building costs.
The library offers a wide array of resources, including the following:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Paperback and hardcover books
Videos and DVDs
Audio books
Music CDs and cassette tapes
Materials for care givers for small children
Meeting and study rooms
20 computers with Internet
Special resources for home schooling
Multi-cultural musical instruments
Clothing for preschoolers
In addition, the library offers informational programs for adults and children and
recreational programs for children.
As of 2002, the Grand Rapids Library held 65,770 books and serial volumes, 2,638
audio items, 2,984 videos, 150 multi-format items, and 369 items of other formats.
Circulation for the library in 2002 was 225,310 items. The library also answered 21,779
reference queries in 2002.
SECTION 3.5: PARKS AND RECREATION
Recreational opportunities represent a key quality of life consideration for residents of
the City of Grand Rapids. The magnificent setting around Grand Rapids affords
superior recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. Parks, campgrounds,
trails, lakes, and golf are all available in and around the Grand Rapids vicinity.
Parks
The City of Grand Rapids has over 200 acres of parks and open space lands developed
for recreation. All of the parks are open to the public, free of charge. Throughout
Grand Rapids, 17 park facilities offer a wide variety of recreational uses including:
softball fields, baseball field, soccer fields, playground equipment, picnic areas,
basketball court, horseshoe courts, tennis courts, sand volleyball, water access and
fishing piers and lighted ski trails. Table 3.10 describes the highlights of these parks.
Page A28
Table 3.10: City of Grand Rapids Park Facilities
Park Name
American Legion Memorial Park
Blandin Beach (Forest Lake)
Old Central School
Cody Siem Memorial Skate Park
Grand Rapids Sports Complex
Grussendorf Park
Lost Creek Park
Maplewood Park
McGowan Park
Location
Newton Sliding Hell
1st Ave. & 13th Street SW
From Oakland Park across river
to Veteran’s Memorial Park
4th Ave. & 7th Street NE
Oakland Park
11th Ave. & 4th Street SE
Riverfront Trails
Pokegama Ave. & 1st Street SE
Mississippi River Bridge Crossing
Amenities
Baseball field, CC ski trails, Park and Recreation
offices, football field, picnic and park area, and
TH 38 and 14th Street
horseshoe area, and Ryan Flood Memorial
Basketball Court
Playground and park area, picnic area, fence
th
th
10 Ave. and 6 Street NW
beach swimming area, raft and diving boards
Picnic
and park area, amphitheater, yellow brick
Pokegama Ave. & 4th Street NW
road, flower gardens, shops, and entertainment
Tier I & II equipment for ages 8 and over,
Currently under relocation
beginner and advance skill level areas,
concession, and picnic tables
Four softball fields, regulation soccer field,
1100 NE 11th Ave.
practice area, picnic, park/play area, and
concessions
Playground, picnic, & park area, tennis courts,
8th Ave. and 6th Street SW
softball field, hard court area, basketball court,
hockey rink & warming house, sand volleyball
Playground, picnic & park area, creek runs
4th Ave. & 8th Street NW
through park
5th Ave. & 14th Street SE
Playground, picnic and park area
Showboat Landing (Syndicate Park) 16th Ave & 3rd Street NW
Steamboat Landing
303 SE 1st Street
Sylvan Landing
12th Ave. & 1st Street SW
Veteran’s Memorial Park
7th Ave. NE & TH 2
Willow Park
4th Ave. SE
IRA Civic Center
1401 McKinney Lake Road
Playground, picnic and park area
Non-motorized bridge crossing in summer,
snowmobile crossing in winter
Sliding Area
Playground, picnic & park area, softball field,
bridge crossing access, practice soccer area
Trail beginning at Blandin Park and follow along
the Mississippi River
Picnic and park area, fishing platform,
performance area
Picnic and park area, river access
Picnic and park area, boat landing
Playground, picnic & park area, two sheltered
pavilions, electricity, water, volleyball, and
horseshoes court, bridge crossing access.
Playground, picnic, and park area
Trade shows, receptions, receptions, exhibition
events, concerts, meetings and conventions
Recreation
IRA Civic Center
The IRA Civic Center is a main community gathering site that plays host to a wide
variety of activities and events. The IRA Civic Center is made up of approximately
40,000 square feet of floor space in which events can be held. Some of the events and
activities held at the Civic Center are listed below:
♦ Trade Shows: home shows, food shows, boat shows, builder’s shows, dog shows,
arts and craft shows, children’s expos, fishing shows.
♦ Receptions: weddings, reunions, retirements, anniversaries, graduations, proms
Page A29
♦ Exhibition Events: rodeos, pro wrestling, circus
♦ Concerts: seating for up to 3,900 people
♦ Meetings and Conventions: the Civic Center can accommodate meetings of most
sizes
Bike Trails
Northeast Minnesota is rapidly developing some of the finest bike trails in the state;
with the City of Grand Rapids itself provides many biking opportunities. The Itasca
County Bike Trail begins at the fairgrounds in Grand Rapids and heads north to Prairie
Lake five miles to the north. The fairgrounds also serve as the gateway to the Mesabi
Trail, which runs from Grand Rapids to Ely. This trail is under development and more
sections are added every year
The Mesabi Trail is located in northern Minnesota between Grand Rapids and Ely.
When completed, the trail will traverse 132 miles and connect over 25 communities.
Currently, there are over 66 miles of completed trail, which is easily accessible from
several entry point gateways. At this time, the longest paved sections run from Grand
Rapids to Taconite - 13 miles; Nashwauk east to Kinney - 30 miles; and Mt. Iron to
Eveleth - 13 miles. Approximately mid August 2003 the trail will be complete from
Nashwauk to Eveleth for 51 miles of continuous pavement.
Cross-country Skiing
The City of Grand Rapids area is home to approximately 19 ski areas with more than
200 kilometers of groomed trails for both classic and free-style techniques.
Some trails require a Great Minnesota Ski Pass, which may be purchased at any
electronic licensing agent. Funds generated by the sale of ski passes help local, county
and state organizations maintain trails.
Snowmobile Trails
The Taconite State Trail stretches 165 miles from Grand Rapids to Ely and intersects
with the Arrowhead State Trail just west of Lake Vermillion. The first 6 miles from
Grand Rapids are paved for biking and in-line skating. The remainder of the natural
surface trail is used primarily for snowmobiling in the winter. The trail goes through a
few areas that have standing water in the summer, however portions of the trail are
suitable for horseback riding, hiking, and mountain biking.
Mount Itasca Ski Area
The winter sports center at Mount Itasca features the new 30-point biathlon range, four
kilometers of competition trails, a small downhill ski area, ski jumping, snowmaking
equipment, and a heated chalet with restrooms and concessions. The Mount Itasca
Biathlon hosted the 2002 NorAm Series #3, Junior World Trials and Junior National
Championships and the U.S. Summer Biathlon Championships
Page A30
Minnesota Shooting Sports Education Center
Located in Grand Rapids, the Minnesota Shooting Sports Education Center (MSSEC) is
open to the public for educational training, train the trainer programs, 4-H Shooting
Sports, NRA programs, Youth Firearms Safety, Minnesota Advanced Hunter
Education, and supervised recreational shooting.
The twelve lanes at 50-meter range provide shooters with state-of-the-art equipment
and educational facilities. The MSSEC specializes in air gun, archery, and small bore
rifle, although the range can handle handgun calibers to 50 calibers.
The outdoor 3-D archery range is realistically situated in a wooded setting with
hunting style shots from elevated stands, ground blinds, and even African game at a
water hole.
Golf Courses
Pokegama Golf Course
The Pokegama Golf Course was originally a nine-hole layout with sand greens. It was
completely rebuilt in 1977 to an 18-hole municipal course on the shores of Pokegama
Lake. The course is a 6,481-yard, par-71 with views of Pokegama Lake, rolling terrain,
abundant bunkering and severely undulating greens.
Wendigo Golf Club
The Wendigo Golf Club opened for play in 1995. After just one season, Golf Digest
Magazine ranked it the 8th Best Public Golf Course in Minnesota. The course is located
just a few miles southeast of Grand Rapids on 255 acres of land. The course is a 6756yard, par-71 or 72 depending on what hole you play as your fourth, the par-3 or the
par-4. The course features dramatic elevation changes, water hazards, huge pine trees,
abundant bunkering and large undulating greens.
Sugarbrooke Golf Course
The Sugarbrooke Golf Course is located at Sugar Lake Lodge, 14 miles southwest of
Grand Rapids. Designed in 1993, this 18-hole, 6,534-yard par 71 provides rolling
terrain and some tricky spots on the greens with water hazards and well-placed sand
bunkers.
Eagle Ridge Golf Course
The Eagle Ridge Golf Course opened for play in 1996. Eagle Ridge is an 18-hole par 72
championship course with wide fairways and large greens.
Page A31
SECTION 3.6: HUMAN SERVICES
People are the most precious resource within a community. To contribute to
communities and the workplace, individuals and families need a healthy environment
that fosters their growth and supports positive, productive life activities. To thrive,
people of all ages need access to a comprehensive support system within their
community. However, many residents need extra help for a variety of reasons —
poverty, language and cultural barriers, lack of education, physical and/or mental
disability, and isolation, among others.
Itasca Resource Center
Today, more than ever, tax payers and customers are demanding that people and
agencies that provide services do so efficiently and cost effectively. In Itasca County,
agencies that provide services are committed to finding better ways to serve customers
and to use tax dollars wisely.
One of the best ways to accomplish this is to make changes in how and where services
are provided. The Itasca Resource Centers, located in Grand Rapids, Bigfork, Deer
River, and Nashwauk/Keewatin are designed to cut costs, eliminate duplication and to
streamline how services are provided.
People who access the Itasca Resource Center receive most of the services they need in
one centralized location. This eliminates unnecessary travel and the need to tell their
stories over and over again. The Itasca Resource Center reduces the impact of the
barriers customers face in obtaining the services they need.
The Itasca Resource Center located in the City of Grand Rapids houses the “parent”
offices of Itasca County Health and Human Services (Public Health, Social Services,
Financial Services), Independent School District 318 Early Childhood Family Education
and Early Childhood Special Education, First Call for Help of Itasca County,
KOOTASCA Community Action, Inc. (fuel assistance, Head Start, weatherization,
etc.). The Workforce Center (Office of Job Training, State Job Service, Division of
Rehabilitation Services, Services for the Blind and Arrowhead Economic Opportunity
Agency) is also housed in the Grand Rapids Center.
Primary objectives of the Itasca Resource Center are summarized in the bullet points
below.
♦
♦
♦
♦
Increase customer access to needed services
Increase customer capacity for self-determination
Improve staff capacity
Increase cost effectiveness in service delivery
There is a wide array of agencies that participate in the Itasca County Collaborative
Process. These agencies are listed below.
Page A32
♦ Advocates Against Domestic
Abuse
♦ Bigfork Memorial Hospital
♦ Deer River Memorial Hospital
♦ ElderCircle
♦ First Call for Help of Itasca
County
♦ Hope House of Itasca County,
Inc.
♦ Itasca Alliance Against Sexual
Assault
♦ Itasca County Health and
Human Services
♦ Itasca County Public Health
♦ Itasca County Victim Assistance
Program
♦ Itasca Hospice Project
♦ Itasca Housing &
Redevelopment Authority
♦ KOOTASCA Community
Action, Inc.
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Legal Aid of Northeastern MN
Lutheran Social Services
MN Extension Service
North Homes, Inc.
Northland Counseling Center
Northland Recovery Center
School Districts 316, 317, 318,
319
Second Harvest North Central
Food Bank
Voluntary Action Center
Work Force Center
Arrowhead Economic
Opportunity Agency
Division of Rehabilitation
Services
Northeast MN Office of Job
Training
Services for the Blind
State Job Services
Aitkin-Itasca-Koochiching Community Heath Agency
The Aitkin-Itasca-Koochiching Community Health Agency was established in 1977
under the provisions of the Community Heath Services Act of 1976, as recodified in
1987 as part of the Local Public Heath Act. A multi-county Board of Directors
consisting of seven members including County Commissioners, health providers, and
citizen representatives governs the Agency.
The Community Health Agency and Board are responsible for comprehensive, multicounty planning, program development, evaluation and administration of State
subsidies and special project grants. The Community Health Agency and Board
utilizes the expertise of social service, non-profit, business and citizen interests from
throughout the tri-county area. Programs within the scope of the Community Health
Agency include:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Health Promotion
Disease Prevention and Control
Family Health
Home Health
Environmental Health
Emergency Medical Services
Page A33
Habitat for Humanity
Itasca County Habitat for Humanity Chapter (HFHI), located in Grand Rapids, is a
nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty
housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of
conscience and action. Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to
build houses together in partnership with families in need. Habitat has built more
than 150,000 houses around the world, providing more than 750,000 people in more
than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter.
Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and
rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families.
Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, nointerest loans. The homeowners monthly mortgage payments are used to build still
more Habitat houses.
Habitat is not a giveaway program. In addition to a down payment and the monthly
mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor -- sweat
equity -- into building their Habitat house and the houses of others.
Community Alternatives for Disabled Individuals Program
In Minnesota, disabled children and adults who live in nursing homes, or require a
nursing home level of care, may be eligible for a home and community based
alternative. The Community Alternatives for Disabled Individuals (CADI) Program is
intended to promote community living and independence by providing appropriate
health care and support services based on individual needs.
IMCare (Itasca Medical Care)
Located in the Itasca Resource Center in the City of Grand Rapids, IMCare provides
health care coverage for people who are eligible for Minnesota Health Care Programs
and live within the IMCare service area. These programs include Minnesota Care,
Medical Assistance (MA) and General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC).
Income Maintenance
There are a number of income maintenance programs offered through Itasca County
Health and Human Services Public Assistance Programs that are housed in the City of
Grand Rapids. These programs are listed below.
Page A34
Table 3.11: Income Maintenance Programs
Abbreviation
MFIP
FS
GA
Program Description
Minnesota Family Investment Program - Families with children or individual children.
Cash and food stamps combined.
Food Stamps - Individuals/couples/families preparing meals. Food Stamp benefits
accessed at stores for food purchases.
General Assistance - Individuals/couples without children, exempt from work. Grant
standard or negotiated rate and personal needs allowance for R & B facilities.
GAMC
General Assistance Medical Care - Individuals/residents in IMD. Concurrent with GA
for adults (under 65 years) and with MSA in IMD. Providers bill State for payment of
eligible medical care. May be fee for service or HMO monthly premiums.
MA
Medical Assistance - Minor children/children with families/aged, blind, or disabled.
Providers bill State for payment of eligible medical care. May be fee for service or HMO
monthly premiums. Residents of nursing homes or state hospitals receive facility
expense payment.
MSA
Minnesota Supplemental Aid - Individuals/couples SSI-eligible with/without SSI/RSDI
benefit. Grant standards or negotiated rate and personal need allowance for R & B
facilities.
QI-1's
QI-2's
QMB
Must be enrolled in Medicare Part A and must meet QMB/SLMB asset limits. QI-1's are
only eligible for full Part B premium payment and are eligible for buy-in.
Are only eligible to receive payment for the increase in Medicare Part B premiums which
is due to shift of home care services from A to Part B.
Qualified Medicare Beneficiary - Individuals/couples. Pays Medicare premiums and copayments.
QWD
Qualified Working Disabled Adult - Individuals. Pays Medicare A.
SLMB
Service Limited Medicare Beneficiary - Individuals/couples. Pays Medicare B premiums
only.
Mental Health Facilities
Access to mental health services is critical to the health of a community. Undiagnosed
and untreated mental health issues can lead to school failure, family conflicts, drug
abuse, violence, or suicide and often limit a persons current and future ability to be
productive. In addition, these problems can be very costly to families, communities,
and the health care system. Grand Rapids has five facilities that offer assistance to
children and adults. They are:
♦ Northland Mental Health, Inc. is a multi setting mental health organization located
at 215 SE Second Avenue.
♦ Grand Rapids Counseling Service is mental health clinic At 717 E NE Fourth Street.
♦ Itasca Psychiatric Service a mental health clinic located at 25 NE Third Street.
♦ Esther House is a community residential organization located at 213 SE 11th Street.
♦ Children’s Mental Health Services provides out patient clinics located at 141 E.
Highway 169.
Page A35
Food-Shelf Services
The Grand Rapids Food Shelf operates as a program of Second Harvest North Central
Food Bank and is located at 2222 Cromell Drive. The food shelf is open Tuesdays and
Thursdays from 11:30 AM until 3:00 PM. Clients generally receive a five-day supply
of food for their household and are allowed to have up to three emergency visits per
year. The Grand Rapids Food Shelf currently serves about 350 families or close to 1,000
individuals a month. Thirty-seven percent of the clients are children and over 40percent of the clients are working poor.
The Grand Rapids Food Shelf operates solely on donated funds, which are used to
purchase the large volume of food needed at discounted prices from the food bank.
The food shelf also accepts donated food from individuals, churches and
organizations. Donated cash from individuals can purchase six times the amount of
food that an individual can purchase at the grocery store.
Page A36
T
RANSPORTATION BACKGROUND REPORT
SECTION 4: TRANSPORTATION BACKGROUND REPORT
SECTION 4.1: PREVIOUS TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IN GRAND RAPIDS
The Comprehensive Surface Transportation Plan for the Grand Rapids Area
was completed in 1995. This plan was a community supported
transportation plan that addressed the short, intermediate, and long
range issues with transportation in the Grand Rapids Area. This plan
provided an overall framework for future development of the
transportation system and listed 38 recommended improvements
regarding transit, highways, railroads, bikes, and pedestrians.
In 2001 ARDC completed the Grand
Rapids Area
Transportation Plan
Update. This update
reviewed the
recommendations
given in the 1995
Comprehensive Surface
Transportation Plan for
the Grand Rapids Area.
Once the 1995 review
was completed, new concerns were
heard at a series of public, Chamber,
and Technical Advisory Committee
(TAC) meetings. Concerns were
summarized into five categories:
Concern Type A: Trunk Highway 169
South
Concern Type B: Trunk Highway 2
Concern Type C: Railroad Crossings
Concern Type D: Bicycle and
Pedestrian Issues
Concern Type E: Grand Rapids-Itasca
County Airport
Eighteen of the recommendations in
these concern types are specific to
Grand Rapids.
Summary of Previous Recommendations
A1) Construct the 2nd Ave SE corridor between 11th and 25th
Streets SE, and pursue the extension of 2nd Ave SE between
10th and 11th Streets SE.
A2) Conduct an access management plan for TH 169 between
Highway 2 and the Harris Town Line.
A3) Increase the capacity of 7th Ave East between 13th Street
SE and TH 2 and improve the road structure between 13th
Street SE and 17th Street SE.
A4) Create a land use plan focusing on the TH 169 corridor
area.
A5) Create a single intersection between 10th Street SE at 7th
Ave East.
B1) Implement new traffic / access management ideas
throughout the City.
B2) Close the 12th Ave railroad crossing, improve the 18th Ave
NW crossing, and improve the intersection at 18th Ave NW
and TH 2 by adding extra long turn lanes.
B3) Create a land use plan focusing on the area surrounding
the TH 2/ CSAH 63 intersection.
B4) Continue to monitor traffic levels and downtown
development to determine the need for further traffic
congestion reduction
C1) Close the 5th Ave NE crossing and redesign the 3rd Ave NE
crossing, along with installing gates and lights.
D1) Develop a bicycle and pedestrian plan.
D2) Develop a more pedestrian friendly downtown.
D3) Support development of Mesabi Trail.
E1) Move crosswind runway to the south end of airport.
E2) Support the Airport’s improvement plans
E3) Promote the Airport as a means for distribution of goods
from area businesses.
Page A37
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Page A38
THE GRAND RAPID TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
Several modes of transportation exist in Grand Rapids. They include pedestrian,
bicycles, transit, railroads, roads, and airplane travel.
SECTION 4.2: CITY WALKABILITY
Transportation is the process of moving people and goods. Everyone has a need to get
from one place to another, and yet some do not have access to automobiles, cannot use
automobiles, or prefer riding a bicycle or walking. It
is therefore important to look at transportation
planning with the needs of bicyclists, pedestrians,
transit riders, and automobiles all considered
together with the recognition that all forms of
transportation must be intermodal. When bicycle,
pedestrian, and transit are termed “alternative
transportation” in public discussion, they are
insignificant as special concerns in overall
transportation planning, when in fact they are
critical pieces of the transportation system.
Walking is free and the most affordable and basic form of transportation. Walking is
clean, easy on the infrastructure, healthy for the individual and integral to community
livability. Everyone is a pedestrian at some point in time. Until recently, walking has
not been considered a critical component of the modern transportation system.
A pedestrian is a person moving from place to place, either by foot or by using an
assistive mobility device. Pedestrians include residents and visitors to the city of all
ages and abilities. In order to travel safely, conveniently, directly and comfortably,
pedestrians require an urban environment and infrastructure designed to meet their
travel needs.
Recognizing the need for an intermodal system of
transportation, pedestrian needs must be a key
component in any transportation plan. Before the
dominance of the automobile, it was common for
many of cities to be built around pedestrian
activity. City limits were generally restricted to a
mile or less from the central downtown, providing
pedestrians with access to numerous services and
community functions within walking distance.
Our modern dependency on the automobile has separated the function of a traditional
walking city such as Grand Rapids from its original design around pedestrian needs.
Page A39
Though this dependency on the automobile has
impacted development around the City, the
downtown area continues to be “walkable”. The
City must ensure that these pedestrian-friendly
design concepts are readopted and implemented in
other parts of the community while protecting and
enhancing the walkability of existing sidewalks
downtown. Future planning efforts should
continue the patterns of the past that recognize the
importance of all modes of transportation.
The walkability portion of the Plan will aid in developing a successful pedestrian
network by combining off-road trails and parks with an extensive network of on road
systems of bicycle facilities and sidewalks. Since all
major destination points generally connect directly to
the street system, a combined network will best suit the
needs of people who bicycle and walk for
transportation reasons.
How Far do Pedestrians Travel?
Just as trips made by other modes vary in length, so too do walking trips. Some
walking trips may be as short as walking to a neighbor’s house. At the other extreme,
some dedicated pedestrians
regularly make walking trips that are
Likelihood of a Pedestrian Fatality in a Crash
three or more miles long. The 1990
National Personal Transportation
Motorist Speed (MPH)
Chance of a Pedestrian
Study revealed that the average
Fatality
walking trip is 0.6 miles long and
20
5%
that this average varies slightly
30
45%
depending on trip purpose and
40
85%
location. In general, people make
longer trips to get to work than they
Source: Orlando Urban Area Arterial Pedestrian Crash Study.
do for shopping or personal trips.
Pedestrian Needs
An incomplete and inaccessible system presents a multitude of problems for
pedestrians. There is an extensive need to connect existing pedestrian facilities into an
integrated transportation system: linking neighborhoods with activity centers and
schools. Conditions of existing facilities must also be considered as navigability and
safety are jeopardized on a facility with rough or broken surface. The greatest needs
are safety, connectivity, and access.
Page A40
Nationally, 6,000 pedestrians are killed and 110,000 are injured each year. In Grand
Rapids since 1992 there has been one pedestrian/vehicle related death and a total of 28
reported pedestrian/vehicle accidents.
In order to provide an accessible pedestrian facilities system that is safe, continuous,
convenient, attractive, and affordable, the following goals and objectives have been
developed.
Safety: Provide pedestrian facilities that are safe for general pedestrian travel.
Prevention: Build and maintain dedicated pedestrian facilities separate from roadways
at safe distances from curbs and improve existing facilities to enhance safety.
Security: Establish and promote a high level of pedestrian confidence by furnishing
security amenities such as visibility and lighting.
Railroad Crossings: Ensure safe pedestrian crossings over railroad tracks by providing
accessible, well designed and constructed walkways with adequate warning systems
allowing pedestrians ample time to cross.
Connectivity: Unite parts of the pedestrian facilities system into a continuous system
by completing system gaps, providing linkages to activity centers, schools, and
connecting to other modes of transportation.
Condition: Improve substandard or deteriorated linkages through replacement.
Extension: Promote continuation of pedestrian facilities along local roadways to
connect neighborhoods with schools.
Function: Consider function as the fundamental guideline in designing pedestrian
facilities.
Capacity: Acquire sufficient right-of-way clear of utility conflicts.
Aesthetics: Blend pedestrian facility design with area type and natural environment as
part of overall facility.
Expenditures: Effectively utilize available resources to provide for basic pedestrian
mobility and accessibility needs.
Page A41
Pedestrians Hazard Areas/Needed Linkages
Pedestrian hazard areas are areas where
there are currently no pedestrian
facilities and pedestrian traffic exists
that is subject to danger from passing
cars. Good pedestrian access requires
direct links to where pedestrians need
and want to go while providing
convenient and safe pedestrian access
through
out
the
community.
Deficiencies in the pedestrian facility
network in Grand Rapids are listed
below. This list doesn’t include all
deficiencies but highlights some of the
more important issues.
Other obstacles to safe pedestrian travel
include:
Poorly designed, poorly maintained
sidewalks.
Long distances between residential,
commercial or employment areas due to land
development patterns.
Few places to cross busy arterials.
Little consideration given to walking
facilities, such as benches.
Inadequate treatment for pedestrians with
disabilities.
Utility poles, low trees, and other obstacles
placed on or along the walkway.
♦ Lack of suitable sidewalks near the Southwest Elementary School.
♦ Lack of suitable sidewalks near several city parks.
♦ Lack of suitable sidewalks near many residential apartments.
♦ No sidewalks in the new middle school area.
♦ Sidewalk facilities stop short of Itasca Community College.
♦ Poor signage near the Mesabi Trail.
♦ Insufficiencies where sidewalks are constructed and a lack of a sidewalk/trail
connection plan.
There is currently a need to better connect the city sidewalk and pedestrian system to
the Mesabi Trail at the fairgrounds. The City has designed a solution as part of a road
project in that area. The project will connect the existing sidewalk system on 14th Street
directly to the Mesabi Trail with a new sidewalk connection. Portions of Ridgewood
Road will also have sidewalks that will connect to new sidewalks along Crystal Lake
Boulevard tying directly into the 14th Street entrance to the Mesabi Trail. The new
construction is scheduled to start in 2004 and will be part of a larger road construction
project.
The following map indicates areas in Grand Rapids where the sidewalk system needs
to be expanded.
Page A42
Pedestrian Crossing Improvements
In order to link with road systems, provisions must be
made to allow opportunities for pedestrians to cross
roadways conveniently and safely. Wide roads
carrying large traffic volumes can be obstacles to
pedestrians, making facilities on the other side
difficult to access. Crossings must be provided at
intersections and other appropriate locations.
Safe street crossings also benefit motorists. An automobile driver parking on one side
of the road may desire to walk to locations across the street. A pedestrian system with
sidewalks and crossing opportunities allows a driver to park once and walk to several
places.
Several crosswalks signs in Grand Rapids are placed in poor locations. These locations
include:
♦ Crystal Lake BLVD. & 12 Street NE (to be addressed in 2004 city project)
♦ Horse Shoe Lake Road near the intersection of Isleview
♦ Sign confusion around the old middle school
Crosswalk signs should be placed at:
♦ Crystal Lake BLVD. & Pokegama Avenue
♦ Crystal Lake BLVD. & 14th Street NE
School crossing signs and striping should be placed at:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Main entrance to Middle School near the bus drop off/ pick up location
St. Joesphs School area
NW 7th Avenue & NW 7th Street / sign only needed
Making Pedestrian Friendly Linkages
Many pedestrian networks are often utilized due to the
pleasure, safety, and convenience of using the facility. If
a pedestrian facility is built and doesn’t provide a
friendly and safe atmosphere, it will not be used. People
are more likely to walk further and more often when the
streetscape offers more attractions and when they feel
comfortable and secure.
Page A43
Safety Issues
Road Sharing
All road users including motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians have an equal right to
use the roadways, but have different operational capabilities. These differences result
in a high level of pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes which would be avoided by
improving road sharing.
Visibility
Seeing and being seen when on the road are essential to safe travel for all road users.
Enhancing pedestrian visibility to some degree has the potential to enable drivers to
detect pedestrians and cyclists earlier. Visibility enhancement is an especially
appropriate countermeasure for many of the crashes that occur between motor vehicles
and pedestrians.
Lack of Knowledge / Awareness of pedestrian and motorist
Many crashes occur due to lack of knowledge and/or awareness that could be avoided
through education and information.
Identifying Hazards
Hazards both internal and external to road users
increase the difficulty of the driver and pedestrian
trip. External hazards include parked cars,
construction, weather, high traffic speed, narrow
lanes, and poor pavement conditions. Internal factors
include fatigue, alcohol, inattention, and physical
limitations.
In some cases pedestrians may take precautions to avoid hazards if they are aware that
such hazards exist. For example, a pedestrian aware of the presence of a broken
sidewalk may consider another route or proceed with caution. In other cases, road
users may have little control over a particular hazard, especially if the hazard is
external or involves the behavior of other road users. However, being alert to the
potential of specific hazards can help road users react more effectively when such a
hazard is presented.
Better hazard identification skills on the part of both the pedestrian and motorist
would serve in general as a countermeasure to all types of pedestrian/motor vehicle
crashes.
Page A44
Motor Vehicle Traffic
High motor vehicle traffic volumes and speeds decrease the safety of roadways for
walking. All types of crashes would be addressed by safety programs including
measures to avoid, better control or to more effectively respond to motor vehicle
traffic.
Concern for Personal Security
Pedestrians are especially vulnerable to personal harm given their low speed and
exposure to potential criminal behavior. Pedestrians increase this vulnerability when
walking during non-daylight hours or in unlighted areas. Personal security is a very
important concern among pedestrians.
Need for increased funding
While funding sources for improvements to the physical environment for pedestrian
safety are slowly being identified, funding for safety education programs have not
fared well. Comprehensive traffic safety education programs are crucial to improving
the safety of pedestrians. Such programs can not be offered through the school system
or recreation departments, given the current resources available. Funding has been
identified thought the Transportation Equity Act (TEA-21) for a Bicycle Safety
Education program and should be extended to include pedestrian issues.
Educate residents and visitors
Safe and continuous pedestrian access to additional parking, shopping, and dining
opportunities is important to residents and visitors of Grand Rapids. The City may
wish to work with the Chamber to develop promotional materials identifying
pedestrian linkages to parking, shopping, and points of interest.
Opportunities
Many residents walk to their destinations for recreation and physical fitness.
♦ Most arterial and many collector roads have sidewalks on at least one side.
♦ New development and construction should provide sidewalks on at least one side
of its streets.
Challenges
There is a predominance of automobile use over other modes of transportation due to
comfort, convenience, lack of public education, and safety concerns.
♦ Conflicts between bike, auto, and pedestrian safety occur where the transportation
system does not incorporate multi-modal uses.
♦ Maintaining a contiguous system of walkways and bikeways, instead of a
fragmented system, is critical to avoiding conflicts.
Page A45
SECTION 4.3: BICYCLE FACILITIES
The physical beauty and relatively flat environment of Grand
Rapids makes it a great city for bicycles and gives it the potential
to be one of the best. This portion of the Transportation Element
outlines a set of projects, policies, and programs to incorporate
bicycles into the City’s future transportation system.
In order to have a usable bicycle system, Grand Rapids must integrate it with the
automobile. Concern over automobiles speeding through neighborhood streets is a
common topic at community meetings. Excessive speeds and the danger imposed by
these speeds, have fundamentally changed the way our children are permitted to enjoy
their neighborhood streets. Many parents prohibit their children from riding bicycles
to school due to fears about safety on the streets.
Bicycle facilities include both on-road and off-road components. The on-street facilities
are located along arterial and other selected corridors and are located in the right-ofway or along easements. The off-street facilities are located off the right-or-way and
near residential subdivisions or natural areas.
In order to develop bicyclist transportation facilities and programs, bicycles must be
considered as transportation vehicles with rights equal to that of motor vehicles.
There are many opportunities for bicycling in Grand
Rapids. The most notable facility is the Mesabi Trail
which is located near the Itasca County Fairgrounds.
When completed the Mesabi Trail will extend 132 miles
and connect over 22 communities. The trail is
handicapped accessible and designed to accommodate
bicyclists, pedestrians, and inline skaters. The Mesabi
trail has a 10-14 foot wide asphalt surface and is built
along former railroad beds as well as logging and
mining haul roads. A trail head facility was constructed
in the fall of 2002 on the Itasca County Fairgrounds.
Bicycle routes are shared travel lanes where motorists and bicyclists must respect each
other's legal rights to "share the road". In order to increase safety and riding pleasure
Grand Rapids has signed bike routes that generally follow roads with four feet or more
of shoulder width. However, there are sections of the signed bicycle routes without
shoulders.
In general, the single most important recommendation is to consider the bicycle in the
planning of all future roads and road improvements, that is, to make the bicycle a
“design vehicle.” Building extra width – whether bicycle lanes or wide-curb lanes –
Page A46
into road construction is the most cost-effective method of making bicycle
improvements. In order to ensure safe and convenient bicycle access throughout the
City, the following are used as general guiding principles in developing bikeways:
Attempt to provide:
♦ The most direct routes possible.
♦ The flattest routes possible.
♦ The most cost-effective routes possible.
♦ The safest routes possible, in terms of lane width, traffic volume, and speed.
♦ Routes with adequate surfaces for shoulders and paths used by bicycles.
♦ Routes with minimal on-street parking.
♦ Adequate maintenance of roads and paths used by bicycles.
♦ Adequate road markings and signage.
♦ Bicycle routing as an integral part of street design so that lanes and pathways form
an integrated network. Integration of bicycle facilities into park designs where
appropriate.
Well-designed roads usually require very little signing, because they are built so all
users understand how to proceed. Conversely, an overabundance of warning and
regulatory signs may indicate a failure to have addressed problems. The attention of
drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians should be on the road and other users, not on signs
along the side of the road. Oversigning of roadways is ineffective and can degrade
their usefulness to users. Too many signs are distracting and a visual blight, they create
a cluttered effect and waste resources.
Opportunities
♦ The Mesabi Trail when completed will extend over 130 miles.
♦ Many residents bike to their destination or bike as a recreational activity.
Challenges
♦ Obtaining funding for bicycle facilities.
♦ Streets with narrow traffic lanes.
Page A47
SECTION 4.4: TRANSIT
Transit is a significant component of the transportation network in Grand Rapids and
Itasca County. Development patterns that promote transit use are encouraged. The
provision of public transit in areas of greatest demand and for populations with special
needs is encouraged. New development should support bus and transit services in
tourist areas and areas that have populations of transit dependent persons.
Arrowhead Transit
Arrowhead Transit began operations in 1974. It is a
public transportation system available to the citizens
of Grand Rapids and the seven county region of
northeast Minnesota. The system’s goal is to provide
affordable, safe, accessible public transportation in
support of independent living and an increased
quality of life for the people of Northeastern
Minnesota.
Arrowhead Transit does this by
providing coordinated public transportation service
with several flexible routes to choose from by using Dial-A-Ride. Transit connects
residential areas with major shopping areas, public buildings, employment centers,
health care facilities, and tourist attractions. Funding for the system comes through the
Arrowhead Economic and Opportunities Agency.
The majority of the residents being served are primarily transit dependent and use
service for access to employment because of age, disability, or limited automobile
availability.
Itasca DAC
Grand Rapids is also served by Itasca DAC. This service is designed to meet the
special needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities for whom existing
transportation services are unavailable or insufficient. The state of Minnesota receives
federal funds each year to purchase and maintain lift-equipped vehicles.
Opportunities
♦ Efficient transit opportunities are provided by Arrowhead Transit.
♦ The availability of a local transit system supports the pedestrian orientation of the
town and enables reliance on modes of transportation other than the automobile.
♦ The transit system has an excellent safety record.
♦ The transit system operates with no general fund subsidy from the City.
♦ All buses are equipped to meet the needs of persons with disabilities.
Challenges
♦ Current funding structures and fare levels cannot support extension of transit
service to more locations.
Page A48
SECTION 4.5: AIRPORT
Grand Rapids/Itasca County Airport-Gordon Newstrom Field
The Grand Rapids/Itasca County Airport is
a primary aviation facility located two miles
southeast of the City. It is a base for flight
school and private planes as well as one
commercial airline.
Northwest Airlink
operates two daily flights to and from the
Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.
The Grand Rapids/Itasca County Airport has a 5,755 foot paved runway with full
instrument landing system (ILS). The airport also consists of two turf runways.
Runway 4/22 is 2,968 feet long by 150 feet wide and is labeled as in fair condition.
Runway 10/28 is 2,470 feet long by 100 feet wide and is also labeled in fair condition.
The elevation at the airport is 1,355 feet and communication exists through the
Minneapolis Air Traffic Center.
The Airport is designated as an official weather station with a flight school and
maintenance facilities for private aircraft. The Airport has over 21,000 aircraft
operations per year. In 1994 a new airport terminal was constructed to meet the
increasing needs of passenger flights between Grand Rapids and the Twin Cities.
Enplanements refer to the number of passengers that boarded a commercial airplane in
a given year. In 2002 the Grand Rapids airport had 7,229 enplanements.
Airport Operational Statistics:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Aircraft based on the field: 80
Single engine airplanes 77
Multi engine airplanes: 2
Jet airplanes: 1
Aircraft operations: average 60/day
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
66% local general aviation
19% transient general aviation
7% commercial
7% air taxi
<1% military
The Grand Rapids Airport, as an integral part of the local,
regional, and state air transportation system, must
provide essential aviation services; however it also plays
an important role in the overall economic development of
the local community. This includes the economic benefits
related to aviation business activities conducted at the
airport as well as expenditures by air travelers. A more
significant benefit is the value of the airport to the sales
and production capabilities of local business and
industry and the value of the role the airport plays in
attracting new business and industry to the community.
Page A49
Quantitative Benefits
Airports benefit the regional economy through revenues, earnings (salaries), and
employment associated with aviation activity both on and off the airport. There are
three types of economic benefits associated with activity at Grand Rapids Regional
Airport:
♦ Direct Benefits are created from the supply of aviation goods and services on the
airport by commercial airlines, fixed based operators, flight instructors, mechanics,
and airport administration.
♦ Indirect Benefits are created by visitors who arrive via the airport for business or
personal reasons and spend locally for food, lodging, entertainment, etc.
♦ Induced Benefits are created by multiplier effects as spending re-circulates within
the community.
Leakage
Many of Grand Rapids travelers use
airports in other Cities. This practice is
referred to as leakage. Leakage means that
many local travelers drive to distant
airports in other cities to receive lower
airfare and more direct flights. Northwest
Airlink offers service to and from Grand
Rapids twice daily to Minneapolis/St.Paul.
The flight has one stop in St. Cloud. Total
time of the 180 mile flight is approximately
one hour and fifty two minutes.
Opportunities
♦ The Grand Rapids/Itasca County
Airport is a general aviation airport that
is open to the public 24 hours a day and
used for corporate and private air
traffic.
♦ The Grand Rapids/Itasca County
Airport is a primary key airport used for
commercial, corporate, and private use.
♦ The airport has the capability to serve
additional executive and private
transportation needs benefiting the
community.
♦ The airport has the capability of serving
the materials and delivery needs of the
City’s industries.
Challenges
♦ Continuing to grow an airport and a city
at the same time.
Page A50
SECTION 4.6: ROADS
Inventory and Analysis
All modes of transportation in Grand Rapids
depend to some degree on the roadway network.
The City’s roadway network has remained
essentially unchanged since the 1970’s, yet overall
traffic volumes have been increasing.
Three state highways are located in the City of
Grand Rapids they are TH 2, TH 38, and TH 169.
These highways represent the backbone of the
regional transportation system for Grand Rapids. These highways provide mobility for
thousands of commuters and other users on a daily basis and also represent a critical
element of the regional freight network. The ability to move people and goods via the
highway system needs to keep pace with population growth and economic activity.
Functional Classification
Functional Classifications designate highways, roads, and streets into groups by
mobility and/or land access. The box below lists the functional classification of all
roads designated as principal or minor arterials.
Grand Rapids Road Classification
Principal Arterial: A major highway or through street that connects major community
centers and facilities. Frequently, this type of roadway has certain restrictions on access
(partial limitations on access at intersections or from driveways). Principle arterials
generally carry the highest amount of traffic volumes and provide the best mobility to serve
both urban and rural areas.
Minor Arterial: An access street providing connection between local destinations within a
community. This type of facility stresses mobility and circulation needs over providing
specific access to properties. Minor arterials allow densely populated areas easy access to
principal arterials, adjacent land uses (schools, shopping areas) and have lower traffic
volumes than principal arterials.
Collectors: Local through-roads that distribute traffic within communities and link to minor
or principal arterials. Collects traffic from local streets in residential neighborhoods and
channels it into the arterial system.
Local Access Street: This category comprises streets that have the sole purpose of providing
direst access to specific abutting properties (such as residences). This type of roadway
usually connects with a minor arterial and enables access between a place of residence and
employment.
Page A51
Arterial roads provide the greatest degree of mobility and have the most limited access
to adjacent land uses. Collector roads generally provide equal mobility and land access.
Local access roads provide more access to land than they provide mobility. The entire
functional classification system is based on the evaluation of parameters, which are
listed below:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Trip lengths
Traffic characteristics
Continuity of functional classification
Route feasibility
Location of traffic generators
Geographical spacing of roads
Miles and travel classification of roads
Integration of network with adjoining jurisdictions
Ability of roads to service other travel modes
TH 2 and TH 169 are classified as principal arterials. TH 38 is classified as a minor
arterial.
Traffic Volumes
Average daily traffic (ADT) has been collected for the major streets and roadways in
Grand Rapids. Sources for these traffic counts includes the Minnesota Department of
Transportation, Itasca County, and the City of Grand Rapids.
The highest traffic volume in Grand Rapids is located on TH 2 between Pokegama
Avenue and 3rd Avenue NE. Nearly 17,000 vehicles uses this stretch of TH 2 daily.
Volumes along Trunk Highway 169/Pokegama Avenue are generally lower with ADT
ranging between 14,000-15,000. Average daily traffic volumes drop significantly when
county or city roads are reviewed with the exception of 7th Avenue SE Corridor with
13,000 ADT between the Horn Bridge and Golf Course Road.
Table 4.1: Functional Classification & ADT of CSAH’s in Grand Rapids Area
CSAH # Functional Class
Between
ADT
5400
Major Collector
TH 169 & 15th Ave SE
3
Major Collector
2500
76
Major Collector
5000
63
5500
Major Collector
11th Ave SW & TH 169
23
Source: Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Page A52
Regional Traffic Forecasts
There are three state highways traversing the City of Grand Rapids, TH 169,
TH 2, and TH 38.
TH 169 is a major north-south route providing a connection to the Iron Range to the
northeast and to the Brainerd and Twin Cities areas to the south. TH 169 in the south
part of Grand Rapids is home to the largest retail and commercial area in this portion of
northeast Minnesota. The highway also serves the tourist industry, as it provides access
to the area for Twin Cities residents. Traffic volumes along TH 169 are expected to
increase by about 1.5 percent per year according to the Minnesota Department of
Transportation.
TH 2 runs east-west through the central portion of Grand Rapids. This route provides
access to Duluth to the east and Bemidji and North Dakota to the west. TH 2 is one of
the most important freight roadways in the state, averaging over 600 trucks per day on
Grand Rapids. Traffic volumes along TH 2 are expected to increase between one and
one-half percent per year according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
TH 38 has less traffic than TH 2 and TH 169, but is one of the few National Scenic
Byways in Minnesota. TH 38 Travels north-south and connects downtown Grand
Rapids to the lakes, resorts, and parks in the Chippewa National Forest. Traffic
volumes along TH 38 are expected to increase by one percent per year.
Local Traffic
Information on all local streets is not readily available. However, there is information
on many of the well-traveled routes. Table 4.2 lists many of the routes with higher ADT
counts.
Table 4.2: Local Roadway Traffic Counts
Roadway
7th Ave SE
5th St NW
5th St NW
5th St NW
Pokegama Ave
5th St NW
5th St NW
10th St SE
5th St NW
Between
Horn Bridge & 10th St. SE
1st Ave NW & Pokegama Ave
4th Ave NW & 1st Ave NW
Pokegama Ave & 2nd Ave NW
TH 2 & 5th St
6th Ave NW & 5th Ave NW
2nd Ave NE & 6th Ave NE
TH 169 & 7th Ave SE
6th Ave NE & 10th Ave NE
2001 ADT Count
13,000
7,900
7,300
7,200
7,100
5,800
5,100
4,750
3,100
Source: Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Grand Rapids is concerned about traffic volumes increasing along TH 2 and TH 169 and
about the spillover from these two routes onto local access streets. While the City of
Page A53
Grand Rapids has limited jurisdiction over the state highways, the community can
reduce vehicle travel demand by promoting alternative modes of transportation such as
biking or walking.
Grand Rapids Bypass
The idea of developing a bypass around Grand Rapids is regional in scope and has been
addressed in previous planning efforts such as the Grand Rapids Transportation Update in
January of 2002. This plan included several recommendations on how to improve
traffic flow and safety on TH 2. It is a recommendation of the Comprehensive plan to
adopt all the recommendations in the Grand Rapids Transportation Plan Update.
Recommendations
Grand Rapids is faced with the challenge of increasing mobility without increasing
capacity. Increased travel is expected on TH 169 and TH 2, while little increased travel
is expected on local streets. Because Grand Rapids is essentially built out, there is little
opportunity for additional capacity expansion and there would be few citizens
supporting these expansions. Recommendations for TH 2 and TH 169 focus on
reducing travel demand by encouraging rideshare, walking, bicycling, and carpooling.
Some intersections in Grand Rapids may require some physical change, such as
realignment or signalization. Increased capacities on reliever routes will also need to be
examined.
Transportation Policies
A series of transportation policies are recommended. The policies outline a procedure
for attaining the goal of increased mobility without increasing roadway capacity. These
policies are not transportation projects rather they are the first step in identifying which
transportation projects are needed.
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) techniques are part of the transportation
policies listed below. TDM consists of a variety of techniques used to affect the demand
for travel, reduce vehicle trips, reduce the need for roadway capacity and provides for
alternative modes of travel. TDM techniques are measures, which either eliminate trip
making or accommodate person-trips in few vehicles. TDM strategies are designed to
motivate people to change their travel choices with savings in travel time, cost, and
stress. TDM tries to change people's travel behavior. People love their cars. Most
people also drive alone. TDM measures encourage them to consider alternatives or to
travel at a different time of day.
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Grand Rapids recognizes that increased single-occupancy vehicle traffic is not beneficial
to the city and that increased through traffic is not beneficial to the community. The
city should recognize that increased high occupancy vehicles and non-motorized travel
is both beneficial to the community and can reduce polluting vehicle emissions.
Access Management
Access is the availability of entrances into a commercial or residential development.
Therefore, access management is the conscious restriction or regulation of the number
of access points between a development and the adjacent roadway network. Most
discussions of access management involve the placement and number of driveway curb
cuts, although the application can also include the location, size and function of interior
service roads.
When too many access points are allowed, especially near an intersection, conflicting
vehicle movements result. In the interest of providing safe and reasonable access to a
site, city planners should review development plans with respect to the entire impacted
corridor and not the single development. Wherever possible, cooperation and
consultation between adjacent landowners is encouraged to avoid conflicting designs.
Access Management supports the development of an interconnected local road network
in conjunction with local growth. This network is necessary both to support traffic
movement and to provide direct private property access. To ensure development of
this network and provision of adequate private access, all new public and private access
along Trunk Highways 169, 2, and 38 should conform to the following access
management policies.
Note that all existing public and private access may remain in use. To the extent
possible, existing access that does not conform with this plan should be brought into
conformance at the time the property is developed or redeveloped or when highway
improvements are made.
Urban Core Access Management Areas
Urban Core areas extend through fully-developed city centers where the road network
is characterized by shore blocks and a grid system of intersecting streets. Individual
lots are typically small and buildings may be located close to the street. Sidewalks,
pedestrians, and on-street parking are common. Speeds are generally 30-35 mph.
Access Management Policies-Urban Core
Public street spacing is based on block length. In unavoidable situations, direct private
property access may be allowed at mid-block. New development should be designed
and oriented toward local streets rather than Trunk Highways, and should be
pedestrian friendly.
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1. Public street connections that do not conform with spacing provisions may remain
in use, but may be subject to modification or closure when adjacent property is
redeveloped or highway improvements are made.
2. Direct private access to Trunk Highways 169, 2, and 38 is discouraged. Existing
access to private property that does not conform with access policies may remain in
use, but may be subject to modification or closure when the land use is intensified,
the property redeveloped, or the highway improved.
New access to private property should be provided by the existing local road
network whenever possible. If reasonably convenient and suitable access is not
attainable from the local road network, the parcel may be allowed one direct access
to Trunk Highway 169, 2 and 38. Adjoining commercial properties may be required
to share a common access in order to provide adequate stopping distance between
accesses.
Urbanizing Access Management Areas
Urbanizing areas generally lack the block-length grid structure of an Urban Core.
However, these areas are currently urbanized or planned for future urbanization with a
full range of urban services, including a supporting local road network.
Existing access in these areas is characterized by unevenly spaced public intersections
and direct private access to some commercial uses. Posted speeds in these Urbanizing
areas range from 30 to 55 mph.
Access Management Policies-Urbanizing
Designated Urbanizing areas are where most of the growth and development in the
Trunk Highway 169 Corridor is occurring now and is anticipated to continue in the
future. As such, these areas provide an opportunity to develop a well-designed local
street network that is safe, convenient, and minimizes congestion on Trunk Highways.
To do this, local streets should form an interconnected network that provides alternate
routes for travel within the community. This local network also supports development
by providing access to adjacent property. Direct private property access to Trunk
Highways is discouraged.
1. Full-movement public streets connections to Trunk Highways 169, 2, and 38 should
be spaced at ½ mile intervals. They should be designed as arterials or collectors that
connect to the local street network and support further development of that network
and support further development of that network.
If additional public streets connections are necessary, they should be spaced ¼ mile
from the nearest full-movement intersection and may be subject to turning
movement restrictions.
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Existing public street connections that do not conform with spacing standards may
remain in use, but may be subject to modification or closure when the adjacent
property is redeveloped or highway improvements are made.
New public street connections that do not conform with spacing provisions should
be provided only if there is no other alternative for providing access to areas isolated
by topography or unique natural features.
New public street connections should be constructed with turn lanes and /or bypass
lanes on Trunk Highways consistent with Mn/DOT guidelines.
2. New subdivisions should be designed to connect with and take access from the
existing and planned local street network. Subdivisions should be designed to:
♦ Provide an internal street system that connects to and coordinates with existing
and planned streets outside the subdivision; and
♦ Provide access to all individual lots via the internal street system.
3. Direct private access to Trunk Highways 169, 2, and 38 is discouraged. Existing
direct access to private property may remain in use, but may be subject to
modification or closure when the land use in intensified, the property redeveloped,
or the highway improved. New access to private property should be provided from
the existing local road network whenever possible. If reasonable convenient and
suitable access is not attainable from the local road network, a parcel may be
allowed one direct access to Trunk Highways 169, 2 or 38.
Adjoining commercial properties may be required to share a common access in
order to provide adequate stopping distance between accesses.
Rural Access Management Areas
There are currently no areas in the City of Grand Rapids listed as rural. This may
change though as the City annexes. Areas of TH 38 just north of the current city limits
are categorized as rural. Also, TH 169 just south of the current city limits is listed as
rural. Rural areas are characterized by limited residential and commercial
development. Trunk Highways are typically designed to operate at higher speeds
through these areas, characteristically at 50 mph or more.
Access Management Policies-Rural
To the extent possible, access to Trunk Highways should be provided by existing public
street connections. However, due to low densities and the scattered nature of
development in Rural areas, a fully interconnected local road network is not planned.
Thus, it may be necessary to provide direct private access to some properties. However,
an additional public intersection or private access pint should be introduced only where
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in can be clearly demonstrated that it is not feasible to attain access from the local road
network.
1. Public street connections should be spaced at one-mile intervals.
Existing public street connections that do not conform with spacing provisions may
remain in use, but may be subject of modification or closure when the adjacent
property is redeveloped or highway improvements are made.
New public street connections that do not conform with spacing provisions should
be provided only if there is no other alternative for providing access to areas isolated
by topography or unique natural features.
New public street connections should be constructed with turn lanes and /or bypass
lanes on Trunk Highways, consistent with Mn/DOT guidelines.
2. Direct private access to Trunk Highway 169, 2, and 38 is discouraged. Existing
access to private property that does not conform with access policies may remain in
use, but may be subject to modification or closure when the land use is intensified,
the property redeveloped, or the highway improved.
New access to private property should be provided by the existing local road
network whenever possible. If reasonably convenient and suitable access is not
attainable from the local road network, a parcel may be allowed one direct access to
Trunk Highway 169, 2, and 38.
3. Changes in zoning to provide for additional commercial development should occur
only in areas where direct property access is available from the existing local road
network.
TH 169-Hill
City to TH 2
Medium Priority
Interregional
Corridor
Conditional
Secondary
Intersection
1 mile
1/2 mile
Strongly
By Exception or
Discouraged- by
Deviation Only
deviation only
1/2 mile
1/4 mile
Strongly
By Exception or
Discouraged- by
Deviation Only
deviation only
300-660 feet dependant on block length
Signal Spacing
1/4 mile
Private Access
TH 169
Hill City to
Subcategory A
South Limits of
(Rural)
Grand Rapids
South Limits of
Grand Rapids Subcategory B
to 21st Street (Urban/Urbanizing)
South
Subcategory C
21st Street
(Urban Core)
South to TH 2
Primary Full
Movement
Intersection
Permitted
subject to
conditions
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Signal Spacing
Private Access
1/2 mile
1/4 mile
1/2 mile
By Exception or
Deviation Only
1/4 mile
Permitted
subject to
conditions
Signal Spacing
Private Access
Primary Full
Movement
Intersection
Conditional
Secondary
Intersection
1 mile
1/2 mile
1/2 mile
1/4 mile
Strongly
By Exception or
Discouraged- by
Deviation Only
deviation only
Strongly
By Exception or
Discouraged- by
Deviation Only
deviation only
1/4 mile
Permitted
subject to
conditions
Strongly
By Exception or
Discouraged- by
Deviation Only
deviation only
1/2 mile
1/4 mile
Primary Full
Movement
Intersection
Conditional
Secondary
Intersection
Signal Spacing
Private Access
1/2 mile
1/4 mile
1/2 mile
By Exception or
Deviation Only
1/4 mile
1/8 mile
1/4 mile
By Exception or
Deviation Only
1/4 mile
Permitted
Subject to
Conditions
TH 38
TH 38-Marcell
Minor Arterial
to TH 2
Marcell to North
Subcategory A
Limits of Grand
(Rural)
Rapids
North Limits of
Subcategory B
Grand Rapids
to 17th Street (Urban/Urbanizing)
NW
17th Street NW Subcategory C
(Urban Core)
to TH 2
Conditional
Secondary
Intersection
TH 2
TH 2-Warba
Medium Priority
through
Interregional
Cohasset
Corridor
Subcategory A
Warba to La
(Rural)
Prairie
La Prairie to 7th Subcategory B
Avenue NE (Urban/Urbanizing)
7th Avenue NE
Subcategory C
to West Limits
(Urban Core)
of Grand
Rapids
West Limits of
Subcategory B
Grand Rapids
to 6th Avenue (Urban/Urbanizing)
W, Cohasset
Primary Full
Movement
Intersection
TH 169 (cont.)
TH 169- TH 2
High Priority
to Coleraine Regional Corridor
East Limits of
Subcategory B
Grand Rapids
(Urban/Urbanizing)
to Coleraine
East Junction of
Subcategory C
TH 2 to East
(Urban Core)
Limits of Grand
Rapids
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Opportunities
♦ Traffic congestion is minimal, located in few areas, and is generally short in
duration.
♦ Roadway conditions are very good within the City, and are supported by regular
maintenance and overlay schedules.
♦ Most of the city streets are lined with trees, which provide character.
Challenges
♦ Several Trunk Highways converge in downtown.
♦ No street route exists that provides a convenient and direct parallel alternative to
Trunk Highway 2 around downtown, which would improve emergency access and
facilitate the expansion of in the downtown area.
♦ Some local roads are functioning as collector roads due to growth and cut-through
traffic.
♦ Better enforcement of traffic laws could be effective in keeping the streets safe for
children and pedestrians.
♦ Designing and funding a comprehensive transportation system that integrates
multiple modes of transportation including roads, bicycle lanes, walkways and
grade separated crossings at the most critical intersections with arterial or collector
streets.
SECTION 4.7: RAIL TRAVEL
A main line of the Burlington Northern/Santa Fe (BSNF) Railroad extends through
Grand Rapids providing freight service. The BSNF line runs northwest to southeast,
connecting North Dakota and Canada to the Duluth/Superior Port. Freight movement
is important to the transportation system as well as to the economy of the area. The
BNSF is the major transporter of finished products from Blandin Paper in Grand
Rapids. The BNSF line carries grain, coal, and wood products and has an average of
nine trains per day. Another BNSF line connects Grand Rapids to the Iron Range and
carries similar cargoes. This line sees an average of six trains per day.
The Comprehensive Plan recognizes that the importance of rail service as a viable
transportation mode and supports the continued maintenance of existing and potential
industrial rail access to Grand Rapids designated industrial sites. Rail activities should
be monitored in an effort to determine the impact of potential service or design changes
in the City.
Train Speed
Train speed through Grand Rapids averages 12 miles per hour. This causes traffic to
build up at intersections and long waits at crossings. Operating under the authority
granted it by Congress, the Federal Railroad Administration has issued regulations that
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establish different classifications of track with a maximum speed set for each
classification of track. As long as a railroad maintains its track to meet the criteria for
the classification of track it is operating on that is the only speed limit it is required to be
in compliance with.
Opportunities
♦ Railroad has the capability of serving the materials and delivery needs of the City’s
industries.
Challenges
♦ Emergency crossings.
♦ Train Speed through the City.
♦ Diagonal and multiple street crossings at 3rd Ave NE.
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E
CONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND REPORT
SECTION 5: ECONOMIC OVERVIEW
The following economic overview of Grand Rapids is intended to provide an
appropriate range of data and depth of analysis to inform Steering Committee,
Economic Development Authority, Planning Commission, and City Council members
during subsequent considerations of recommendations made by the Economic
Development Focus Group. It relies to a large extent upon economic data collected at
the County level. County-level economic data represents the best available economic
data for a non-metropolitan city the size of Grand Rapids. Having said this, however,
it should be recognized that a majority of Itasca County businesses and government
institutions are located within the current City of Grand Rapids or in areas adjacent to
the City that are scheduled for orderly annexation.
The economic overview begins in Section 5 with a review of previous studies and
planning efforts that inform or impact economic development within Grand Rapids.
The economic overview continues in Section 2 with a look at demographic and
economic background information from a variety of Federal and State sources, all of
which are identified, and their data described as deemed necessary for proper
interpretation. The general background information provides the socioeconomic
landscape for the brief economic base analysis that follows. The economic base
analysis, Section 3, draws upon data collected and analyzed in a previous research
report, Rapids Power Impact, produced by the University of Minnesota Duluth School of
Business and Economics, Bureau of Business and Economic Research in March of 2001
(BBER). Statistical data taken from that report include location quotient and shift share
analysis comparing the Itasca County economy with that of Minnesota. That data is
augmented by more generalized location quotient and shift share analysis conducted
by ARDC that compares the Itasca County economy with the national economy.
SECTION 5.1 : PREVIOUS EFFORTS
The review of previous work includes the Northeast Minnesota Industry Cluster Study, a
set of academic papers that address the complementarity of the forest products
industry and the tourism industry, and two recent collaborative economic
development efforts, the Itasca County Economic Summit of 2001 and the Jobs 2020
private sector initiative. The cluster study and the series of academic papers serve to
inform economic development in Grand Rapids while the two recent economic
development efforts have more tangible bearing on the Comprehensive Plan.
SECTION 5.1.1: THE INDUSTRY CLUSTER APPROACH
Within the context of economic globalization, localities, be they cities, counties, or
regions have been engaged in competition with one another in which each locality
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attempts to offer itself as more attractive to global capital than other localities. It has
been a common local development strategy, pursued by local governments and local
economic development agencies alike, to attempted to attract large employers to their
locale through costly and often questionable incentive packages. Another common
development strategy pursued by local governments and development agencies in
recent years has been to provide highly individualized assistance to a range of firms,
thereby promoting both business retention and the promise of the same for recruitment
purposes.
An alternative development strategy currently in vogue among many economic
development academics and professionals is the industry cluster approach. As
opposed to investing local assets in pursuit of attracting or retaining individual firms,
the industry cluster approach focuses upon facilitating the competitiveness of regional
firms in related industries that do business with each other and that share needs for
common talent, technology, and infrastructure. These regional clusters are the source
of jobs, income, and export growth within a region. The objective of the industry
cluster approach is to create or enhance a region’s competitive advantage by nurturing
its key industry clusters, thereby enhancing the competitive advantage of constituent
firms.
The Northeast Minnesota Industry Cluster Study, prepared by the University of
Minnesota Humphrey Institute’s State and Local Policy Program and the University of
Minnesota-Duluth’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, follows Michael
Porter’s Industry Cluster approach in discussing the competitiveness of Northeastern
Minnesota. The approach utilizes four key ‘determinants’ of industry cluster
competitiveness, factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting
industries, and industry strategy, structure, and rivalry in considering regional
competitiveness, along with the influence of governance upon them (although
governance is arguably an intrinsic element of factor conditions or endowments).
The study identifies and describes four industry clusters that help define the
competitiveness of the Northeastern Minnesota region, at least two of which, forest
products and tourism, are key clusters in the Grand Rapids area economy. An
advisory committee of local economic development professionals and analysts chose
the four industry clusters, forest products, tourism, health services, and information
technology, from eight candidate clusters. In addition to the utilization of secondary
data sources and sophisticated modeling analyses, the study’s authors conducted
primary data collection in the form of focus groups and individual interviews with
local business leaders and economic development professionals. After identifying and
describing the four industry clusters, the study provides both industry cluster specific
and general regional policy recommendations.
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Industry clusters are geographically proximate groups of firms and industries that are
interdependent, complementary, and/or competitive. At the core are industries and
firms which have a high demand for inputs of materials and services, and their
purchase of various inputs then drives the growth and development of supplier
industries. Generally, there is a regionally-based economic infrastructure that provides
the foundation required by the cluster. This could be a specialized work force or
higher education system, among others. The synergies or relations among cluster
firms help to spur new innovations and to attract other firms to service or become a
part of the core cluster. Economic vitality can be stimulated when resources are
focused to stimulate the growth and development of the core businesses within
industry clusters, those businesses that sell goods and services to customers outside of
the region.
Industry clusters are powerful magnets for businesses to locate in an area and they
create a spawning ground for start-up companies. They create large, diverse pools of
experienced workers; attract suppliers who tend to congregate in their vicinity for
increased efficiency; and foster a competitive spirit that stimulates growth and
innovative strategic alliances. California's Silicon Valley is an example of highly
developed cluster-based economy.
In addition to the core industries and associated supplier/servicing firms of an
industry cluster, there is a set of fundamental elements necessary for sustained
economic development. These fundamental elements are community-provided
resources, such as education and physical infrastructure, that represent the foundation
upon which industry clusters rest and are the source of productivity and growth.
When these fundamental elements are sound, they help industry clusters become more
competitive. As a result, businesses within the clusters grow, creating wealth for the
community through new jobs, taxes, purchases, volunteers, and contributions.
Community reinvestment in these elements help industry clusters become even more
competitive, sustaining a healthy and thriving economic cycle. The fundamental
elements that represent the foundation upon which clusters rest include the following:
♦ Capital: Money necessary for new business to form and existing businesses to grow
and expand
♦ Tax and Regulations: Financial and operational business structure with the state and
local communities by direct action of the government, and needing stable,
predictable, and uniform tax rates and compliance requirements
♦ Human Resources: More and better skilled workforce to meet managerial, technical,
administrative, professional, entrepreneurial, entry-level, and labor needs of the
economy
♦ Physical Infrastructure: Fundamental public facilities, such as roads, water/sewage
systems, airports, railways, power, and phone lines that provide a quality place to
live and do business
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♦ Information/Communication Infrastructure: Foundation of computers, databases,
networks, software, and facilities management that allows transmission of voice,
image, and data within the Region and with the outside world
♦ Quality of Life: The attractiveness and desirability of a location as a place to live, raise
a family, and conduct business
The industry cluster approach facilitates more efficient and effective use of regional
resources, both public and private, as a result of cooperation and collaboration of
industry, government, and educational institutions. It does so by identifying existing
or emerging clusters with some competitive advantage and potential for high growth.
It then maps the clusters and explores the drivers, opportunities, and barriers that need
to be addressed to accelerate the growth of the cluster. The industry cluster approach
can help a region set priorities for major investments and ensure that infrastructure is
appropriately developed to provide the greatest benefit to the community.
SECTION 5.1.2: SYNERGIES BETWEEN THE FOREST PRODUCT AND TOURISM INDUSTRY
CLUSTERS
One of the hallmarks of the industry cluster approach is the emphasis it places on the
synergies that can be created among firms within a given cluster. The notion of
synergies within the context of industry clusters is that multiple firms interact in a way
that makes the combined effect of their activities greater than the sum of the effects of
their individual activities. In the case of the forest product and tourism industries an
argument has been effectively made, albeit not within the context of the industry
cluster approach, that synergies are extant between the two industries and can, in fact,
be further enhanced.
The source of this argument is a set of academic papers focusing on the benefits to
communities that have a combined forest product and forest-based recreation
economy1. For the purposes of the Economic Development Element, a general outline
of the argument can be culled from the literature as follows: recent employment data
Hacker, Jan J. “Why Link Tourism and Timber? An Analysis of Opportunities.” Prepared for a
conference on Tourism and Timber: Opportunities for Communities sponsored by Great Lakes Forest
Alliance in Rhinelander, WI, January 13-14, 1998.
Chappelle, Daniel E. “Interaction of Tourism and Forest Products Sectors on Community
Employment/Unemployment in the Lakes States Region,” in Vasievich, J. Michael and Webster,
Henry H. (eds.), Lake States Regional Forest Resources Assessment: Technical Papers, pp.206-227.
Saint Paul: United States Department of Agriculture, North Central Experiment Station, 1997.
Webster, Henry H., Chappelle, Daniel E., and Andrews, Stephen C. “Tourism and Forest Products: Twin
Resource Sectors for Effective Community Development in the Lake States.” Staff Paper Series
Number 124, St Paul: College of Natural Resources and the Agricultural Experiment Station,
University of Minnesota, 1997.
Webster, Henry H. and Hacker, Jan J. “Some Beneficial Community Effects of Multi-Resource Sector
Development Efforts: Lake States Examples.” Prepared for a meeting of the Mid-Continent
Regional Science Association in Madison, WI, June 6-8, 1996.
1
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suggest that those regional economies “that have an economic base in both the forest
products industry and travel/tourism sectors usually (but not always!) have lower
unemployment rates than” do those that have an economic base in only one or the
other (Chappelle 1997; 224). In addition to lower unemployment rates, these
communities benefit from a greater range of job opportunities (both full and part time
jobs are available), a greater likelihood that a larger number of workers per family can
be employed, a greater probability of benefits to family stability and community
character, more dining and entertainment opportunities, greater returns to land
owners who manage forest land, a greater likelihood that attitudes toward land use
will promote the preservation of “a Northwoods feel,” and a greater potential to afford
infrastructure for an attractive community than do communities with only one or the
other of these sectors (Hacker 1998: Webster and Hacker 1996).
This argument is supported by case studies of three areas, the Rhinelander area of
northeastern Wisconsin, the Grand Rapids area of Minnesota, and the Gaylord and
Grayling area of the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Webster, et al. (1997)
linked the success of the three case study communities to the complimentary
interaction of the forest products industry and the tourism industry “combined with a
strong local government sector” that “firmly establish what appears to be a sustainable
base economy upon which to grow (p. 34).
When considered from the perspective of the industry cluster approach, the synergies
between the forest products industry and the tourism industries may have implications
for industry practices and public policy. A closer examination of the forest products
and tourism industries may lead to the identification of untapped opportunities for
synergistic cooperation between them as well as policy direction for local governance.
SECTION 5.1.3: ITASCA COUNTY ECONOMIC SUMMIT
In October of 2001, over 80 leaders from business, education, health care and
government throughout the Itasca County participated in the Itasca County Economic
Summit, the purpose of which was to identify economic development opportunities
within the County. They heard from several speakers and met in facilitated groups to
craft a vision and plan for Itasca County’s future economic health.
At the Summit, the leaders forged a vision for the county’s sustainable growth,
leadership and community development. That vision includes developing a new
model for economic development leadership that’s based in the private sector, and a
quest to combine Itasca County’s economic strengths of forest-based manufacturing
and tourism as the catalyst for growth and cultural diversity. The outcomes of the
Summit are presented below.
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Sense of Urgency
Vision:
Itasca County has a strong, yet fragile, forest and tourism based economy. That
economy is threatened by the following driving factors impacting Itasca County today:
♦ Declining tax base
♦ Loss of high paying jobs
♦ Restricted natural resource base
♦ Declining school enrollment
♦ Image of the region
♦ Transportation
♦ Legislative redistricting
♦ Aging population and workforce
♦ Out migration of youth
♦ Housing
♦ Air transport
♦ Global competition
Vision for How Leadership Works
Vision:
While several groups seek to provide direction for economic development, leadership
is not always on the “same page” and lacks private sector involvement. A new countywide leadership model with leading CEOs serving as stewards is needed. The model
should be action oriented, widely endorsed, and publicly inclusive.
The group went on to state that, to accomplish this task, IDC must:
♦ Change the leadership focus of the IDC board
♦ Obtain IDC board acceptance to reorganize and refocus its efforts around a new
leadership model defined as the “Dream Team”
♦ Put into motion a recruitment process to garner the necessary leadership
involvement and commitment
A preliminary membership list of potential leaders was identified and the IDC Board
agreed to meet at their next meeting to begin the task of designing and implementing a
new leadership model.
Community Development Vision
Vision:
A workforce development roundtable should be organized to develop strategies to
enhance and impact education and training infrastructure to ensure a continuous and
well-trained labor force. Further community work force related issues that need to be
addressed are affordable quality housing, daycare and healthcare services and
recreational and cultural opportunities.
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The group detailed a series of actions that could be taken in three specific community
development focus areas:
♦ Education/Training
♦ Early intervention programming
♦ School to Work initiatives
♦ Countywide labor analysis
♦ Business retention call program
♦ Data base of placement data for high school and community college graduates
♦ Develop a “Come Back Home” Program
♦ Housing
♦ Take advantage of multiple federal programs through Kootasca Community
Action organization
♦ Assess feasibility of establishing a community development bank
♦ Further assess affordable housing issues and barriers
♦ Investigate new and innovative approaches to provide affordable housing
♦ Work with banks to provide better terms and levels of investment
♦ Use the tools and capabilities of existing housing authorities in the county
♦ Healthcare
♦ Investigate the feasibility of after work daycare
♦ Improve county adult daycare programming
♦ Look into a strategic alliance of hospitals
♦ Study opportunities for shared workforce and equipment among the hospitals
♦ Look into joint workforce recruitment and existing workforce joint training
opportunities
Sustainable Economic Growth Vision
Vision:
The forest industry and tourism commerce are key factors driving Itasca County’s
economy. Developing a culture that builds on the strengths of those industries, and at
the same time encourages compatibility between the two, is the vision for sustainable
growth and cultural diversification for Itasca County.
The group further defined this vision by highlighting what they valued about
sustainable economic growth:
♦ Respect for local customs and beliefs
♦ Our cultural and economic links with Finland
♦ Innovation – new ways to look at things
♦ Challenging local thinking
♦ Economic prosperity and our quality of life
♦ Our human resources
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♦ Our cultural diversity
♦ A new and better level of compatibility
♦ Our social responsibility to all citizens
♦ Multi-use of our forest resource
♦ Improve forestry and tourism but not at the expense of the other
♦ Customer service
♦ The courage to change things based on challenging our beliefs and learning from
other cultures
♦ Applied learning
♦ Creative economic diversification
♦ Countywide collaboration and inclusion
♦ Win-Win-Win solutions
The group went on to define some specific strategic actions and directions that could
be pursued with the expectation that the new Leadership group will review and
consider these as priorities in addressing the new vision for sustainable growth.
♦ Develop “Sister County” relationships with Finland
♦ Welcome UPM to our “Community” (Itasca County) and assist them in making the
next major investment
♦ Assist the forest industry with three strategic needs:
♦ Availability of good quality fiber
♦ Source of reliable, inexpensive power
♦ Improved transportation
♦ Educate the public on forest management and compatibility with tourism
opportunities
♦ Manage the forest resource for a variety of end uses
♦ Speak with a unified voice (forestry and tourism) to change public policy at the
local, regional, state and federal levels
♦ Provide a new focus on productivity through education, work practices and applied
technology
♦ Invest in infrastructure that supports advanced telecommunications and Internet
use
♦ Encourage compatibility between the natural resource and tourism industries
through improved trail systems, promotion of hunting and fishing opportunities
and increased awareness of the value of our forests
SECTION 5.1.4: JOBS 2020
A coalition of private sector leaders from the Itasca area formed the JOBS 2020 private
sector initiative with the purpose of providing a forum for private sector leaders to
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develop plans to create jobs for sustained economic growth in the region. The Itasca
Economic Summit held in October of 2001 highlighted the need for private sector
leaders to take a heightened role in creating a healthy local economic future. Since the
Summit have magnified the need for a local forum to develop a vision for the region’s
economic future.
To work on establishing that vision and developing an understanding of the current
economic picture, the JOBS 2020 coalition conducted seven industry forums from
September 2002 through March 2003 to hear from local industry leaders. The seven
industry forum topics and their outcomes are presented below.
Forum 1: Forest Products Industry
The first forum was held on Friday, September 27, 2002. Panelists were asked to
discuss issues and trends affecting their businesses and identify what their companies
need from the community to survive and thrive.
Pressing Issues:
♦ Increased demand for “green” wood resulting in increased capital costs
♦ Insurance rates are high (up 40percent for Pittack Logging in the last 3 years)
♦ Cut-to-length logging requires high quality/trained operators (6-12 months training
required)
♦ Minnesota fiber costs are the highest in the country; significant competition in
foreign sourced fiber
♦ Instability of local mills leaves loggers unsure of what species to cut
♦ Local transportation costs are high relative to other regions. Current relevant
legislation at the state level.
♦ Environmental pressures have significantly reduced the amount of aspen harvested
off federal lands
♦ Forest lands are not being managed well
♦ Potlatch needs to have a niche market; over capacity in commodity products (such
as paper)is a real problem. Cloquet plant sold; Brainerd shut down.
♦ Today’s paper pricing is the same as in 1982
♦ Blandin paper machines 3 and 4 are outdated. Together, they employ 300 and
produce 170,000 tons of paper; Augsburg machine commissioned in 2001 employs
250 and produces 420,000 tons
♦ Survival!
Global Trends:
♦ Consolidation and mergers; the big are getting really big
♦ Loss in local ownership, decision making slowed
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♦ Global paper capacity continues to outpace demand despite 39 mill closures and 204
paper machine shut downs since 1998
♦ German lumber entering Lakes States Market via Duluth/Superior
♦ Paper making capacity continues to outpace demand
Future Outlook:
♦ Will Potlatch be here in ten years? Uncertain. Innovation is key. Potlatch has
developed and patented four new products – one at the Grand Rapids plant
♦ Develop processes that are not dependent on wood.
♦ Potlatch wants to be known as the innovator – getting lean and mean, outsourcing,
focus on niche markets
♦ Blandin’s vision is to become an Augsburg – the place for expansion
How Can the Community Support Your Company?
♦ Be ready to respond rapidly to new investment opportunities
♦ Decide NOW what you want the community to be (have the machine #7 discussion
now)
♦ Provide a pool of qualified labor
♦ Promote public awareness and lobby for appropriate forest management policies at
all levels of government
♦ Help keep private forest lands in production by increasing incentive programs for
private landowners
♦ Recognize that local businesses and entrepreneurs provide the best opportunity for
economic growth
♦ Be proactive; simplify requirements; prepare the community for what business
needs
Forum 2: Retail Industry
The second forum was held Tuesday, October 22, 2002. Panelists were asked to discuss
issues and trends affecting their businesses and identify what their business needs
from the community to survive and thrive.
Issues and Trends
Craig Bender
♦ Physical growth of retail stores is necessary to accommodate customer demand
♦ Specialization is not an option in a small community
♦ Suppliers to retailers have more leverage as they consolidate
♦ Retailers have been impacted by sales on the Internet
♦ Advertising must be more effective, since it’s harder to be noticed
Wayne Cole
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♦ Property taxes have increased, particularly as retailers have moved to more spacious
locations to accommodate parking and inventory space
♦ The decline of the Iron Range and forest products effects every retailer in the area
♦ More foreign goods are available
♦ Store hours have been extended, and they’ve been forced to comply to remain
competitive
Jerry Miner
♦ Consolidation provides more expert market research for those large enough to
survive
♦ Customer trends affect what is offered for sale within their four walls
♦ Traditional grocery stores compete with convenience stores, fast food, big box
retailers and other grocery stores
Mike Rourke
♦ Suppliers are being acquired and merged, and retailers have fewer options
♦ Big box retailers bring another level of competition to bear; difficult for small
retailers
How Can the Community Help?
Craig Bender
♦ City should work with the CBD to remain viable
♦ Stabilize employment
♦ Diversify the economy
♦ Customers should be loyal
Wayne Cole
♦ Regulators (i.e., OSHA) should work with store owners on reasonable regulations
♦ Downsize government (fewer regulations, lower taxes)
♦ Shop locally
Jerry Miner
♦ Create more jobs
♦ Maintain the paper mill near the status quo in terms of jobs
♦ Growth anywhere in Itasca County (e.g., Cohasset industrial park) is a good thing
Mike Rourke
♦ Think of retailers as the backbone of your community (they provide goods/services;
they are involved in community activities; they invest in local projects)
Steve Gall (additional comments)
One good idea to take away: organize a “picnic in the park”. Learn more about your
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community by organizing a bus tour of the businesses in your industrial park and
other parts of the community. Visit these businesses over four to six weeks, and host a
picnic in a vacant building. You’ll be amazed at how much you increase the awareness
within your business community about their peers and colleagues within the
community.
Be known for something (anything). Save those bright ideas; they may not seem like
much, but other communities and businesses have prospered by “seeing” something
special about their community. Examples include: Lampert’s “Throwed Rolls” in
Nebraska; Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota; Carp Days in a small town near
Owatonna, MN; Judy Garland in Grand Rapids.
Forum 3: Health Care Industry
The third forum was held Friday, November 22, 2002. Panelists were asked to discuss
issues and trends affecting their businesses and identify what their business needs
from the community to survive and thrive.
Economic Fundamentals in Health Care (Dan Zismer)
♦ Demographics and technology changes will continue to drive accelerating demand
♦ Technical advances will allow more medical procedures to be done locally
♦ A community our size realizes $70,000 - $110,000 net revenue per full time employee
in health care
♦ A significant portion of the dollar flow is generated from the outside (government
and insurance payers)
♦ Health care is a people business requiring a wide range of skilled professional,
technical and tradespeople to deliver services (one physician generates 3-4
additional jobs)
♦ The consumer is driving demand for access, availability, convenience and
comprehensive service menus and “product packaging”
♦ Communities do not grow with sophisticated businesses without high-quality,
accessible health care
♦ Rural hospitals have defied dire predictions of the ‘90s and are performing at higher
levels than those in the metro areas
♦ The principal health care business model must promote effective and efficient
reinvestment in the core business and infrastructure
♦ Communities must co-invest in essential services (do no assume essential services
are affordable from the typical health provider business model)
♦ Our community is positioning itself to attract capital investors: public finance
institutions want to invest in rural health care – larger systems are willing to make
larger investments in communities like Grand Rapids
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Pressing Issues:
♦ Workforce shortages
♦ By the year 2010 the U.S. will have a shortage of 50,000 physicians; by 2020
a shortage of 200,000
♦ Today there are an estimated 126,000 nursing positions vacant in the U.S.
and the number is estimated to grow to 400,000 by 2020 (Minnesota
currently has approximately 2,900 nursing vacancies)
♦ Additional high tech and professional positions for laboratory, radiology,
pharmacy, etc. remain vacant across Minnesota and the nation.
♦ Rising insurance costs limit availability of health care
♦ Aging of the population (274% growth between 1965-1990 of 85 year olds)
♦ Capital investments are high (Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital estimated project
expenditure: $63 million)
♦ Therapeutics
♦ Drug expenditures have doubled between 1992 and 2000
♦ Ethical issues related to advances in technology (stem cell research)
♦ Pharmaceuticals have produced significant advancement in treatment of
disease, but not without cost
♦ Human Genome project is mapping the entire human genetic blue print
♦ Technology is rapidly changing and is driven by significant consumer
demand
♦ Meeting consumer expectations and providing more specialty care locally
♦ Educating and updating leadership and staff on regulations
♦ Technology investments
♦ Out-Migration (defined as the decision of a local resident to systematically bypass a
local hospital to seek care at larger, more distant urban hospital)
How can the community help?
♦ Recognize that health care is a growth industry (current employment in Itasca
County is 2,000)
♦ Support healthcare services provided locally
♦ Seeking health care services outside the local community puts local health
care facilities in jeopardy and further limits access.
♦ Support senior services and housing facilities
♦ Provide communication and dialogue to the medical community to help determine
what services should be provided locally and gain a better understanding of reasons
for out-migration
♦ The three Itasca County hospitals must work together and with other health care
organizations in the community to meet the needs of health care customers located
in the service area.
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♦ Support recruitment and retention of medical staff
Forum 4: Tourism Industry
The fourth forum was held Tuesday, December 17, 2002. Panelists were asked to
discuss current issues and trends in the tourism industry and the impact those trends
have on their business. Panelists were also asked what their business needed from the
community in order to succeed.
Industry trends:
Lodging:
♦ The days of one or two week vacations have been shortened to shorter stays of 3 to 4
days
♦ Vacation plans are made with shorter lead times than in the past
♦ Discounts are expected
♦ People have higher expectations for amenities and services
♦ Group stays are economy dependant
♦ Competition is keen - particularly in the group market
♦ A variety of activities are needed to attract families - i.e., water parks, go-cart parks,
eco-tourism, bike trails, ATV trails, bird watching, etc.
Retail:
♦ Increased “tire travel” and decreased air travel has been good for the area (Itasca is a
“drive to” market)
♦ It is no longer such a good bargain for Canadians to shop in Minnesota
♦ The tourist profile is changing: more single parents and more two income families;
the tourism market must be targeted more strategically
♦ Status quo is not an option: Success means change - “staying the same” amounts to
going out of business
♦ Specialty shopping opportunities are more important; quality service makes a
difference
♦ Shopping items must be in stock; tourists have short vacations and cannot return for
purchases
♦ Shoppers enjoy tourist destination areas similar to Walker or Stillwater
♦ Local referrals are a big source of local business
♦ Travelers respond favorably to memorable experiences
Future Options/Recommendations:
♦ Expand to a county wide lodging tax!
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♦ Leverage more cooperative marketing dollars through MN Office of Tourism,
Chamber and Visitors and Convention Bureau to reach more prospects
♦ Reduce operating days (80 percent of Ruttger’s sales occur March through October)
or develop better winter facilities
♦ Grow - add value - offer good employment experiences - and make a profit!
♦ Coordinate the efforts of the Chamber and Convention and Visitors Bureau; to
effectively market the area, they need to operate as ONE
♦ Encourage and support county wide lodging tax (potential for $500,000 in
marketing dollars)
♦ Recognize tourism as a vital industry that is good for the region
♦ Refer customers to area shopping, motels and resorts
♦ Embrace and support Minnesota Office of Tourism’s out-state marketing efforts
♦ Become familiar with available information and data relating to the impact of
tourism; use the information effectively (The U of M North Central Research and
Outreach Center has Itasca Community Profile Report available; email
erkkila@umn.edu)
♦ IRRRA should get out of the tourism business (their efforts have not had a positive
effect in the Itasca area)
♦ Improve the four visual entrances to the city
♦ Ensure that all front desk and sales people are knowledgeable about what is going
on in the community and what is available to tourists
♦ Renew commitments for better service training for all staff (Managers should also
show by example)
♦ Encourage value-added recreational offerings (Park X, ATV trails, etc.)
♦ Consider holding another major community event (similar to the car show)
♦ Define the area’s brand/image; determine attractions we have that could be labeled
“world class and capitalize and promote those amenities: trails, fishing, lakes,
shooting sports center, Forest History Center, grouse hunting, Mt. Itasca, Park X,
International Snowmobile Hall of Fame
♦ Ask the question: Can the local tourism ties to the forest products industry be the
area’s special niche - our “Lake Superior” or our “North Shore”?
Observations of tourism industry from Minnesota Office of Tourism (John Edman)
♦ Minnesota’s tourism travel was more impacted by weather and the economy than
by national trends
♦ Minnesota is a drive destination (80% car)
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♦ Two thirds of Itasca area visitors are from Minnesota - out of state visitors primarily
come from Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa
♦ Travel parties to the area spend, on the average, $291 per day or $81.83 per person
♦ Economic impact of tourism on the Itasca area is estimated at $100 million in gross
output
♦ Job impacts are estimated at 2,700 full and part-time workers
♦ State tourism generates almost $27 million in gross receipts per day
♦ The economic impact of tourism runs neck-to-neck with the State’s agriculture
industry
♦ The lack of snow, a wet spring, and cold fall hurt tourism industry
♦ The state’s $4.5 billion budget deficit creates new concerns; MOT’s budget has been
cut and more cuts are on the horizon
♦ Budgets are too tight for competing organizations to “go it alone” ;
♦ Communities and businesses within the Itasca area need to develop a tourism
strategic plan with a shared vision for the future
Forum 5: Mining and Manufacturing Industry
The fifth forum was held Friday, January 17 2003. Panelists were asked to discuss
pressing issues and current trends in the mining and manufacturing industry and the
impact those trends have on their business. Panelists were also asked what their
business needed from the community in order to succeed.
Industry Issues and Trends
Forest products (Primary manufacturing)
♦ Consolidation into larger, lower cost mills
♦ Union of global producers and “big boxes”
♦ Migration to locations with fast growing, publicly subsidized, or less sustainable
forest practices
♦ Fierce, innovative new product design
♦ Low to medium end products made in countries with cheap labor
♦ Negative price pressure
♦ Investments are needed in forest quality
♦ Lack of willingness to make long-term forest investments
♦ High relative cost of timber in Lake States
♦ “Urban disconnect” from reality
♦ (Secondary manufacturing – gluing, molding, sanding)
♦ Low to medium end products made in cheap labor countries
♦ Negative price pressure
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♦ Exceptional service is an industry standard
♦ Species substitution
♦ Divergence in consumer demand; strong high end, tasteless low end
♦ Struggle to pay living wages
♦ Rising cost of health care benefits
♦ Exodus of youth
♦ Dollar investments needed in manufacturing
Electronic component/thermal products
♦ Market slowdown
♦ Fierce competition for sales
♦ Loss of revenues to Far East suppliers
♦ Hard times drive lower prices = margin loss
♦ Market share loss to foreign competitors
Taconite pellet manufacturing
♦ Reduction in workforce (98,000 workers in 1959; 4,600 workers in 2003)
♦ Global competition (unfinished steel slabs is the toughest)
♦ Economic turndown, including less steel consumption
♦ Scarce capital
♦ Domestic steel industry is in a tough spot: bankruptcies; new companies formed
from bankruptcies, mergers and acquisitions
♦ Government involvement
♦ Less demand for pellets
♦ Mine shutdown for inventory investments
♦ Mine closings
♦ Integrated steel not interested in mining assets (focus is on steel making)
Options:
Forest products:
♦ Squeeze more out of every tree
♦ Keep high-end customers competitive
♦ Help set wise forest and trade policy
♦ Maintain continuous quality improvement – leverage natural advantages, i.e., local
species
♦ Leaner manufacturing crusade
♦ Beat back global competition with excellent service and quality
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♦ Hard-nosed price negotiations
♦ Sell the exceptional virtues of Minnesota species: white pine, red oak, white birch
♦ Invest in employees
♦ Harvest unsustainably – develop lakeshore – sell the land – or, find innovative ways
to generate cash flow and keep forest under management
♦ Maintain fragile value-added expansion – attract additional investment – retrench as
primary manufacturer only – consolidate sawmills – quit manufacturing and
become a resource company
Electronic component/thermal products:
♦ Partner in the Far East (don’t want to give up technology)
♦ Provide superior customer service
♦ Lower manufacturing costs through research and investment
♦ Capture greater market sales in foreign companies
♦ Consolidation of domestic market
Taconite pellet manufacturing:
♦ Cost per ton needs to keep dropping
♦ Cost savings in production needs to keep growing
♦ Capital investment is needed
♦ Real-time information from mine to mill is critical
♦ High energy costs must be kept under control
♦ Integrated steel has to consolidate to survive
♦ Level playing field is needed
♦ Lower taxes, lower state royalty rates
♦ Less cumbersome permitting process
Forest products:
♦ Promote manufacturing and consumption of products from our forests
♦ Educate yourself on the facts; demand wise policy, don’t succumb
♦ Support active timber harvest programs on the Chippewa National Forest
♦ Attend tours of operations
♦ Make quality purchasing decisions
♦ Identify entrepreneurs who can leverage production by adding further value locally
♦ Value and promote local species
♦ Demand lean government
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Electronic components/thermal products
♦ Affordable housing for workforce
♦ Help change attitudes – help people understand that growth and change is good
♦ Build an environment that fosters personal change and growth
♦ Provide a skilled work force
Taconite pellet manufacturing
♦ School consolidation is needed to lower local taxes
♦ Medical community needs to work with industry to lower medical costs for labor
force
♦ Improved labor relations with unions (work rules must change to get higher
productivity)
♦ Lower transportation costs
♦ Look at new products for the future, beyond nuggets, that are competitive in global
market
♦ Community awareness of local capacity is key
♦ Community should expect/demand lean government operations
♦ Realize that global competition is here to stay
Three stories of entrepreneurial experiences in Wausau, Wisconsin as told by Grand Rapids
native, Bill Reif
Bill Reif, President and CEO, of Wausau Coated Products, shared entrepreneurial
experiences of three companies he has been involved in: Wausau Coated Products (a
manufacturer of pressure sensitive label materials.) Eastbay, Inc. (shoe sales) and
Award Hardwood Floors (engineered laminated, prefinished wood floor products).
Criteria the local Wausau group of investors use as a filter for identifying investment
opportunities:
♦ 3 C’s of a new business
♦ Credit – a solid business plan
♦ Collateral – need dollars in pockets
♦ Character – in depth background checks
Entrepreneurship Involves:
♦ “Rolling the dice” – taking risks
♦ Understanding that you “can’t get the dice off the table” (business is not liquid) –
must have an end game in mind
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What is needed to build local business:
♦ Investors who are willing to invest in local companies (cultivating local angel
investors is important)
♦ Industrial parks are a given; it’s what is behind the parks (entrepreneurial
community) that make the difference
♦ Local people, bank cooperation, and investment capital are critical elements in
business development
Forum 6: Service Industry
The sixth forum was held Thursday, February 2003. Panelists were asked to discuss
pressing issues or challenges and current trends in the service industry and the impact
those trends have on their business. Panelists were also asked what their business
needed from the community in order to succeed.
Accounting:
Industry Issues, Challenges and Trends:
♦ Staying competitive with wages, healthcare, and benefits – it is problematic when
individually trained accountants leave for other career opportunities
♦ Finding and selling recurring business services
♦ Finding the right people to hire and train who can deliver the services (it takes about
three years to train accountants and five to seven years before they become “tax
ready”
♦ Managing and understanding the never-ending change in tax laws
♦ Desire to spend more time helping customers understand their numbers, their
businesses and their opportunities and less time chasing tax computations.
♦ The accounting industry will prevail – tax and accounting issues will always have a
role
♦ Use local service providers
♦ Tell others from outside the area about the available services provided locally and
encourage them to utilize those services
♦ Strong tax accounting people are needed
Financial Institutions
Banks and financial institutions are drivers of economic development; this fact is often
overlooked and underestimated by community members (Itasca region has four of the
top 30 banks in Minnesota).
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The economic impact local banks have on the community is tremendous – deposits in
Itasca County and Woodland Banks (not including Wells Fargo and US Bank) grew by
$66 million from 1998 to 2001; loans grew by $59 million in the same period. That
growth has continued to grow significantly.
♦ Weather negatively impacts many businesses - motels, resorts, bars, restaurants, etc.
which in turn affects banks – banks must be more creative in helping struggling
businesses
♦ Lower interest rates – there has been a 6percent drop in interest rates in 1½ years
♦ Significant Increase in the number of people filing for bankruptcy; increase in the
number of overdrafts
♦ Record levels of charged off loans in the past two years
Options:
♦ Must grow in order to survive
♦ Investments must be made in people and technology in order to remain
independent
♦ Seek partnerships – private and public
♦ Bank deposits are the lifeblood of a community – money put in the local bank will,
in turn, go to work in the local community.
♦ Provide role for bankers in the future of JOBS 2020
♦ Local business and government need to support local banks
E-Commerce Service (start up business)
♦ Establishing a new business as credible and knowledgeable
♦ Current systems do not achieve 100% electronic supplier connectivity for the buying
enterprise.
♦ The marketplace demands an e-commerce capability
♦ Expanding sales reach cost-effectively – reducing business transaction costs
♦ Acquiring venture capital
♦ Convincing others – employees, investors, customers, of your viability
♦ Using the Internet to transform paper-based processes
♦ Learning to restructure operations based on what the customer needs
♦ Natural resource industries are not early adapters of e-commerce technology
♦ Companies develop relationships with suppliers; price matters but so does service
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♦ Maintaining a balance with family lifestyle, a pleasing work environment and
making a profit
♦ Being persistent, patient and keeping the faith are keys of success
♦ Buy locally; this is a huge component for local companies attempting to survive
♦ Angel investors willing to help launch new companies are essential
♦ Provide incubators for start up companies
♦ Diversify the area’s economy
Keynote Address
Archie Black, Senior Vice President and CFO of SPS Commerce was the keynote
speaker. SPS Commerce is a supply chain integration service designed for small and
mid-sized companies to satisfy the e-commerce requirements for managing the orders
placed by their customers. Vendors utilize the service to quickly and easily achieve
compliance with a Hub Customer’s electronic supply chain initiatives and to improve
the operating efficiencies of their own supply chain processes.
Lessons learned:
♦ Pick a category you can dominate
♦ Execute the best
♦ Focus on small, midsize enterprises (SME’s)
♦ People are the greatest asset – must have talent, experience, entrepreneurial spirit
and a “willingness to change” - recognize and embrace change
♦ Stick to what you know (Ask, “What knowledge or experience do we have that
someone else doesn’t have?”)
♦ Promote a real, entrepreneurial environment
The nature of a technology business:
♦ Real value proposition
♦ Fast and constant change
♦ Intelligent, educated talent pool
♦ “Been there, done that” management experience
♦ Venture capital funding
Forum 7: Construction Industry
The seventh forum was held Friday, March 7, 2003. Panelists were asked to discuss
pressing issues/challenges and current trends in the construction industry and the
impact those trends have on their business. Panelists were also asked what their
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business needed from the community in order to succeed.
Building Construction
♦ Sources of future work are unpredictable
♦ Workers Compensation and Liability insurance costs are very high and significantly
escalate the cost of doing business
♦ Finding trained field help is difficult – seasonal work makes it hard to attract quality
workers
♦ Providing health care benefits for employees is very expensive
♦ Competition is high with many small local building contractors and regional large
contractors
♦ Slow payments from customers present challenges in maintaining company credit
and credibility.
♦ Construction is a dangerous business – safety is always an issue
Options:
♦ Diversify product offerings
♦ Provide architectural services to increase design/build volume
♦ Join self-insured group to provide affordable workers compensation insurance
♦ Emphasize construction management capabilities
♦ Support local construction companies
♦ Patronize all local businesses – a growing and healthy local economy will result in
new construction
Land Development
♦ Land is being developed more and more for residential property - outlook for
residential development in Itasca County is good
♦ The age curve is increasing and putting new demands on specific housing needs
♦ Low interest rates are positive for developers and consumers
♦ The unstable stock market has made land investments more desirable
♦ Balancing development of finite resource against environmental responsibility
♦ Must deal with rising (and justifiable) opposition
♦ Annexation and reviews of county zoning ordinances often results in increased
restrictions placed on a project
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♦ Get involved – identify what we want to be as a community – participate in county
zoning and comprehensive land development meetings
♦ Form a Developer Support Group! Recruit community leaders to work with
developers and sit in on public meetings to speak up and voice support for a project
Real estate development
♦ Significant price appreciation
♦ lake homes in Grand Rapids area increased 76% from 1997 through 2002
♦ the average home price (as of 12/31/02) is higher in Grand Rapids than in
Brainerd
♦ Substantial population growth
♦ Minnesota population projections show Itasca County growing at a slower
rate than Crow Wing, Cass and Aitkin Counties
♦ Increased turnover of properties
♦ Aging population
♦ Increased competition (more agents)
♦ Increased use of the Internet
Options:
♦ Expansion into other markets
♦ Consolidating with other companies
♦ Getting into specialty markets – new construction, elderly housing, etc.
A community needs:
♦ Good financial institutions and mortgage lenders (these are now available)
♦ Good schools, shopping, medical facilities and recreational opportunities
♦ Better roads
♦ A local government that doesn’t deny growth
♦ Affordable and elderly housing
♦ A good marketing plan for the area
Keynote Address
Patrick Ryan is President of Ryan Companies US, Inc., a leading commercial real estate
firm. Ryan provides services in design-build, development, asset, property and
facilities management to customers in the industrial, retail, public sector, office,
mission, critical, medical and hospitality markets.
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Observations:
♦ Clients are the best ambassadors: integrity, honesty and loyalty matter. (70% of
Ryan’s business is repeat clients)
♦ Availability of an educated workforce essential
♦ Skilled labor is evaporating
♦ Web-based technology (location matters less)
What does not work:
♦ Getting property, putting in the infrastructure, marketing the property and sitting
back and waiting for a business to come
What does work:
♦ Create a quantifiable vision with goals (what does the community want to be?)
♦ Remove roadblocks
♦ Work with education system to train workforce – workforce will need to shift from
natural resources to services and will have to be trained for that shift
♦ Engage business community (intellectually, emotionally and financially)
SECTION 5.2: ECONOMIC TRENDS
Demographic and economic trends in the context of the Grand Rapids Comprehensive
Plan can be thought of as statistical characterizations of human populations and closely
related socioeconomic information and how they change over time. In order to
understand the current state of the Grand Rapids Economy it is important to consider
population, industry, employment, unemployment, and educational attainment trends.
Population trends were presented in the Population Characteristics section, the
paragraphs that follow explore economic trends in a number of different ways by
drawing upon a number of existing and readily available data sources.
SECTION 5.2.1: MAJOR ITASCA COUNTY EMPLOYERS
While the industries listed in table 5.1 are mostly in Grand Rapids, the region to which
these numbers apply is Itasca County. This illustrates the importance of Grand Rapids
to the county’s economy. Further, all industries are listed according to their major
office or headquarters. Therefore, even entities operating in the rest of the county
could be listed as a Grand Rapids company, this may be because the decision-making
authority lies in Grand Rapids (BBER: March 2001).
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Table 5.1: Major Itasca County Employers
Employer
UPM/Blandin Paper Company
Independent School District #318
Itasca Medical Center
Arrowhead Promotion
Itasca County
Wal-Mart
Grand Rapids Medical Assoc
Potlatch
All Season Vehicle (ASV)
Itasca County Nursing Home
Target
Itasca Community College
K Mart
Northprint International Inc
MN Diversified Industries
SIC Products/Services
2621 Paper Mills
8211 Elementary and Secondary Schools
8062 General Medical & Surgical Hospitals
7389 Business Services, nec
9121 Government Offices
5311 Department Stores
8062 General Medical & Surgical Hospitals
2621 Paper Mills
3799 Transportation Equipment, nec
8051 Skilled Nursing Care Facilities
8222 Junior Colleges
2759 Commercial Printing, nec
3999 Manufacturing Industries, nec
Employee Count
900
600
386
315
310
185
171
162
120
120
120
106
100
100
80
Source: Community Profiles, Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development.
SECTION 5.2.2: OCCUPATION
The labor force of a given area is the number of people, 16 or over, who are either
employed or seeking work. The Bureau of Census classifies the resident labor force in
two different ways. The first is by the industry in which they are employed, such as
agriculture, manufacturing, and services. The second is by occupation; managers and
clerical workers, for example, are employed in a number of industries.
Resident labor force data is important because the calculus of an existing Grand Rapids
industry considering expansion or a prospective industry considering moving into
Grand Rapids will include the occupational and industry characteristics of the local
labor pool. Table 5.2 provides the number and percent of Grand Rapids labor force
employment by major occupation group for 2000 in tabular form and figure 5.1
provides the percentage data in graphic form.
Table 5.2: Employment by Occupation, Grand Rapids 2000
Occupation
Management, professional, and related occupations
Service occupations
Sales and office occupations
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
Construction, extraction, and maintenance occupations
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations
Total
Number Percent
946
28.4
571
17.2
850
25.5
8
0.2
316
9.5
636
19.1
3,327
100
Source: Minnesota State Demographers Office
Page A87
Figure 5.1: Employment by Occupation, Grand Rapids 2000
Production, transportation &
Material moving occupations
Management, professional,
& related occupations
Construction, extraction
& maint. occupations
Farming, fishing
& forestry occupations
Service occupations
Sales and office occupations
Source: Minnesota State Demographers Office.
Table 5.3 describes the distribution of employment of the Grand Rapids labor force by
major industry sector for 2000 in tabular form by number and percent. Figure 5.2
provides the percentage data in graphic form.
Table 5.3: Distribution of Employment by Major Industry Sector, Grand Rapids 2000
Industry
Number Percent
52
1.6
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining
168
5
Construction
411
12.4
Manufacturing
65
2
Wholesale trade
464
13.9
Retail trade
184
5.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities
115
3.5
Information
118
3.5
Finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing
300
9
Professional, scientific, mgmt, admin, & waste mgmt services
781
23.5
Educational, health and social services
354
10.6
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services
229
6.9
Other services (except public administration)
86
2.6
Public administration
Page A88
Figure 5.2: Distribution of Employment by Major Industry Sector, Grand Rapids 2000
Wholesale trade
Other services (except public administration)
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, & mining
Construction
Manufacturing
Arts & entertainment
Wholesale trade
Retail trade
Educational, health
& social services
Transportation
& warehousing, & utilities
Professional, scientific, mgmt
Administration & waste mgmt
F.I.R.E. Information
Resident labor force data provide information about the occupations and industry of
the Grand Rapids resident labor force, but reveals nothing about the location of their
employment. Table 5.4 provides some insight into the employment location of the
Grand Rapids labor force. However, the Census data from which table 5.4 is derived is
not cross tabulated with industry and occupation and thus does not help us to
understand the industries and occupations of those residents who work outside of
Grand Rapids. Table 5.4 indicates that 23.8 percent of the resident labor force, some
777 resident workers, work outside of the city.
Table 5.4: Place of Work: Grand Rapids Residents, 2000
Place of Work
Number of Workers
Percent of Workers
Living in Grand Rapids
3,264
100%
Living and Working in GR
2,487
76.2 %
777
23.8%
Living in GR and Working Elsewhere
Source: 2000 US Census Bureau.
The term class of worker refers to the status of an economically active person with
respect to his or her employment; the type of explicit or implicit contract of
employment with other persons or organizations that the person has in his or her job.
Page A89
In other words, the type of ownership of the employing organization defines class of
worker. Private wage and salary workers include employees of a private company,
business, or non-profit organization. These employees work for wages, salary,
commissions or payment in kind. Self-employed workers are people who work for
profit or fees in their own unincorporated business, profession or trade, or who operate
a farm. Unpaid family workers are people who work without pay on a farm or in a
business operated by a relative. Table 5.5 provides the distribution of class of worker
for the resident labor force.
Table 5.5: Class of Worker, Grand Rapids 2000
Class of worker
Private wage and salary workers
Number Percent
2,634
79.2
Government workers
457
13.7
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business
227
6.8
9
0.3
Unpaid family workers
SECTION 5.2.3: UNEMPLOYMENT
The unemployment rate is the percent of people age 16 and older who are in the
civilian labor force and who are not working, but are either waiting to be recalled to a
job, or are actively seeking a job. The unemployment rate is an important economic
indicator because when the economy is strong, businesses hire more workers.
When workers are unemployed, they, their families, and the community all lose.
Workers and their families lose wages and purchasing power. When purchasing
power is lost, demand for goods and services is reduced and business suffer.
Furthermore, the loss of purchasing power can lead to unemployment for yet other
workers because the production of goods and services slows down in response to the
reduction in demand.
Figure 5.3 graphs the average annual unemployment rates of Itasca County, the sevencounty Arrowhead region of northeastern Minnesota, the State of Minnesota, and the
US for the period 1980 to 2000. The unemployment rate reached highs of 17.9 percent
for Itasca County, 18.0 percent for the Arrowhead, 8.2 percent for the State of
Minnesota and 9.7 percent for the US during 1982 and 1983. Lows of 6.4 percent for
Itasca County, 4.5 percent for the Arrowhead, and 2.4 percent for the State of
Minnesota were achieved in 1998 and a low of 4.0 percent was achieved for the US in
2000.
Figure 5.3: Annual Average Unemployment Rate, 1980-2002
Page A90
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985
1984
1983
1982
1981
1980
Percent
20.0
18.0
16.0
14.0
12.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
Year
US
MN
Region 3
Itasca
Source: Bureau of Business and Economic Research, University of Minnesota Duluth.
SECTION 5.2.4: JOBS
Although economic development has been defined differently over the years, it has
become increasingly synonymous with jobs. The number of jobs is regarded as a
primary indicator of local economic health and vitality. That is why it is important for
local leadership to understand employment conditions. Itasca County’s employment
trend for the period 1980-2000 is presented in Figure 5.4. During that time period,
employment averaged 17,488, with a high of 21,188 in 2000 and a low of 14,485 in 1982.
During the period 1982-2000, Itasca County experienced steady employment growth,
except during the period 1995-1996 when there was a slight decline in employment.
Figure 5.4: Fulltime and Part-time Nonfarm Employment: Itasca County, 1980-2000
2 2 ,0 0 0
2 1 ,0 0 0
2 0 ,0 0 0
1 9 ,0 0 0
1 8 ,0 0 0
1 7 ,0 0 0
1 6 ,0 0 0
1 5 ,0 0 0
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985
1984
1983
1982
1981
1980
1 4 ,0 0 0
Source: Regional Economic Information System, US Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Page A91
Although the overall trend in job growth was quite positive between 1980 and 2000, a
discussion of job growth in the aggregate conceals information concerning which
industry sectors have been the drivers of job creation and whether the jobs that have
been created pay high wages or low wages. Additionally, it says nothing about
whether the growth in employment is the result of local forces or external forces.
Disaggregating the data to identify employment changes in the major industry sectors
can provide some insight into which industries constitute the engines of job growth, as
well as the relative quality of the jobs created in those industries in terms of wages and
benefits. Further analysis can help uncover the degree to which external forces have
precipitated this growth.
Table 5.6 presents the employment changes for Itasca County between 1980 and 2000.
The rows contain the titles and employment numbers for the major industry sectors
and are ordered by the number of people they employed in 2000. This provides a
ranking of industry sectors by the number of jobs they accounted for in 2000. The
Services sector employed the most workers, followed by Retail Trade, and the
Government sector (local, federal and state government and government enterprises
combined), which together accounted for 66 percent of all nonfarm jobs in 2000 (13,985
jobs out of a total of 21,188 jobs). Total nonfarm employment increased by 1,122 jobs,
or 7.8 percent between 1980 and 1990 and by 4,223 jobs, or 24.9 percent between 1990
and 2000 for an overall increase of 5,445 jobs, or 34.6 percent between 1980 and 2000.
The most important industry sector in terms of employment growth between 1980 and
2000 was Services, which accounted for 3,974 new jobs, followed by Retail Trade,
which accounted for 1,146 new jobs, and Construction, which accounted for 783 new
jobs. Together, these three job growth sectors accounted for 5,903 jobs, 108.4 percent of
the total net increase in jobs (5,445) for that period. Job losses were accounted for by
the Manufacturing industry sector, which lost 352 jobs between 1980 and 2000, 278 of
which were lost between 1980 and 1990, and the Government industry sector, which
lost 176 jobs. Year 2000 data for the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing industry sector
have been suppressed by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis to avoid disclosure of
confidential information, as have 1990 and 2000 data for the Mining industry sector.
Together, these two industry sectors must account for the remainder of County job loss
between 1980 and 2000, some 792 jobs.
Page A92
Table 5.6: Fulltime and Part-time Nonfarm Employment: Itasca County, 1980, 1990, and 2000
1980-1990
Item
1980
1990
2000
Services
2,625
(D)¹
Retail Trade
2,870
Local Government
1990-2000
1980-2000
Numerical
Change
Percent
Change
Numerical
Change
6,599
-
-
-
-
3,974
151.4
3,057
4,016
187
6.5
959
31.4
1,146
39.9
2,599
2,577
2,353
-22
-0.8
-224
-8.7
-246
-9.5
947
1,106
1,017
159
16.8
-89
-8.0
70
7.4
2,286
2,008
1,934
-278
-12.2
-74
-3.7
-352
-15.4
Construction
726
783
1,509
57
7.9
726
92.7
783
107.9
Transportation and Public Utilities
780
993
1,128
213
27.3
135
13.6
348
44.6
Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate
803
742
1,077
-61
-7.6
335
45.1
274
34.1
Wholesale Trade
298
404
538
106
35.6
134
33.2
240
80.5
Ag, Forestry, & Fishing
147
253
(D)¹
106
72.1
-
-
-
-
Mining
1,662
(D)¹
(D)¹
-
-
-
-
-
-
Total (numbers for D are included)
15,743 16,965 21,188
1,222
7.8
4,223
24.9
5,445
34.6
Federal & State Government
Manufacturing
Page A93
¹(D) Not shown to avoid disclosure of confidential information, but are included in total.
Source: Regional Economic Information System, US Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Percent Numerical
Change Change
Percent
Change
SECTION 5.2.5: EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
A consideration of the educational attainment of the Grand Rapids workforce provides
insight into the relative wealth of the community because there is a high degree of
correlation between the level of educational attainment and the potential for annual
and work-life earnings. According to a study conducted by the US Census Bureau2,
earnings increase with educational level. Although this statement is clearly obvious,
the US Census Bureau study quantified the extent to which they increase, which is not
so clearly obvious.
The authors of the study used national level cross-sectional earnings data collected in
the March 1998, 1999, and 2000 Current Population Surveys, which are based on 19971999 earnings, and reported its findings in constant 1999 dollars. The study found that
adults, ages 25 to 64, who worked at any time during the study period earned an
average of $34,700 per year. Average earnings for educational level attained ranged
from $18,900 for high school dropouts to $25,900 for high school graduates, $45,400 for
college graduates, and $99,300 for workers with professional degrees (M.D., J.D.,
D.D.S., or D.V.M.). Figure 5.5 graphically illustrates the earning potential for workers
by educational level that were identified by the study.
Figure 5.5: Average Annual Earnings by Educational Attainment, 1997-1999
Percent
full-time,
year-round
Level of
education
80.9%
Doctoral
Degree
83.6%
Professional
Degree
76.1%
Master’s
Degree
76.7%
Bachelor’s
Degree
74.9%
Associate’s
Degree
73.9%
Some
College
13.1%
High School
Graduate
65.3%
Full-time, year-round workers
All workers
$89,400
$81,400
$109,600
$99,300
$62,300
$54,500
$52,200
$45,400
1
Not High School
Graduate
$38,200
$33,000
$36,800
$31,200
$30,400
$25,900
$23,400
$18,900
Source: US Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, July 2002.
Table 5.7 identifies the educational attainment profile for the City of Grand Rapids and
the State of Minnesota. Of Grand Rapids residents ages 25 years and older, 13.3
percent have not graduated from high school or successfully completed a high school
equivalency program, 60.5 percent have attained the level of high school graduate or
2
Day, Jennifer Cheeseman and Newburger, Eric C. “The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic
Estimates of Work-Life Earnings.” Current Population Reports, US Census Bureau, July 2002.
Page A94
equivalent with no college degree, 8.2, 12.7, 2.9, 2.1, and 0.3 percent have obtained an
Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Professional, or Doctorate degree, respectively.
Table 5.7: Educational Attainment: Grand Rapids Residents 25 Years and Over, 2000
Educational Attainment
Population 25 Years and Over:
Less than 9th grade
9th to 12th grade, no diploma
High school graduate (includes equivalency)
Some college, no degree
Associate degree
Bachelor’s degree
Master’s degree
Professional school degree
Doctorate degree
Percent high school graduate or higher
Percent bachelor’s degree or higher
Source: 2000 US Census Bureau.
Number
Percent
100%
5,387
286
5.3%
430
8.0%
1,782
33.1%
1,478
27.4%
441
8.2%
683
12.7%
157
2.9%
113
2.1%
17
0.3%
86.7%
4,671
970
18.0%
Minnesota
Number
Percent
3,164,345
100%
158,858
5.0%
222,487
7.0%
912,672
28.8%
759,153
24.0%
243,093
7.7%
605,210
19.1%
171,023
5.4%
63,444
2.0%
28,405
0.9%
2,783,000
87.9%
868,082
27.4%
Figure 5.6 provides a graphic illustration of the educational attainment profile of the
City of Grand Rapids relative to that of the State.
Figure 5.6: Educational Profile: Grand Rapids and the State of Minnesota, 2000
Doctorate degree
State of Minnesota
Professional school degree
Master's degree
Bachelor's degree
Associate degree
Some college, no degree
High school graduate (includes equivalency)
Not a high school graduate
0
Source: 2000 US Census
5
10
15
20
Percent
25
30
35
Page A95
SECTION 5.2.6: COMMUNITY FINANCES
Effective financial management can help municipalities to transform their local areas
into a better place to live and work. It is informative to look at the city’s budget over
time to understand the revenue and expenditure trends. Table 5.8 identifies general
fund revenue amounts and sources from 1999 to 2003 and table 5.9 does the same for
expenditures.
Table 5.8: General Fund Revenue Trends, Adopted Budgets 1999-2003
Source
Taxes
License/Permits
Intergovernmental
Charge for Services
Fines/Fees
Miscellaneous
Other Sources
1999
$2,178,530
51,550
1,783,493
254,900
62,500
72,600
2,500
2000
$1,908,793
58,800
2,307,196
303,454
65,000
63,400
2,500
2001
$2,000,500
59,700
2,369,744
308,485
66,000
63,500
2,500
2002
$2,436,210
76,950
2,392,760
312,428
82,800
44,225
2,500
2003
$2,562,969
156,200
2,421,234
432,984
94,500
53,568
2,500
Total Revenue
Source: City of Grand Rapids
$4,406,073
$4,709,143
$4,870429
$5,347,873
$5,723,955
Table 5.9: General Fund Expenditure Trends, Adopted Budgets 1999-2003
Department
City Wide Usage
Professional Services
Administration
Building Maintenance
Community Development
Council/Boards
Finance
Capital Replacement Transfer
Transfers
Engineering
Public Works
Information Technology
Fire
Police
Recreation
Capital Purchases
Special Projects
Total Expenditures
Source: City of Grand Rapids
1999
$90,500
161,000
214,571
92,554
103,601
238,422
85,000
298,440
1,380,837
244,330
1,196,913
150,657
52,000
2000
$140,500
174,000
214,571
92,494
102,012
236,445
173,000
359,247
1,351,787
250,141
1,192,095
150,839
270,000
-
2001
$119,500
219,000
263,183
94,476
167,017
108,374
245,402
107,500
260,906
1,269,939
266,459
1,252,817
154,919
236,200
101,500
2002
$98,000
200,000
291,162
113,914
193,311
129,486
254,633
250,000
260,500
258,698
1,308475
91,495
309,432
1,325,473
136,159
15,600
111,235
2003
$67,90
292,529
130,704
260,115
129,866
344,668
257,500
158,132
263,745
1,358,635
133,033
472,180
1,482,948
145,038
12,500
114,572
$4,315,825
$4,707,
$4,867,192
$5,347,873
$5,723,955
Additional information about the City of Grand Rapids from a financing standpoint is
as follows:
Page A96
♦ Outstanding indebtedness as of December 31, 2002:
♦ Total Bonds Outstanding: $22,418,000
♦ Property tax rate
♦ Year 2002: 80.169
♦ Year 2003: 76.387
♦ Percent of bonding authority in use
♦ 81 Percent
♦ Value of real-estate
♦ Value of all real-estate: $319,826,073
♦ Value of commercial real-estate: $117,655,297
♦ Value of residential real-estate: $196,540,158
♦ Value of all other real-estate: $5,630,618
SECTION 5.2.7: INDUSTRIAL SITES
Grand Rapids Development Park
The Grand Rapids Development Park has a total of 78 acres that are zoned
Industrial/Commercial, approximately 2 of which are currently available for
development. The price per acre of land in the park is between $25,000 and $50,000 per
acre. Utility services to the are as follows:
Table 5.10: Utility Suppliers
Utility Service
Water
Electric (single or three phase)
Natural Gas
Supplier
City of Grand Rapids, Public Utilities Department
City of Grand Rapids, Public Utilities Department
Northern MN Utilities/Energy One
Current industries located in the industrial park include NorthPrint International,
Arrowhead Promotions, MN Diversified Industries, and ASV Incorporated.
SECTION 5.2.8: AREA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
City of Grand Rapids Economic Development Authority
The Grand Rapids Economic Development Authority is a proactive city agency
dedicated to development and expansion of business and industry. The EDA works
closely with federal, state and regional agencies to provide a wide range of incentives
for sound, sustaining business developments.
Page A97
IDC and Jobs 2020
IDC and Jobs 2020 (formerly the Itasca Development Corporation) is the only countywide business information and service source. The goal of IDC is county-wide
economic stability through business retention, expansion and new business
development. IDC’s expertise is drawn from staff as well as from consultants
throughout the area. The services IDC offers are as follow:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Financial analysis
Business plan development advice
Assistance accessing federal, state, regional and local funding sources
Market research planning
Business related training opportunities
Site location assistance
Business resource library including Internet access
Business/community advocacy
Chamber of Commerce:
The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce is a business and professional
organization with more than 95 years of service to the community. It was founded in
1902 by a group of community members who pooled their resources in order to foster
an economic climate conducive to creating and retaining jobs.
The Chamber is a private, not-for-profit, action-oriented organization of more than 600
businesses located primarily in Itasca County. The Chamber is governed by a 19member Board of Directors, which is elected by the membership. The Board meets
monthly and is responsible for policy direction and programming. The Chamber is not
a governmental body, however, Chamber officials work closely with elected officials at
all levels.
The Chamber’s mission is “to foster a business environment in which our members can
prosper.” To accomplish this end, the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce is
dedicated to: economic diversification; developing outstanding quality of life for its
community; providing adequate chamber resources; proactive government relations
and life-long learning for its members.
SECTION 5.3: ECONOMIC BASE
The overview of the Grand Rapids economy is provided in terms of its economic base.
An overview of a community’s economic base represents a description of the
composition and structure of its economy. Regional economic theory posits that a
given local economy is driven by economic activities that bring money into it through
the sales of goods and services to customers from outside of it. Such activities are
identified in Economic Base Theory as constituting the Basic Sector. These export-driven
economic activities differ from population-driven economic activities, which sell to and
Page A98
support the local population and constitute the Non-Basic Sector. For the purposes of
the following analysis, the term export refers to the sales of goods and services to
customers located outside of Grand Rapids and Itasca County.
Economic Base Theory assumes that the local economy is strongest when it develops
those economic sectors that are not closely tied to the local economy. By developing
firms that rely primarily on external markets, the local economy can better insulate
itself from economic downturns because, it is hoped, these external markets will
remain strong even if the local economy experiences problems. In contrast, a local
economy wholly dependent upon local factors will have great trouble responding to
economic slumps. Location Quotient and Shift-Share Analysis are two methods
commonly used to evaluate the performance and potential of a local economy.
Section 5.3.1: Location Quotients:
Location quotients measure the concentration of industries in a specified geographic
area relative to the same industries at a larger geographic scale, usually the state or
national level. They do so by comparing the share of some quantifiable variable of an
area accounted for by specific industries with the share of the same variable(s)
accounted for by the same industries at the larger scale. A location quotient based
upon employment, for example, is an industry’s share of local employment divided by
the same industry’s share of state or national employment. Location quotients allow
you to categorize your local industries based on their degree of concentration in your
region, and whether or not that concentration is growing. Specifically a location
quotient based upon employment will let you know if an industry has a greater share
of local employment than of state or national employment.
Location quotients of between 0.85 and 1.15 indicate that an industry’s share of local
employment, to continue with the example of employment, is roughly similar to its
share of state or national employment. A location quotient of greater than 1.15
indicates that the industry employs a greater share of the local workforce that it does at
the state or national level. This implies that the industry is producing more goods and
services than are consumed locally. That is, the industry is exporting goods or services
out of the local area and, in the process, is bringing new dollars into the local economy.
Industries that bring dollars into the area help the local economy grow and are, thus,
its basic industries. Finally, a location quotient of less than 0.85 indicates that the
industry employs a lesser share of the local workforce than it does at the state or
national level. This implies local residents and businesses are purchasing goods and
services from that industry from outside the local area. Such industries constitute the
area’s non-basic industries. In such cases it is important to consider the reasons why
this is happening.
Location quotients do require several assumptions, such as uniform local consumption
patterns and uniform labor productivity. Nevertheless, location quotients represent a
Page A99
useful tool in determining an area’s basic industries. Table 5.11 reports Itasca
County’s year 2000 location quotients for the major industry sectors using the number
of firms, employment, and total wages as variables. In this case, the concentration of
firms, employment, and wages in Itasca County is measured vis-à-vis those same
variables nationally.
Table 5.11: Itasca County Location Quotients for Major Industry Sectors, 2000
Major Industry Sector
Firms
Employment
Total Wages
Agriculture
0.59
1.04
1.28
8.82¹
10.05¹
0.46¹
Mining
1.25
1.01
1.08
Construction
1.31
0.86
1.16
Manufacturing
1.09
0.92
1.18
Transportation & Public Utilities
Trade
1.06
1.02
0.82
0.85
0.50
0.32
Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
0.76
0.91
0.68
Services
3.37
1.29
1.48
Government
¹Data for Mining employment and wages for Itasca County was estimated by subtracting all other
employment and wage data groups from the total for all industries.
Source: ES-202 Covered Employment and Wages data, Minnesota Workforce Center and Bureau of
Labor Statistics, US Department of Commerce.
Table 5.11 was created using ES-202 Covered Employment and Wages (CEW) data
obtained from the Minnesota Workforce Center and from the US Bureau of Labor
Statistics. The CEW Program, which disseminates the ES-202 data, is one of the central
programs supporting economic research on employment and earnings. The CEW
Program is a comprehensive and accurate source of employment and wage data, by
industry, at the national, state, regional, and county levels. This reflects the best
available historical data at the scale needed for this analysis.
Table 5.12 identifies the Major Industry Sectors that compose Itasca County’s Basic
Sector and their Basic Sector activity, based upon the discussion of location quotients
provided above, and the 2000 Itasca County location quotients provided in table 5.11.
Data in the columns reflect the number of firms, the number of employees, and the
total wages in Itasca County that are theoretically accounted for by the Basic Sector.
Page A100
Table 5.12: Itasca County Basic Major Industry Sector Activity, 2000
Major Industry Sector
Agriculture
Mining
Construction
Manufacturing
Transportation & Public Utilities
Trade
State and Local Government
Firms
30
20
5
21
77
Employment
9
500
7
56
812
Total Wages
991,128
26,070,329
1,745,975
12,447,484
4,896,437
36,331,524
¹Data for Mining employment and wages for Itasca County was estimated by subtracting all other
employment and wage data groups from the total for all industries.
Labor Statistics, US Department of Commerce.
Data aggregated at the major industry sector level indicates that, in general, those
sectors might be nurtured as part of an economic development strategy. However, it
also conceals the specific drivers of the local economy that exist within them, and fails
to recognize that there may be drivers that exist within major industry sectors
identified as non-basic when considered in the aggregate. For example, while
services may be generally considered as non-basic, specific service industries, Hotels
and Lodging Places for example, may represent important parts of the basic sector. In
order to identify the specific industries that drive the local economy, a more
comprehensive look should be taken at location quotients. Tables 5.13, 5.14, and 5.15
list Itasca County’s top ten basic industries based upon location quotients that used
employment, output, and value added as variables. In this case, the concentration of
employment, output, and value added in Itasca County is measured vis-à-vis those of
the State. The data in these tables were taken from the Rapids Power Impact Research
Report produced by the University of Minnesota Duluth School of Business and
Economics, Bureau of Business and Economic Research in March of 2001.
Table 5.13: Itasca County Location Quotients for top Ten Employment Industries, 1999
Industries
Paper Mill, Except Building Paper¹
Iron Ores
Social Services, N.E.C.
Labor and Civic Organizations
Hotels and Lodging Places
Other Business Services
State & Local Government - Non-Education
Hospitals
Automotive Dealers & Service Stations
Food Stores
Itasca Co.
Employment
905
617
503
662
513
463
1,549
836
606
556
MN
Employment
5,020
5,887
28,633
46,668
37,357
36,398
137,473
76,727
59,403
64,663
Location Quotient
27.81
16.16
2.71
2.19
2.12
1.96
1.74
1.68
1.57
1.33
¹Although UPM has reduced its labor force since this data was analyzed, its high LQ should remain
extant.
Source: Rapids Power Impact Research Report, University of Minnesota Duluth School of Business and
Economics, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, March 2001.
Page A101
Table 5.14: Itasca County Location Quotients for top Ten Output Industries, 1999
Itasca ind.
MN ind.
Location
Industries
Quotient
Output¹
Output¹
Paper Mill, Except Building Paper
Iron Ores
Reconstituted Wood Products
Electric Services
Hospitals
State & Local Government - Education
New Residential Structures
New Industrial and Commercial Buildings
270.537
124.19
40.041
115.729
36.74
60.709
43.61
55.81
48.722
29.032
1,441.89
1,155.73
449.272
3,487.45
3,694.70
6,524.32
4,881.03
6,583.51
6,351.13
3,943.05
34.48
19.75
16.38
6.1
1.83
1.71
1.64
1.56
1.41
1.35
¹In millions of Dollars.
Table 5.15: Itasca County Location Quotients for top Ten Value Added Industries, 1999
Itasca Co.
MN
Location
Industries
Value Added¹ Value Added¹ Quotient
103.791
525.515
37.07
Paper Mill, Except Building Paper
38.993
343.517
21.31
Iron Ores
15.178
158.307
18
94.019
2,833.23
6.23
Electric Services
60.709
6,524.32
1.75
18.24
2,120.88
1.61
Food Stores
55.81
6,583.51
1.59
State & Local Government - Education
15.627
1,845.97
1.59
24.821
3,099.04
1.5
Hospitals
21.131
2,925.55
1.36
¹In millions of Dollars.
The 1999 location quotient analysis for Itasca County indicates that five of the 15 subsector industries were top ten basic industries when analyzed from the standpoint of
employment, output, and value added; five were top basic industries when analyzed
from the standpoint of only two of the three, and five were top ten basic industries
when analyzed from the standpoint of only one of the three. Table 5.16 identifies the 15
top 10 basic sub-sector industries and from which standpoints they are identified as
such.
Page A102
Table 5.16: Top 10 Basic Sub-Sector Industries by Employment, Output, or Value Added
Industries
Paper Mill, Except Building Paper¹
Iron Ores
Hospitals
Electric Services
State & Local Government – Education
Food Stores
Hotels and Lodging Places
New Industrial and Commercial Buildings
Employment
Output
Value Added
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
SECTION 5.3.2: SHIFT SHARE ANALYSIS
Shift-share analysis is a method used to help explain the causes of growth in the local
economy. The numeric change of employment, for example, in the local economy over
time can be deconstructed into the three sources that caused that change. The three
sources that cause changes in local employment include the national growth component,
which corresponds to national growth; the industry mix component, which results from
differential growth by industry; and the competitive share, which comes from conditions
unique to the local economy. Contributions from any of the three categories can be
either positive or negative. Table 5.17 presents shift-share data for Itasca County
employment vis-à-vis that of the Nation from 1990 to 2000.
Table 5.17: Itasca County Shift Share Analysis Based Upon Jobs, 1989-2000
National Growth
Industry Mix Competitive Share
Total Job
Component
Component
Component
Change
Percent
Jobs
Percent Jobs Percent
Jobs
2,598
0
731
3,329
Average Number of Employees
21.3%
69
8.4%
27
118.1%
380
476
Construction
21.3%
425
-26.4% -527
0.3%
7
-95
Manufacturing
21.3%
146
6.0%
41
-17.8%
-122
65
Transportation and public utilities
21.3%
574
-4.2%
-112
19.3%
518
981
Trade
21.3%
74
-8.2%
-28
13.5%
47
93
Finance, insurance, and real estate
21.3%
469
28.3%
622
36.7%
806
1,896
Services
21.3%
663
-6.4%
-197
-16.4%
-510
-45
Government and govt. enterprises
Labor Statistics, US Department of Commerce
Shift Share
Page A103
The National Growth Component
The first source of change in the local economy is directly associated with change in the
National economy. The national growth component measures the local economic
change that could have occurred if the local economy had grown at the same rate as
the national economy. The effect of the national growth component is felt most acutely
during the peaks and valleys of the business cycle. That is, during recessions and
boom times. Local businessmen and businesswomen are very aware of how the
general business climate affects their business. In all sectors reported in Table 5.17, the
National Growth Component was responsible for positive job creation.
Itasca County’s largest sectoral employer, the Services sector, experienced the greatest
private sector job growth from the effects of national growth, which was responsible
for 469 additional jobs between 1989 and 2000. The Government Sector experienced
the greatest overall job growth from the effects of national growth, which was
responsible for 633 additional jobs between 1989 and 2000. Overall, the national
growth component was responsible for a total of 2,598 jobs in Itasca County between
1989 and 2000.
An understandable goal of some local leaders is to make their economy more
‘recession proof’. Economies with more employment in government, military and
education will experience less fluctuation because those sectors are not directly related
to the business cycle. Also, economic sectors that are experiencing more growth will
provide larger employment gains to a local economy.
The Industrial Mix Component
The second portion of the growth equation considered by shift-share analysis, the
industrial mix component, provides additional insight into sectoral growth. The
industrial mix component measures the share of local economic change that can be
attributed to the local industry mix, and reflects the degree to which the local economy
specializes in industries that are either fast or slow growing on the national level. This
component is found by calculating the percent growth rate for an economic sector at the
national level and subtracting the national growth component from it. Thus, the
industrial mix component measures how well an industry has grown, but not from
effects of the business cycle.
Table 5.15 lists these components for each sector. The highest industrial mix component
was 28.3 percent in the Services sector, followed by 8.4 percent in the Construction
sector and 6.0 in the Transportation and Public Utilities sector, which were responsible
for 622, 47, and 21 jobs, respectively. All other sectors had negative industrial mix
components. If Itasca County employment had been more concentrated in the sectors
with higher industrial mix components, then the county could have had greater
employment growth between 1989 and 2000. After totaling job change associated with
the industrial mix component for all sectors reported, it appears that the industrial mix
component was responsible for decreasing Itasca County’s employment by 174 jobs.
Thus, the County has a concentration of employment in industries that are decreasing
nationally in terms of employment. If mining data were available, the decrease in the
number of jobs associated the industrial mix component would have been considerably
Page A104
larger. Shift-share analysis does not explain why an economic sector has slower or
faster growth. Rather, local decision-makers must use knowledge about the business
conditions facing particular industries to understand why.
The Competitive Share Component
The final component of shift-share analysis is the competitive share. It is the remaining
employment change that is left over after accounting for the national and industrial
mix components. If a sector’s competitive share is positive, then the sector has a local
advantage in promoting employment growth. For example Service sector employment
grew by 86.3 percent between 1989 and 2000 (based upon ES-202 data), of which 21.3
percent was associated with the national growth component and 28.3 percent was
associated with the industry mix component. The remaining 36.7 percent is associated
with the competitive share component and thus can be attributed to the local
conditions facing the Service sector. The competitive share component was responsible
for an increase of 806 jobs in the Service sector.
The three top performing sectors in terms of the competitive share component were
Construction, Services, and Trade. Across all sectors reported here, 1,126 additional
jobs can be associated with the competitive share component between 1989 and 2000,
indicating that Itasca County was competitive in securing additional employment in
those sectors. However, data for the Agriculture, Fishing, and Forestry sector and the
Mining Sector were not available for 1989 thus leaving the overall picture unclear.
A positive competitive share component indicates that the local area has a productive
advantage. A productive advantage could be due to local firms having superior
technology, management, or market access, or the local labor force having higher
productivity and/or lower wages. A negative competitive share component could be
caused by local shortcomings in all these areas.
By examining the competitive share components for each industry, the local decisionmakers can identify which local industries have a positive competitive share
component and which do not. This also indicates which industries may have
competitive advantages over other localities and regions. Strategies can then be
devised to improve local conditions faced by particular industries selected for focus.
Such strategies may include specialized training programs for workers and
management, improved access to input and product markets through transportation
and telecommunications, or arranged financial alternatives for new machinery and
equipment.
A consideration of major industry sectors, as is the case with Table 5.17, can mask subsector performances and nuances. Tables 5.18, 5.19, and 5.20 provide a look at top
performing Itasca County sub-sectors. The tables report results of shift-share analysis
conducted by the University of Minnesota Duluth School of Business and Economics,
Bureau of Business and Economic Research for the Rapids Power Impact Research Report.
Although the shift-share analysis was done for the time period 1995 to 1999 and
compared the performance of the Itasca County economy against that of the State of
Minnesota and, therefore, are not directly related to table 5.17, they do provide a
disaggregated, and thus clearer, picture of the County’s top employment drivers.
Page A105
Table 5.18: Top Ten Employment Industries, 1995 and 1999
Industries
MN
MN
Itasca
Itasca
Nat. Ind. Competitive
Change
Share
1995 Emp. 1999 Emp. 1995 Emp. 1999 Emp. Share Mix
Page A106
1. Doctors and Dentists
73,729
84,012
416
666
41
17
192
250
2. Social Services, N.E.C.
25,681
28,633
263
503
26
5
210
240
3. Other Business Services
31,299
36,398
234
463
23
15
190
229
4. Personnel Supply Services
64,177
72,796
249
473
24
9
191
224
5. State and Local Govt. - Education
170,914
176,996
1,274
1,485
124
-79
166
211
6. Real Estate
57,398
60,454
163
346
16
-7
174
183
7. Labor and Civic Organizations
40,075
46,668
522
662
51
35
54
140
8. Automobile Repair & Services
17,942
21,238
119
245
12
10
104
126
9. Other State and Local Govt Enterprises
4,977
11,516
13
138
1
16
108
125
10. Automotive Dealers & Service Stations
51,777
59,403
503
606
49
25
29
103
3,002,058
3,294,743
20,489
21,364
1998
0
-1122
875
Totals
Source: Rapids Power Impact Research Report, University of Minnesota Duluth School of Business and Economics, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, March
2001.
Table 5.19: Top 10 Industrial Output Industries, 1995-1999
Industries
MN 1995
MN 1999
Itasca 1995
Itasca 1999
Ind. Output* Ind. Output* Ind. Output* Ind. Output*
Nat.
Share
Ind. Competitive
Share
Mix
Change
Page A107
1. New Residential Structures
3,161.51
6,351.13
25.639
48.722
6.5
19.3
-2.8
23.1
2,149.07
3,694.70
13.98
36.74
3.6
6.5
12.7
22.8
3. Hospitals
3,468.45
4,881.03
21.192
43.61
5.4
3.2
13.8
22.4
4. Real Estate
8,876.80
8,748.55
16.528
36.486
4.2
-4.5
20.2
20
5. Banking
4,771.09
8,041.65
32.752
51.092
8.4
14.1
-4.1
18.3
6. Other State and Local Govt Enterprises
958.627
2,027.17
2.482
19.62
0.6
2.1
14.4
17.1
7. State & Local Govt. - Education
6,070.49
6,583.51
39.208
55.81
10
-6.7
13.3
16.6
8. Social Services, N.E.C.
880.293
1,478.10
7.769
21.948
2
3.3
8.9
14.2
6,712.24
8,055.60
40.502
51.997
10.3
-2.2
3.4
11.5
10. New Government Facilities
2,195.93
3,572.99
17.455
26.146
4.5
6.5
-2.3
8.7
247,973.30
311,206.45
1,560.54
1,693.31
397.9
0
-265.2
132.7
Totals
2001.
Table 5.20: Top 10 Value Added Industries, 1995-1999
MN 1995
MN 1999
Itasca 1995 Itasca 1999 Nat. Ind. Competitive
Industries
Value
Change
Share
Value Added Value Added Value Added Share Mix
Added
1. Hospitals
2,240.72
3,099.04
8.02
24.821
2.3
0.7
13.7
16.8
2. State & Local Govt. - Education
6,070.49
6,583.51
39.208
55.81
11.4
-8.1
13.3
16.6
3. Real Estate
5,984.06
6,273.33
11.142
26.163
3.2
-2.7
14.5
15
1,095.65
1,845.97
6.558
15.627
1.9
2.6
4.6
9.1
5. Banking
3,679.65
5,047.63
25.26
32.07
7.3
2.1
-2.6
6.8
4,224.43
5,466.41
26.197
32.819
7.6
0.1
-1.1
6.6
7. Food Stores
1,591.19
2,120.88
11.909
18.24
3.5
0.5
2.4
6.3
8. Personnel Supply Services
1,035.78
1,695.52
3.517
9.752
1
1.2
4
6.2
9. Iron Ores
333.213
343.517
32.879
38.993
9.5
-8.5
5.1
6.1
10. Automobile Repair and Supply
Services
739.546
1,055.30
4.367
10.065
1.3
0.6
3.8
5.7
Page A108
2001.
The 1995-1999 shift share analysis for Itasca County indicates that four of the 16
sub-sector industries were top ten shift share industries when analyzed from the
standpoint of employment, output, and value added; six were top ten shift share
industries when analyzed from the standpoint of only two of the three, and six
were top ten shift share industries when analyzed from the standpoint of only one
of the three. Table 5.21 identifies the 16 top 10 shift share sub-sector industries and
from which standpoints they are identified as such.
Table 5.21: Top 10 Shift Share Industries by Employment, Output, or Value Added
Industries
Real Estate
State and Local Govt. Education
Doctors and Dentists
Other State and Local Govt Enterprises
Automobile Repair & Services
Hospitals
Personnel Supply Services
Banking
Iron Ores
Food Stores
New Government Facilities
Employment
Output
NS
IM
CS
NS
IM
16
124
23
41
26
1
12
-7
-79
15
17
5
16
10
-4.5
-6.7
6.5
-2.2
3.3
2.1
24
9
51
49
35
25
174 4.2
166 10
190 3.6
192 10.3
210
2
108 0.6
104
5.4
191
8.4
54
29
Value Added
CS
NS
CS
20.2 3.2 -2.7 14.5
13.3 11.4 -8.1 13.3
12.7 1.9 2.6 4.6
3.4 7.6 0.1 -1.1
8.9
14.4
1.3 0.6 3.8
3.2 13.8 2.3 0.7 13.7
1
1.2
4
14.1 -4.1 7.3 2.1 -2.6
9.5
3.5
4.5
6.5
IM
-8.5
0.5
5.1
2.4
6.5 -2.3
19.3 -2.8
Source: Rapids Power Impact Research Report, University of Minnesota Duluth School of Business
and Economics, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, March 2001.
While location quotient analysis can help to identify Grand Rapids’ economic base
at a given point in time, shift share analysis can help identify changes in that base
through time. Location quotient and shift share analysis taken together can inform
public and private decision-makers about which of the most important basic sector
industries have grown the most over a given period of time. Table 5.25 identifies
the important basic sector industries that have grown the most between 1995 and
1999 in the competitive share component, those presumably possessing a local
advantage in promoting growth. Only those basic industries that have a positive
competitive share component when measured from the same standpoint from
which they are considered basic (that is, from the standpoint of employment, value
added, or output) are identified. Of the 15 top ten location quotient industries and
the 16 top ten shift share industries identified, only Other Business Services was in
the top ten for location quotients from the standpoint of employment, output, and
value added, and was in the top ten for shift share with a positive competitive
Page A109
growth component in all three measures. Additionally, only Hospitals was in the
top ten for two of the three measures in both location quotient and shift share and
five others were in the top ten for one of the three measures in both location
quotient and shift share. There was one other that was in the top ten for both
location quotients and shift share from the standpoint of output, New Residential
Construction, but it had a negative competitive share component and is, therefore,
not identified in table 5.25.
Table 5.25: Top 10 Location Quotient and Shift Share (Competitive Share)
Industries by Employment, Output, or Value Added
Industries
Employment
Output
Value Added
>
>
>
>
>
Hospitals
State and Local Govt. - Education
Food Stores
Iron Ores
>
>
>
>
>
Source: Rapids Power Impact Research Report, University of Minnesota Duluth School of Business
and Economics, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, March 2001.
Page A110
L
AND USE
SECTION 6: LAND USE
SECTION 6.1: EXISTING LAND USE ANALYSIS
The analysis of existing land use represents an overview of developed and undeveloped
land within each zoning category. The methodology used to conduct the land use
analysis was based primarily upon Itasca County parcel data and further refined as
needed through the use of an aerial photograph taken during a 2001 fly-over.
The county parcel data was analyzed through the employment of Geographic
Information System (GIS) software, as was the aerial photo which was digitized for that
purpose. The parcel data layer was overlaid with the City zoning layer. If the parcel
data indicated that a given parcel of land is occupied by a discernable land use, the
entire parcel was calculated as developed. For example, the County parcel data allowed
for the identification of parcels upon which structures of varying value exist. A
residential parcel was considered developed if it was associated with a structure that
had an identified value that is appropriate for a structure such as a house or a garage.
Conversely, if such a parcel had no structure associated with it, it was considered
undeveloped.
Although this method provides a reasonable estimate of developed and undeveloped
land, it should be noted that not all of the land identified as undeveloped is likely to be
readily available for development. There may be limiting factors such as environmental
constraints, unwilling sellers, and infrastructural limitations that can reduce the amount
of readily available land for development by varying degrees. However, constraints
such as unwilling sellers and infrastructure issues will likely change over time.
SECTION 6.1.1: LAND USE AND ZONING
The zoning ordinance is a local law that regulates land uses and types and dimensions
of structures that can be placed on piece of property. To carry out the intent and
purpose of the zoning ordinance, regulations are provided on procedures, standards,
and definitions. The zoning ordinance controls the distribution of land uses, lay out
requirements (site plan and subdivision), requirements for a structure’s characteristics
(height, bulk and density regulations), uses that may be placed on a property
(residential, commercial, industrial or institutional) and procedural matters to review
as-of-right applications, discretionary actions (such as special permit) and appeals (such
as a variance). The zoning ordinance also includes an explanation of the purpose and
intent, zoning maps that delineate where uses and densities are permitted and a list of
uses, standards and definitions.
Page A111
The Current Grand Rapids Zoning Ordinance consists of 24 zoning districts, each of
which can be included in larger, more generalized land use categories. Below, each of
the zoning districts are grouped by the larger, more generalized land use category.
Additionally, a brief definition is provided for each zoning district, as is the percentage
of the total City area they account for and the ratio of developed to undeveloped land
within it.
Agricultural
There is one zoning district within the City that fall within the purview of agriculture,
which, predictably, is the Agriculture (AG) District. The purpose and intent of the AG
District is to allow for the continuation of agricultural practices and activities, especially
in areas that may be annexed into the City where public services are not yet available,
an alternative use is not imminent, and the owner desires to continue to farm the land.
Approximately 6.5 percent of the City is currently zoned AG, approximately 61.9
percent of which is developed and 38.1 percent of which is undeveloped.
Airport
There is one zoning district that falls within the airport land use category, the Airport
(A) District. The A District is a highly specialized district that encompasses that part of
the City Airport Property that is used exclusively for air transportation and related and
complimentary uses. Approximately 14.2 percent of the City is zoned A,
approximately 98.3 percent of which is developed..
Conservancy/Open Space
There is one zoning district that falls within the conservancy land use category, the
Conservancy (CD) District. The CD District is established to preserve and protect open
space including lakes, streams, wetlands, marshes, woodlands, and similar areas of
natural, aesthetic, and scenic value. Approximately 2.6 percent of the City is zoned CD,
approximately 98.7 percent of which is undeveloped.
Commercial
Commercial land use refers areas where the principal use of land is associated with
wholesale, retail, or service business activity. There are six zoning districts in the City
of Grand Rapids that fall within the purview of commercial land use, which together
account for approximately 12.2 percent of the area in Grand Rapids, approximately 65.6
percent of which id developed and 34,4 percent of which is undeveloped. The purpose,
intent, and area of these six districts are as follow:
Central Business District (CBD). The CBD correlates only with downtown Grand
Rapids and is intended to serve a regional clientele. It is highly diversified and
intended to offer the full array of high value comparison goods and services; hotel,
cultural, tourist, and entertainment services; high density residential; finance; general
office; and public uses. Because the CBD is a very high intensity use zone, is fully
Page A112
developed, much of which occurred prior to the existence of zoning regulations, and is
an are that requires the City to play a role in the provision of parking, normal parking,
yard, and lot requirements do not apply. Approximately 1.6 percent of the City is zoned
CBD, 100 percent of which is developed.
General Business District (G-B) and Shoreland Business District (S-B). These districts
are intended to accommodate a broad range of retail goods and services uses and
generally serve the entire community. Though not exclusively so, businesses in these
districts are relatively free standing and tend to occupy independent building sites.
They may enjoy close proximity to like businesses but depend primarily on good
accessibility, high visibility, and a relatively large volume of passing traffic. The S-B
district is subject to additional shoreland management standards. Approximately 6.8
percent of the City is zoned G-B (67.9 percent developed, 32.1 percent undeveloped)
and approximately 1.0 percent is zoned S-B (77.7 percent developed, 22.3 percent
undeveloped).
Highway Commercial District (H-C). This district is intended to provide areas for the
development of certain types of commercial uses that require large amounts of land to
conduct business, are less intensive activities, and desire highway frontage. The
businesses located in this district are generally free standing and occupy independent
business sites. Their traffic volume is relatively low compared to general retail areas.
Approximately 2.2 percent of the City is zoned H-C (30.8 percent developed, 69.2
percent undeveloped).
Limited Business District (L-B) and Shoreland Limited Business District (SL-B). These
districts are primarily transitional in nature in that they generally occur where
residential and commercial uses must necessarily interface. Because they tend to
correlate with existing residential areas, these districts accommodate a wide range of
residential uses, plus office, cultural, small specialty retail, and other uses that are
generally compatible with intense commercial areas and surrounding residential areas.
The SL-B district is subject to additional shoreland management standards.
Approximately 0.8 percent of the City is zoned L-B (64.9 percent developed, 35.1
percent undeveloped) and approximately 0.2 percent is zoned SL-B (100.0 percent
developed).
Industrial
Industrial land use refers areas of nonresidential and noncommercial employment uses
such as mining, milling, and manufacturing. Industrial Uses include both General
Industrial and Heavy Industrial Uses. There are four zoning districts in the City of
Grand Rapids that fall within the purview of Industrial land use, which together
account for approximately 4.9 percent of the area in Grand Rapids, approximately 68.5
percent of which is developed and 31.5 percent is undeveloped. The purpose, intent,
and area of these four districts are as follow:
Page A113
Industrial Park District (I-1) and Shoreland Industrial Park District (SI-1). These are
planned industrial districts that are intended to accommodate new, modern, high
performance, low impact industrial uses in a park-like setting. They allow a full range
of industrial activities plus support services, but allow only limited sales of goods and
services directly to the public. The SI-1 district is subject to additional shoreland
management standards. Approximately 1.4 percent of the City is zoned I-1 (59.5
percent developed, 40.5 percent undeveloped) and approximately 0.4 percent is zoned
SI-1 (47.5 percent developed, 52.5 percent undeveloped).
General Industrial District (I-2) and Shoreland Industrial District (SI-2). These districts
generally correlate with the older existing industrial areas of the City and accommodate
freestanding industrial buildings. These may be used for new industrial development
that are so designated by the City Comprehensive Plan, provided all performance
standards and extraordinary requirements are met with regard to “R” district
relationships. The SI-2 district is subject to additional shoreland management standards.
Approximately 1.4 percent of the City is zoned I-2 (69.9 developed, 30.1 undeveloped)
and approximately 2.1 percent is zoned SI-2 (83.8 percent developed, 22.9 percent
undeveloped).
Medical
There are two districts associated with medical use, the Medical (M) District and the
Shoreland Medical (SM) District, which together account for approximately 1.6 percent
of the area in Grand Rapids. These districts are intended to accommodate the
development of medical, office, multifamily residential, and related uses in the area
surrounding the County owned hospital complex. They may be transitional areas, and
it is expected that the existing one- and two-family dwellings in the areas will be
replaced with more intensive uses. Development should be characterized with large
lots and high landscaping standards. The SM district is subject to additional shoreland
management standards. Approximately 0.2 percent of the City is zoned M (59.5
developed, 40.5 undeveloped) and approximately 1.4 percent is zoned SM (49.2 percent
developed, 50.8 percent undeveloped).
Public/Quasi Public
There are two districts associated with public use, the Public Use (PU) District and the
Shoreland Public Use (S-PU) District, which together account for approximately 8.1
percent of the area in Grand Rapids, approximately 39.4 percent of which is developed
and 60.6 percent is undeveloped. The Public Use districts are intended to be used
primarily for major public and quasi-public uses as set forth in the comprehensive plan.
They are also intended to accommodate major essential public facilities that provide
governmental, educational, recreational, cultural, and healthcare services to the entire
community. The S-PU district is subject to additional shoreland management standards.
Approximately 4.1 percent of the City is zoned PU (41.4 percent developed, 58.6 percent
undeveloped) and approximately 4.0 percent is zoned S-PU (37.3 percent developed,
62.7 percent undeveloped).
Page A114
Residential
Residential refers to areas where the principle use of land is associated with residential
dwelling units. There are seven zoning districts in the City of Grand Rapids that fall
within the purview of residential land use, which together account for approximately
48.7 percent of the area in Grand Rapids, approximately 49.3 percent of which is
developed and 50.7 percent of which is undeveloped. The purpose, intent, and area of
these seven districts are as follow:
One-Family Residence (R-1) District and Shoreland One-Family Residence (SR-1) District.
These are low-density residential districts, which are primarily intended to
accommodate traditional single-family detached dwellings. Clustering may be allowed
by PUD according to the densities established herein. The SR-1 District is subject to
additional shoreland management standards. Approximately 16.7 percent of the City is
zoned R-1 (53.9 percent developed, 46.1 percent undeveloped) and approximately 13.0
percent is zoned SR-1 (44.2 percent developed, 55.8 percent undeveloped).
One and Two-Family Residence (R-2) District and
Shoreland One and Two-Family Residence (SR-2) District. These are low-density
residential districts that generally correlate with the existing close in neighborhoods
that were originally divided into town size lots. While they are for primarily singlefamily detached dwellings at densities slightly higher than the R-1 district, they are also
intended to be used for two-family dwellings in other areas of the City designated by
the Comprehensive Plan for low-density residential development. They may also serve
a transitional function in sensitive areas along major streets and railroad tracks, and in
areas where the land use changes from low to high intensity (e.g., from commercial to
single-family residential). In such location, rental housing at low densities may offer a
more feasible alternative than owner-occupied housing. Such zoning would allow the
conversion of existing and the construction of new dwellings, provided all district
development regulations are met. The SR-2 District is subject to additional shoreland
management standards. Approximately 7.5 percent of the City is zoned R-2 (58.8
percent developed, 41.2 percent undeveloped) and approximately 5.1 percent is zoned
SR-2 (50.0 percent developed, 50.0 percent undeveloped).
Multiple-Family (Medium-Density) Residence (R-3) District and
Shoreland Multiple-Family (Medium-Density) Residence (SR-3) District. These are
modest density residential districts that are primarily intended to provide families with
efficient alternatives to traditional single-family living. They are intended to provide
for a variety and a mixture of multi-family housing including townhouses,
condominiums, apartments, and other group housing types. They are also intended to
provide recreation amenities and group usable open space within each project or
development. The SR-3 District is subject to additional shoreland management
standards. Approximately 1.2 percent of the City is zoned R-3 (44.7 percent developed,
Page A115
55.3 percent undeveloped) and approximately 1.5 percent is zoned SR-3 (46.1 percent
developed, 53.9 percent undeveloped).
Multiple-Family (High-Density) Residence (R-4) District. This is a generally higher
density district, which is primarily intended to accommodate condominiums and
apartments for the full range of contemporary families including singles, couples,
empty nesters, single headed families, etc. This district is intended to provide a variety
of housing opportunities, with recreation and open space amenities for people of all
income and age groups. Approximately 3.7 percent of the City is zoned R-4 (28.6
percent developed, 71.4 percent undeveloped). Table 6.1 provides the results of the
analysis in tabular form. Figure 6. 1 illustrates the percentage data in graphic form and
displays the data based upon the total area of each zoning district in ascending order
from left to right.
Table 6.1: Developed and Undeveloped City Land by Zoning District
Zoning
District
M
AG
A
CBD
CD
G-B
H-C
I-1
I-2
L-B
PU
R-1
R-2
R-3
R-4
S-B
SI-1
SI-2
SL-B
SM
S-PU
SR-1
SR-2
SR-3
Total
Total Area
by Zoning District
Acres
Percent
9.2
0.2%
335.7
6.5%
734.3
14.2%
62.6
1.2%
200.7
3.9%
351.7
6.8%
114.2
2.2%
70.3
1.4%
55.9
1.1%
42.4
0.8%
214.3
4.1%
865.5
16.7%
387.7
7.5%
62.6
1.2%
192.4
3.7%
52.0
1.0%
18.3
0.4%
108.7
2.1%
11.4
0.2%
74.8
1.4%
204.7
4.0%
675.5
13.0%
265.0
5.1%
75.7
1.5%
5,185.6
100%
Developed Area
by Zoning District
Acres
Percent
5.4
58.7%
207.9
61.9%
721.9
98.3%
35.5
56.7%
2.6
1.3%
238.8
67.9%
35.2
30.8%
41.8
59.5%
39.1
69.9%
27.5
64.9%
88.7
41.4%
466.9
53.9%
227.8
58.8%
28.0
44.7%
55.1
28.6%
40.4
77.7%
8.7
47.5%
83.8
77.1%
11.4
100.0%
36.8
49.2%
76.3
37.3%
298.5
44.2%
132.4
50.0%
34.9
46.1%
2,945.4
56.8%
Undeveloped Area
by Zoning District
Acres
Percent
3.8
41.3%
127.8
38.1%
12.4
1.7%
27.1
43.3%
198.1
98.7%
112.9
32.1%
79.0
69.2%
28.5
40.5%
16.8
30.1%
14.9
35.1%
125.6
58.6%
398.6
46.1%
159.9
41.2%
34.6
55.3%
137.3
71.4%
11.6
22.3%
9.6
52.5%
24.9
22.9%
0.0
0.0%
38.0
50.8%
128.4
62.7%
377.0
55.8%
132.6
50.0%
40.8
53.9%
2,240.2
43.2%
Source: Itasca County.
Page A116
Figure 6.1: Developed and Undeveloped Land Area by Zoning District
800
700
600
Acres
500
400
300
200
100
0
M
SLB SI-1
LB
SB
I-2
CBD R-3
I-1
Developed
SM
SR3 SI-2
HC
R-4
Zoning Districts
CD SPU
PU
SR2 AG
GB
R-2
SR1
AP
R-1
Undeveloped
SECTION 6.2: LAND USE CATEGORIES AND GUIDELINES FOR ANNEXATION AREAS
The motivation behind the comprehensive planning effort that resulted in the
production of this document stems in part from the need to prepare land use and
zoning recommendations for areas of Grand Rapids Township that will be annexed into
the City of Grand Rapids. There are a total of eight areas of Grand Rapids Township
subject to annexation by the City of Grand Rapids, one of which was formally annexed
by the City July 1, 2002. The remaining seven areas will be annexed between July of
2004 and July of 2010. Those seven areas currently fall within the purview of Itasca
County’s land use regulations.
Itasca County regulates land use through its zoning ordinance, the most recent of which
describes the purpose, uses, conditional uses, minimum requirements, and, in some
cases, performance standards associated with each zoning district. However, all land
that is brought into the City through the orderly annexation process will automatically
be given the zoning designation of R-1 until such time as it is rezoned to reflect the
appropriate use.
Land use within the annexation areas reflects the regulations set forth by the Itasca
County Zoning Ordinance for the district within which it occurs and should be taken
into account as the annexation areas are brought into the City and considered for
rezoning. A brief overview of the general standards that apply to all zoning districts
and the purpose and minimum lot size and building height regulations of the County
zoning districts that fall within the annexation areas is provided below.
Page A117
SECTION 6.2.1: GENERAL STANDARDS FOR ALL ITASCA COUNTY ZONING DISTRICTS
The purpose of the General Standards are to protect natural resources and the quiet
enjoyment of all residents. The provisions of the General Standard are applied to all
zoning districts, and are in addition to the requirements of each zoning district. The
General Standards provided below have been selected for the purpose of informing the
Land Use Focus Group about standards that exist in the annexation areas that are not
necessarily considerations associated with land use within the City proper.
Water Supply
Any private or public drinking water supply for domestic purposes must meet or
exceed standards for water quality established by the Minnesota Department of Health
and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. This standard does not apply to nonpotable water supplies not used for human consumption.
Sewage Treatment
Any premises used for human occupancy must be provided with an adequate method
of sewage treatment that meets or exceeds the provisions of the Itasca County
Sanitation Ordinance and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Rules, Chapter
7080. Publicly owned sewer systems must be used where available.
Impervious Surface
All structures, roads, driveways and other impervious surface coverage combined shall
not cover more than twenty-five percent (25%) of any lot or parcel, or multiple parcels
considered as a single development application unless approved as a variance.
Building Height
The maximum height for a structure shall not exceed thirty-five feet (35') except for nonresidential agricultural buildings, industrial buildings and steeples, spires or similar
structures related to a religious facility, which shall not exceed seventy feet (70').
Agricultural Operations
Agricultural operations within Itasca County shall comply with the following general
standards:
♦ Maintenance of steep slopes and shore and bluff impact zones. General cultivation
farming, grazing, nurseries, horticulture, truck farming, sod farming, and wild crop
harvesting are permitted uses if steep slopes and shore and bluff impact zones are
maintained in permanent vegetation or operated under an approved conservation
plan consistent with the field office technical guides of the local soil and water
conservation districts or the United States Soil Conservation Service, as provided by
a qualified individual or agency. Animals shall not be picketed, fenced or otherwise
contained in shore and bluff impact zones or on steep slopes.
Page A118
♦ Feedlots limited. New or expansions of existing confined animal operations,
feedlots, are allowed only in the FR District, having a minimum of five acres or more,
and I District provided they comply with Minnesota Rules Chapter 7020, and are
specifically prohibited in all other districts, including Shoreland Overlay Districts
♦ Livestock buildings. Buildings housing livestock shall be a minimum of fifty feet
(50') from any lot line or dwelling on the same parcel, or a minimum of two hundred
and fifty feet (250') from a residential structure on another parcel or lot.
♦ Keeping of livestock limited. Recognizing that residential uses and the keeping of
livestock may be incompatible, the following limits apply to the keeping of livestock
in the Rural Residential Districts, Shoreland Districts, and in all other districts on
farms with parcels or contiguous groups of parcels totaling less than 40 acres:
Domesticated pets, such as dogs and cats but specifically excluding horses, may be
kept without a permit. Local ordinances may require licensing.
♦ On parcels of less than 5 acres keeping of livestock is not permitted.
♦ On parcels 5 to 9 acres three animal units are allowed.
♦ On parcels, or contiguous groups of parcels, larger than 9 acres, three animal
units plus one unit per every two acres beyond 9 acres.
♦ Keeping of animals in amounts in excess of the limits in Section 3.6.4 B - E,
shall require a conditional use permit.
♦ Animal units shall be determined according to the following table:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
One dairy cow 1.4 animal units
One slaughter steer, heifer; or Horse 1.0 animal unit (each)
One swine 0.4 animal unit
One sheep, goat, dog 0.2 animal unit
One duck, turkey 0.02 animal unit
One chicken 0.01 animal unit
♦ Right-to-farm. All agricultural operations in the FR District, having a minimum of
five acres or more, and I District being conducted in compliance with the terms of
this Ordinance and other applicable State and Federal Regulations shall not be
deemed a violation of this Ordinance regardless of the fact that there may have been
changes in the surrounding character of the area.
Borrow Areas
Temporary borrow area operations, over 1 acre, are allowable by permit, in the
following districts, provided all of the requirements of this section are complied with:
Rural Residential, Farm Residential, Recreational Commercial, Light Industrial
Commercial, Public, Industrial, Mining and Urban Expansion districts only. Temporary
borrow area operations, over 1 acre, are prohibited in the Shoreland Overlay Districts,
which include the Mississippi River Corridor.
Page A119
♦ Exemptions. Temporary borrow area operations that involve less than one acre of
ground disturbance.
Extractive Uses
Performance standards are provided here for the extraction of mineral resources not
regulated under Minn. Stat. 93.44-93.5, including sand, gravel, rock, soil and other
materials; provide standards for related activities (including stockpiling of materials,
washing of rock, crushing, bituminous, asphalt, hot mix processing equipment, parking
facilities, haul roads, settling basins, buildings); provide for the orderly extraction of
mineral resources; and to provide for the reclamation of land disturbed by such
extraction in order to encourage productive future use of the land and to eliminate
safety hazards. Reclamation may include, but is not limited to, the planting of forests;
the seeding of grasses and legumes; the planting of crops; the enhancement of
vegetative and aquatic resources; the establishment of a management entity for the
affected areas.
♦ Where allowed. Extractive use operations, over 1 acre, are allowable by permit, in the
following districts, provided all of the requirements of this section are complied with:
Industrial, Mining, Public Recreational Commercial, Light Industrial Commercial
and Urban Expansion.
♦ Extractive Use Operations, over 1 acre, are allowable by permit in a Rural
Residential and Farm Residential Zone provided there is not a neighboring
residence within 1000’ of the extractive use operation/related facilities. A
Conditional Use Permit shall be required if there is a neighboring residence
within 1000’ of the extractive use operation/related facilities to impose
conditions to mitigate potential environmental and nuisance issues.
♦ Extractive Use Operations, over 1 acre, are prohibited in the Shoreland
Overlay Districts which includes the Mississippi River Corridor.
♦ Exemptions. Extractive use operations which comprise surface extraction operations
♦ involving less than one acre of ground disturbance shall be exempt from the
♦ requirements of this section.
Forest Management Standards
The commercial harvesting of timber and associated reforestation to the maximum
extent possible should be conducted consistent with current voluntary water quality
best management practices adopted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
and the provisions of the Minnesota Forest Resources Council’s Voluntary Site-Level
Forest Management Guidelines.
Page A120
SECTION 6.2.2: ANNEXATION AREA ZONING DISTRICTS AND STANDARDS
Rural Residential
The Rural Residential (RR) District is intended to provide a district that is rural in
character and allows activities that do not degrade rural character. The following are
minimum lot size and building height requirements for the RR District:
♦ The minimum lot size for a single-family residential unit or a two family dwelling in
a single structure is one and one-half (1.5) acres.
♦ The minimum lot width shall be 200 feet at the building setback line.
♦ The maximum height of any building or structure shall be 35 feet, excluding silos,
grain storage or drying equipment, barns or other agricultural related non-dwelling
structures.
♦ Minimum Lot Size for Multifamily Dwelling Units: Triplex: Width 250’ by 2 acres in
area and Quad: Width 300’ by 2.5 acres in area.
Residential
The Residential (R) District is being phased out with the new County’s zoning
ordinance and all land contained in the R district will now be zone RR. The minimum
lot size allowed under the R zoning district is three-fourths of an acre with a minimum
lot width of 150 feet at the building setback line. Once rezoned as RR, lots of record in
the former R District that meet 75 percent of the RR minimum lot size will be
considered in compliance with the RR standards. This should be noted as minimum lot
sizes are identified for the annexation areas containing former R Districts as they are
brought into the City.
Light Industrial Commercial
The purpose of the Light Industrial Commercial (LIC) district, is to implement the
following goals including those contained in the Itasca County Comprehensive Plan:
♦ To protect and promote the continuation of light commercial areas in Itasca County
that have historically contained these uses and therefore have developed compatible
commercial patterns and transportation infrastructure.
♦ To make land available to meet the needs of commercial establishments and light
industrial plants in the form of compact business development to avoid problems of
mixed land use and traffic congestion.
♦ To achieve the goals of growth management, natural resource protection and
economic diversity as stated in the Itasca County Comprehensive Plan.
The following are minimum lot and building height requirements for the LIC district:
♦ The minimum lot size is 200 feet in width by 1 acre in area.
♦ The minimum lot size for multiple dwellings (duplex, triplex or quad) shall be:
Page A121
♦ Duplex: 200 ‘ x 1.5 acres – lot width at the building setback is 200’;
♦ Triplex: 250’ x 2 acres – lot width at the building setback is 250’.
♦ Quad: 300’ x 2.5 acres – lot width at the building setback is 300’.
♦ The maximum percent of lot coverage is 50%.
♦ The maximum height of any building or structure shall be 35 feet, excluding
agricultural related farm utility buildings.
Recreational Commercial
The purpose of the RC Recreational Commercial District is to protect and encourage the
sound development of the recreational industry in Itasca County. To achieve the goal to
develop an integrated green space and recreation system that provides diverse,
developed and undeveloped, recreational opportunities for all residents and visitors
while protecting unique scenic and natural areas as stated in the Itasca County
Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The following are minimum lot size and building
height requirements for the RC district:
♦ The minimum lot size is 200 feet by l acre in area
♦ The minimum lot width at the building setback line shall also be 200 feet.
♦ The minimum lot size for multiple dwellings (duplex triplex or quad) shall be:
♦ Duplex: 200’ x 1.5 acres – Lot width at the building setback shall be 200’
♦ Triplex: 250’ x 2 Acres – Lot width at the building setback shall be 250’
♦ Quad: 300’ x 2.5 acres – Lot width at the building setback shall be 300’
♦ The maximum percent of lot coverage is 50%
♦ The maximum height of any building or structure shall be 35 feet.
Industrial
The purpose of the Industrial (I) district is to separate heavy industrial uses that may
conflict with uses that are permitted in the other zoning districts. The following are
minimum requirements for the I district:
♦ The minimum lot area shall be 40,000 square feet or fifty percent (50%) maximum
impervious surface lot coverage, whichever is greater.
♦ The minimum lot width shall be 200 feet at the building setback line.
♦ The minimum side yard setbacks for primary buildings and accessory structures
shall be 30 feet from the nearest lot lines or the exterior lot lines of a group of
contiguous parcels.
♦ The minimum rear yard setbacks for primary buildings and accessory structures
shall be 50 feet from the nearest lot lines or the exterior lot lines of a group of
contiguous parcels.
Page A122
♦ The minimum side and rear yard setbacks for structures housing livestock shall be
one hundred feet from the nearest lot lines or the exterior lot lines of a group of
contiguous parcels.
♦ When an industrial use abuts an existing residential district boundary, the minimum
setback for primary buildings and accessory structures shall be 150 feet for the
distance of the shared lot line, and in an approved industrial park the setback shall
apply only for that portion of the perimeter of the park that abuts an existing
residential district.
Open
The purpose of this district is to protect and foster the development and multiple use of
forestry and associated resources including wildlife, water, game, fish, and agriculture
including livestock.
SECTION 6.2.3: ANNEXATION AREA LAND USE ANALYSIS
Table 6.2 provides the results of the analysis in tabular form. Figure 6. 2 illustrates the
percentage data in graphic form and displays the data based upon the total area of each
zoning district in ascending order from left to right.
Table 6.2: Developed and Undeveloped Annexation Land by Generalized Use Category
Total Annexation
by Zoning District
Acres
Percent
2826.4
29.0%
FR
3241.3
33.2%
I
98.4
1.0%
LIC
0.3
0.00%
Municipal Zoning
2053.4
21.0%
Open
63.2
0.7%
RC
1392.4
14.3%
R
84.4
0.9%
RR
Total
9759.8
100%
Source: Itasca County (parcel data)..
Zoning District
Developed Area
by Zoning District
Acres
Percent
1629.5
57.7%
217.5
6.7%
57.3
58.2%
0.2
66.7%
135.6
6.6%
62.6
99.1%
850.6
61.1%
54.8
64.9%
3008.1
30.8%
Undeveloped Area by
Zoning District
Acres
Percent
1196.9
42.3%
3023.8
93.3%
41.1
41.8%
0.1
33.3%
1917.8
93.4%
0.6
0.9%
541.8
38.9%
29.6
35.1%
6751.7
69.2%
Page A123
Figure 6.3: Percent of Developed and Undeveloped Land by Generalized Use
350 0
Category
3000
Acres
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Municipal
Zoning
RC
RR
LIC
R
Open
FR
I
Zoning Dis trict
Developed
Undeveloped
Page A124
APPENDIX B: COMMUNITY SURVEY
C
OMMUNITY SURVEY REPORT
INTRODUCTION
A community survey provides an excellent means for soliciting input from a broad
cross-section of community residents and can serve to validate or challenge in a
quantifiable manner the statements made during the visioning process. The community
survey was used to garner wider public input and to provide plan direction. It
contained questions concerning topics and issues important to the City of Grand
Rapids. The Community Survey was developed by the Steering Committee and
Technical Advisory Committee and was informed by the results of the first Community
Meetings.
The survey was sent to each property in the City of Grand Rapids, as well as to each
property in the areas of Grand Rapid Township that are to be annexed into the City,
during the week of April 28, 2003. All surveys that were returned by May 28, 2003 were
included in the survey results. The results were entered into a database using SPSS
statistical software. There were a total of 4,200 surveys that were sent out, 1,446 of
which were returned for a return rate of 34.4 percent. A copy of the survey tool, cover
letter, and quadrant map are attached to the end of the report.
Each question that solicited a quantitative response are reported below, followed by
responses to questions that solicited an qualitative response. The quantitative
responses are displayed in graphs and chars as appropriate and qualitative responses
are arranged in groups that are appropriate for each of the questions.
QUANTITATIVE QUESTIONS
Question 1: Which quadrant of the city do you live in?
Of the 1,427 respondents to this question, 362 (25.4 percent) are residents of the NE
Quadrant of the Community, 350 (24.5 percent) are residents of the NW Quadrant, 263
(18.4 percent) are residents of the SE Quadrant, and 452 (31.7 percent) are residents of
the SW Quadrant.
31.7%
35
Percent
30
25.4%
24.5%
25
18.4%
20
15
10
5
0
NE Quadrant
NW Quadrant
SE Quadrant
SW Quadrant
Page B1
Question 2:
How do you use your property?
There were 1,438 respondents to this question, of whom 1,260 (87.6 percent) are year
round residents, 29 (2.0 percent) are seasonal residents, 82 (5.7 percent) are Businesses,
37 (2.6 percent) are residents with home based businesses, and 30 (2.1 percent) represent
some other user type.
87.6%
Year round resident
2.0%
Seasonal resident
5.7%
Business
2.6%
Residential/home based business
2.1%
Other
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
♦
♦
♦
♦
Rental
rental property
Rental Units
year around
Percent
Responses to “Other”
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Also have a business
Apartment
apt bldg
Apt. rental of lakeshore place
business
church
Church
don't have any
Don't own any
♦ I own in all quadrants, year
around resident, business,
seasonal resident
♦ Joint-powered Government
♦ land development
♦ Live in Harris Township as
well
♦ Lot owner – several
♦ Non-profit Organization
♦ NW, SE, SW Quadrant, year
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
around resident, business,
Seasonal
Owner deceased 1/25/03;
property sold on 4/22/03
Public schools in all
quadrants and Ad building
Rent
Rent an apartment
rent apt
rental
Question 4: Do you own or rent your property?
Of 1,434 respondents to question four, 1,240 (86.5 percent) on and 194 (13.5 percent)
rent. When the responses to question four are cross-tabulated with those of question
one it is found that of NE Quadrant respondents, those who own their property account
for 21.6 percent of all respondents and those who rent account for 3.1 percent of all
respondents. For NW Quadrant respondents those numbers are 21.8 percent and 2.8
percent, for SE Quadrant respondents they are 15.2 and 3.1, and for SW Quadrant
respondents they are 28.1 and 3.5.
Page B2
30
25
Percent
20
15
10
5
0
NE Quadant
NW Quadrant
rent
Own
SE Quadrant
SW Quadrant
own
Rent
When the percentage of respondents who own and rent are considered within each
quadrant, the NE and SE Quadrants have higher percentages of respondents who rent
(15.2 and 16.9 percent) than do the NW and SW Quadrants (11.1 and 11.2 Percent).
Thus, of all respondents, a greater percentage of those with property south of the
Mississippi River are renters than are those north of the river.
Question 5
Question five asked residents to rate their attitudes concerning selected transportation
issues on a five point scale, with one being strongly disagree, three being neutral, and
five being strongly agree. The following transportation issues were identified in
question five:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The City needs and overpass/underpass of the railroad tracks
Transit service within Grand Rapids is adequate
Commercial air service is adequate
Airport Road needs to be upgraded
Commercial development should be focused along highways
The airport is an economic development asset
The chart below graphically displays the attitudes of respondents concerning these
transportation issues. The numbers one through six on the X-axis correspond to
Page B3
numbers one through six above. Thus, number one corresponds to “the City needs and
overpass/underpass of the railroad tracks,” number two corresponds to “Transit
service within Grand Rapids is adequate,” and so on.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Number of Respondents
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
The responses can also be quantified so that each question is given a discrete score that
measures the degree to which respondents agreed or disagreed with the statement.
Since the respondents were asked to rate their responses on a scale of one to five, with
one being “strongly disagree” and five being “strongly agree”, we can weight the
responses to achieve an average score as follows:
1 = Strongly Disagree
2 = Disagree
3 = Neutral
4 = Agree
5 = Strongly Agree
The results of this quantification exercise are displayed on the following chart:
Transportation Issue
Score
3.7
3.2
3.1
3.9
3.6
4.1
Another way of considering the results is to identify the total percent of responses that
disagreed (strongly disagreed and disagreed), the percent that were neutral, and the
Page B4
percent that agreed (strongly agreed and agreed). The results of this quantification
exercise are displayed on the following chart:
Transportation Issue
Disagree
19.3%
20.0%
24.7%
9.9%
14.2%
6.2%
Neutral
20.7%
44.6%
38.3%
25.4%
31.9%
18.6%
Agree
59.9%
35.4%
37.0%
64.7%
54.0%
75.2%
Question 7:Would you support rezoning the area west of the current Blandin Mill for
a possible future expansion of Blandin Paper Company and related
industries?
Question number seven of the Community Survey asked community members about
their level of support for rezoning the land west of the current UPM/Blandin mill to
accommodate the possible future expansion of UPM/Blandin and any related
industries. Question seven was not a trick question and its purpose was in no way
hidden.
The question used a rating system with the numbers one through five corresponded to
the following:
1 = Fervently Against
2 = Against
3 = Neutral
4 = Support
5 = Strongly Support
Citywide, 57.4 percent of respondents indicated that they either support or strongly
support rezoning the area west of the current Blandin Mill for a possible future
expansion of Blandin Paper Company and related industries. 19.3 percent of
respondents indicated that they are either against or fervently against such rezoning.
The remaining 23.3 percent indicated that they are neutral. The Citywide results are
displayed graphically bellow.
40
36.4%
35
30
23.3%
Percent
25
21.0%
20
15
13.1%
10
6.2%
5
Page B5
GRAND RAPIDS
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
0
Fervently
Against
Against
Neutral
Support
Strongly
Support
When the results of the survey are broken down by quadrant, similar sentiment is
indicated. Those who indicated that they either support or strongly support the
rezoning accounted for 55.3 percent of respondents in the SW Quadrant, 57.9 percent of
respondents from the NW Quadrant, 57.4 percent of respondents in the NE Quadrant,
and 61.2 percent in the SE Quadrant. For those same Quadrants, those who indicated
that they are either against or fervently against the rezoning accounted for 21.0 percent,
22.9 percent, 18.1 percent, and 13.1 percent, respectively. The results broken down by
quadrant are presented below:
38.8
40
33.1
30
25.1
23.8
19.0
Percent
37.7
36.3
15.4
11.0
7.5
6.3
10
23.5
19.1 19.1
14.7
20
25.8
23.7
10.0
7.1
3.1
0
SW
NW
Fervently Against
Against
Quadrants
Neutral
NE
SE
Support
Strongly Support
Question 8: What type of development should there be in the area around the new
library?
There were 1,372 responses to question eight, of which 59 (4.3 percent) were in favor of
residential development, 352 (25.7 percent) were in favor of residential/business mixed
development, 208 were in favor of business development (15.2 percent), and 753 (54.9
percent) were in favor of developing park and green space. Responses to question eight
are graphically displayed in the following chart.
54.9%
60
Percent
50
40
25.7%
30
15.2%
20
10
0
4.3%
Residential
Residential/
business mix
Business
Park/green
space
Page B6
Question 9: What is your opinion of the overall appearance of housing in Grand
Rapids?
There were 1,414 responses to question nine, of which 210 (14.9 percent) responded that
the overall appearance of housing in Grand Rapids is very good, 1,059 (74.9 percent)
that it is average, 96 (6.8 percent) that it is poor, and 49 (3.5 percent) had no opinion.
Responses to question nine are graphically displayed in the following chart.
74.9%
80
60
40
20
0
14.9%
6.8%
Very good
Average
Poor
3.5%
No opinion
Question 10: Please rate your level of satisfaction with the following services.
Question ten asked residents to rate their level of satisfaction with selected Service
issues on a five point scale, with one being very unsatisfied, three being neutral, and
five being very satisfied. The services identified in question ten were as follow:
1. Ambulance service
2. City government
3. Condition of community roads
4. Drinking water service
5. Enforcement of zoning ordinance
6. Fire department
7. Law enforcement
8. Recreational facilities
9. Recycling facilities
10. Sanitary sewer service
11. Storm sewer service
12. Zoning ordinance
The chart below graphically displays survey respondents’ level of satisfaction
concerning these services. The numbers one through 12 on the X-axis correspond to
numbers one through twelve above. Thus, number one corresponds to “Ambulance
service,” number two corresponds to “City government,” and so on.
Page B7
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1
2
3
Very Unsatisfied
4
5
6
Unsatisfied
7
Neutral
8
9
Satisfied
10
11
12
Very Satisfied
measures the degree with which respondents were satisfied with the service. Since the
respondents were asked to rate their responses on a scale of one to five, with one being
“Very Unsatisfied” and five being “Very Satisfied”, responses regarding each service
can be weighted to achieve an average score for each service as follows:
1 = Very Unsatisfied
2 = Unsatisfied
3 = Neutral
4 = Satisfied
5 = Very Satisfied
Service
Ambulance service
City government
Condition of community roads
Drinking water service
Enforcement of zoning ordinance
Fire department
Law enforcement
Recreational facilities
Recycling facilities
Sanitary sewer service
Storm sewer service
Zoning ordinance
Score
3.9
3.2
2.9
3.9
3.2
4.2
3.7
3.8
3.6
3.8
3.7
3.1
Page B8
Another way of considering the results is to identify the total percent of responses that
were unsatisfied (very unsatisfied and satisfied), the percent that were neutral, and the
percent that were satisfied (very satisfied and satisfied). The results of this
quantification exercise are displayed on the following chart:
Service
Unsatisfied
3.7%
21.5%
39.7%
6.1%
13.9%
2.0%
13.8%
10.7%
17.3%
5.0%
6.0%
17.8%
Ambulance service
City government
Condition of community roads
Fire department
Law enforcement
Storm sewer service
Zoning ordinance
Neutral
33.0%
37.7%
26.7%
25.5%
56.3%
17.9%
19.3%
22.4%
24.5%
33.4%
38.8%
54.8%
Satisfied
63.3%
40.9%
33.5%
68.4%
29.8%
80.1%
67.0%
67.0%
58.2%
61.6%
55.2%
27.3%
Question 11: What is the most appropriate way to address traffic congestion and
safety concerns on TH2 in Grand Rapids?
There were 1,309 respondents to this question, of whom 626 (47.8 percent) identified an
East/West bypass of Grand Rapids as the most appropriate way to address traffic
congestion and safety on TH 2. Two hundred twelve 29 (16.2 percent) identified oneway traffic pairs as most appropriate and 471 (36.0 percent) identified managing traffic
growth on the existing TH 2 corridor as the most appropriate.
36.0%
Manage traffic growth on
existing TH2 corridor
16.2%
One-way traffic on TH2 and
5th Street N.
47.8%
East/West bypass of Grand
Rapids
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Percent
Page B9
Question 12: What would you like to see on TH169, south of Home Depot?
There were 1,997 responses to this question, which means that a number of respondents
provided more than one response. Of the 1,997 responses, 167 (8.4 percent) indicated
they would like to see residential development on TH 169 south of Home Depot, 363
(18.2 percent) indicated light industrial/business, 393 (19.7 percent) indicated business,
487 (24.4 percent) indicated residential/business mix, 94 (4.7 percent) indicated
industrial, and 493 (24.7 percent) indicated green space. The figure below graphically
illustrates the responses:
24.7%
24.4%
25
18.2%
19.7%
Percent
20
15
8.4%
10
4.7%
5
0
Residential
Light Industrial/
Business
Business
Residential/
Industrial
Green Space
Business Mix
Question 13: How should the area on the west side of Pokegama Ave. between
McDonald's and Sawmill Inn be used for?
There were 1,345 respondents to question 13, of whom 695 (51.7 percent) identified
residential as their preferred use and 650 (48.3 percent) identified business along a
frontage road as their preferred use.
Question 14: Please rate your opinions of the following statements:
Question 14 asked residents to rate their opinion of selected economic development
issues/statements on a five point scale, with one being strongly disagree, three being
neutral, and five being strongly agree. The economic development issues/statements
were as follow:
1. The Forest History Center is a community asset
2. Access to affordable high-speed internet access is important to my home/business
3. The City should be more active in promoting development of vacant property in the
downtown business district
4. The economy of this area needs more diversity
5. Development of new industrial parks should be a priority to prepare for business
growth
6. Development of the downtown riverfront should include a park or green space or
Page B10
other recreational access point
7. The community would benefit by having a more historic, themed appearance to the
storefronts in the riverfront district
8. The City should work with other organizations to help Blandin Paper Co. expand
and grow
9. Increasing taxes to provide funds for economic development in the downtown
district would be a good investment decision for the City
10. More good paying jobs are needed to attract young people to this area
11. We need additional parking in the downtown business area
12. Tax incentives should be used to attract businesses and promote business growth
13. Grand Rapids should provide amenities and services to attract and retain a youthful
population
14. Grand Rapids should provide amenities and services to attract and retain retirees
The chart below graphically displays survey respondents’ level of satisfaction
concerning these economic development issues/statements. The numbers one through
14 on the X-axis correspond to numbers one through 14 above. Thus, number one
corresponds to “the Forest History Center is a community asset,” number two
corresponds to “access to affordable high-speed internet access is important to my
home/business,” and so on.
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1
2
3
Strongly Disagree
4
5
6
Disagree
7
8
Neutral
9
10
11
Agree
12
13
14
Strongly Agree
measures the degree with which respondents agreed with the issue/statement. Since
the respondents were asked to rate their responses on a scale of one to five, with one
being “Strongly Disagree” and five being “Strongly Agree”, responses regarding each
service can be weighted to achieve an average score for each service as follows:
Page B11
2 = Disagree
3 = Neutral
4 = Agree
5 = Strongly Agree
Issue/Statement
The Forest History Center is a community asset
Access to affordable high-speed internet access is important to my home/business
The City should be more active in promoting development of vacant property in the downtown business
district
Please rate your opinion on this statement: The economy of this area needs more diversity
Development of new industrial parks should be a priority to prepare for business growth
Development of the downtown riverfront should include a park or green space or other recreational access
point
The community would benefit by having a more historic, themed appearance to the storefronts in the
riverfront district
The City should work with other organizations to help Blandin Paper Co. expand and grow
Increasing taxes to provide funds for economic development in the downtown district would be a good
investment decision for the City
More good paying jobs are needed to attract young people to this area
We need additional parking in the downtown business area
Tax incentives should be used to attract businesses and promote business growth
Grand Rapids should provide amenities and services to attract and retain a youthful population
Grand Rapids should provide amenities and services to attract and retain retirees
Score
4.1
3.5
4.1
4.2
3.7
4.0
3.3
3.9
2.4
4.4
3.3
3.7
3.9
3.8
Another way of considering the results is to identify the total percent of respondents
that disagreed (strongly disagreed and disagreed), the percent that were neutral, and
the percent that agreed (strongly agreed and agreed). The results of this quantification
Issue/Statement
The Forest History Center is a community asset
Access to affordable high-speed internet access is important to my home/business
The City should be more active in promoting development of vacant property in the downtown
business district
The economy of this area needs more diversity
Development of new industrial parks should be a priority to prepare for business growth
Development of the downtown riverfront should include a park or green space or other
recreational access point
The community would benefit by having a more historic, themed appearance to the storefronts in
the riverfront district
The City should work with other organizations to help Blandin Paper Co. expand and grow
Increasing taxes to provide funds for economic development in the downtown district would be a
good investment decision for the City
More good paying jobs are needed to attract young people to this area
We need additional parking in the downtown business area
Tax incentives should be used to attract businesses and promote business growth
Grand Rapids should provide amenities and services to attract and retain a youthful population
Grand Rapids should provide amenities and services to attract and retain retirees
Disagreed Neutral Agreed
7.6%
14.6%
17.6%
39.4%
74.8%
46.0%
7.3%
16.4%
76.3%
3.7%
10.4%
15.3%
32.0%
81.0%
57.6%
10.5%
16.5%
73.0%
19.3%
39.9%
40.9%
17.2%
10.4%
72.4%
51.2%
29.3%
19.5%
3.6%
18.6%
12.5%
7.3%
9.6%
8.4%
39.4%
26.7%
22.5%
25.8%
88.0%
41.9%
60.8%
70.2%
64.6%
Page B12
Question 15 : What should be on the land where the current hospital is located?
There were 1,380 respondents to question 15. Five hundred eighty-six respondents (42.5
percent) indicated they would like to see residential development on the land where the
current hospital is located, 123 (8.9 percent) indicated light industrial/business, 124 (9.0
percent) indicated business, 421 (30.5 percent) indicated residential/business mix, 12
(0.9 percent) indicated industrial, and 114 (8.3 percent) indicated green space. The
figure below graphically illustrates the responses:
42.5%
50
30.5%
Percent
40
30
20
8.9%
9.0%
8.3%
0.9%
10
0
Residential
development
Light
industrial/
business
Business
Residential/
business mix
Industrial
Green Space
Question 16 - What should be on the land where the old Middle School is located?
There were 1,376 respondents to question 16. Nine hundred eighty-eight respondents
(71.8 percent) indicated they would like to see residential development on the land where
the old Middle School is located, 70 (5.1 percent) indicated light industrial/business, 34
(2.5 percent) indicated business, 180 (13.1 percent) indicated residential/business mix, 6
(0.4 percent) indicated industrial, and 98 (7.1 percent) indicated green space. The figure
below graphically illustrates the responses:
71.8%
80
70
Percent
60
50
40
30
13.1%
5.1%
20
2.5%
0.4%
7.1%
10
0
Residential
development
Light
industrial/
business
Business
Residential/
Industrial Green Space
business mix
Page B13
Question 17: Do you feel there is an adequate amount of affordable housing in
Grand Rapids?
There were 1,414 respondents to question 17. Two hundred fifty-four respondents (18.0
percent) indicated they do feel there is an adequate amount of affordable housing in
Grand Rapids, 698 (49.4 percent) indicated they do not, and 462 (32.7 percent) indicated
that they do not know. The figure below graphically illustrates the responses:
49.4%
50
32.7%
Percent
40
30
18.0%
20
10
0
Yes
No
Don't know
Question 18: What type of housing do you feel is needed in Grand Rapids?
Percent
There were 2,312 responses to this question, which means that a number of respondents
provided more than one response. Of the 2,312 responses, 509 (22.0 percent) indicated
that single-family rental housing is needed in Grand Rapids, 349 (15.1 percent)
multifamily rental housing is needed, 655 (28.3 percent) indicated single-family owneroccupied housing is needed, and 557 (24.1 percent) indicated that senior housing is
needed. One hundred two (4.4 percent) indicated that no new housing is needed in
Grand Rapids and 140 (6.1 percent) indicated that some other type of housing is
needed. The figure below graphically illustrates the responses:
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
28.3%
24.1%
22.0%
15.1%
4.4%
Single-family Multi-family Single-family
rental
rental
owner
occupied
Senior
Housing
6.1%
No new Other housing
housing is
is needed
needed
When question 18 is cross-tabulated with question one (Which quadrant of the city do
you live in?), slight differences appear from one quadrant to another. A greater percent
of respondents in the NE, NW, and SW Quadrants identified single-family owner
occupied housing as the type of housing needed, whereas senior housing showed a
slight edge over the other categories. The figure below graphically illustrates the
responses by quadrant.
Page B14
30
Percent
25
20
15
10
5
0
NE Quadrant
NW Quadrant
Single-family rental
Senior Housing
♦ Future co-op housing
♦ Appropriate/affordable for single
professional adults
♦ Town homes
♦ More assisted living for seniors
♦ Middle income housing
♦ I don’t know
♦ I don’t know
♦ Townhouses
♦ Don't know
♦ Affordable
♦ Senior housing close to downtown
♦ Assisted living for seniors
♦ Housing/apts for young adults
♦ Fix up what is here and improve
existing
♦ Don’t know
♦ I don't know because single family
owned home valuation has went
up so much, seniors too. ( taxes)
♦ There must be facts to answer this
question
♦ Condos-townhouses
♦ Condo
♦ Need lots to build on
♦ Whatever the market will bear
♦ Extended care facilities
♦ Affordable college student
housing
♦ Multi-family, owner occupied-town houses/condos
♦ Don't know
♦ Disabled/subsidized
♦ More affordable housing
♦ Low-income-seniors, single
families
♦ More assisted living facilities
♦ Town houses
♦ Multi-generational apts.
♦ Transitional housing, shelters
♦ Reasonable family housing
♦ Don’t know
♦ Reasonable rooms to rent
♦ Affordable housing
SE Quadrant
Multi-family rental
No new housing is needed
♦ Affordable housing for the
average income
♦ Maintain what is available
♦ All of the above as market
conditions warrant
♦ Golf course town homes
♦ Housing is needed
♦ Cooperative ownership/condos
♦ Single level housing, no stairs
♦ More Habitat for Humanity
homes
♦ Need affordable quality homes
and apartments.
♦ Town houses, common wall
duplexes
♦ Duplexes, small multi family
units
♦ The economy decides
♦ Condos for 30-60 range
♦ Mobile Home Parks
♦ Affordable
♦ Market rate housing
♦ Whatever the market will
support without being
subsidized
♦ Low income housing
♦ Coop housing like colony
square
♦ Condos
♦ I think there is a good mix
♦ Housing people can afford to
get off welfare
♦ Low income
♦ Affordable housing--rent is
same as cities, wages are half
as much
♦ Townhome clusters
♦ Tons of senior ousing, not
enough for young
♦ Affordable senior housing
♦ Middle school developed into
owned/rental townhomes
♦ Cooperation living
SW Quadrant
Single-family owner occupied
Other housing is needed
♦ More trailer parks on the out
skirts of town
♦ Affordable housing for young
couples
♦ What we have is overpriced
already
♦ Don’t know
♦ HUD/ income based
apartments
♦ Affordable rental or Senior
only building
♦ Low income
♦ Single family rental for young
couples
♦ More housing for young
starting out
♦ Middle income apartments for
seniors
♦ Apartments
♦ Let market demand take care
of it
♦ Affordable town houses
♦ Don't know
♦ Don't Know
♦ Affordable housing for seniors
♦ Housing for handicapped and
disabled
♦ Affordable first home
♦ Less expensive single family
♦ Alzheimer's homes/respite
homes
♦ Low rent and taxes
♦ Condos. Not senior citizen
♦ Need housing in town to attract
people who can perform good
jobs.
♦ More places that accept pets
♦ Senior housing for middle
class
♦ Housing (rental) for middle
class--young adults, not
needing assistance
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
One floor units for seniors
Low income
Don't know
Housing for low income
Assisted living
Already too much strictly low
income housing
♦ Low income
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Affordable
Don't know
Low income housing
One level condos
Need decent low income
housing
High End retirement homes
More multi-family housing
that in not subsidized or city
owned
Lots and acreage
Townhouses, Condos
Don’t know
No expansion
Affordable housing
Apartments
I really dont know
Reasonable rent apts.
Veteran's rest home
Affordable apartments for
single working adults
Condos
Don't know
Affordable houseing period!
For higher income that don’t
qualify for government
substance
What ever
Low income/disabled housing
Condos
Don’t know
More subsidized housing for
low income
Page B15
Question 19: If you are a business owner, what factors limit your ability to expand in
Grand Rapids?
There were 736 responses to question 19, which asked “if you are a business owner, what
factors limit your ability to expand in Grand Rapids?” One hundred thirteen responses
(15.4 percent) identified market opportunities as a limiting factor, 44 (6.0 percent)
identified transportation, 24 (3.3 percent) identified energy, 155 (21.1 percent) identified
taxes, 73 (9.9 percent) identified access to capital, 93 (12.6 percent) identified the
availability/cost of skilled labor, 26 (3.5 percent) identified the availability/cost of raw
materials, 66 (9.0 percent) identified the availability/cost of suitable land/facilities, and
94 (12.8 percent) identified government regulations as the limiting factor. Forty-eight
(6.5 percent) indicated that there are other limiting factors. The figure below
graphically illustrates the responses to question 19:
15.4%
M arket Opportunities
6.0%
Transportation
3.3%
Energy
21.1%
Taxes
9.9%
Access to Capital
12.6%
Availability/cost of skilled labor
3.5%
Availability/cost of raw materials
9.0%
Availability/cost of suitable land/facilities
12.8%
Government regulations
6.5%
Other
0
5
10
15
20
25
Percent
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Not a business owner
Community resistance
N/A
N/A
All taxes too high in town
Current economy and cuts in
government funding
Not needed
Population
Competition
I am a new business
I am a retail business owner in the
old mill district
Rental for space is too high
Not buy owner (?)
Lack of smart consumers
Lack of customer base
♦ No access to high speed
internet
♦ Shipping needs
♦ Year around residents that are
not retired. Retired people
don't consume
♦ Too strict with building permit
regs
♦ Not a business owner
♦ City lack of support, elected &
employees
♦ We are retired
♦ City council is not business
oriented
♦ Competition by big
corporations
♦ I will move my personal
business out shortly
♦ Don't want to
♦ Reliable high speed data lines
♦ Zoning
♦ Let business work out our own
way
♦ Wireless communications/high
tech
♦ Assessments
♦ City threat to condemn portion
of our property and disrupt a
business
♦ Assessments
♦ The economy
♦ Walmart & Target killing small
business
♦ Overly developed industry
♦ Poor economic condition - less
business
♦ City regulation
♦ I don’t know
♦ n/a
♦ skilled labor would be
available if our young people
didn’t have to go elsewhere
♦ Walmart, Target
♦ Zoning restrictions
♦ Availability of property
Page B16
Question 23: Should the downtown business district expand, even if it means
expanding north into what is currently a residential area?
There were 1,277 respondents to question 33, of whom 431 (33.8 percent) answered yes
and 846 (66.2 percent) answered no.
Question 24: How many people in your household use the following means of
transportation to work/school?
Question 24 asked residents about the methods that the members of their household use
to commute to work or school. The overwhelming majority of respondent’s household
members drive (2,020 or 65.3 percent) to work or school, followed by walking (482 or
15.6 percent), bicycling (258 or 8.3 percent), bus (192 or 6.2 percent), car pool (74 or 2.4
percent), and other (67 or 2.2 percent). The responses are presented below in both
tabular and graphic form. The table has rows that represent the number of people who
commute to work or school. The columns represent the methods of commuting. Under
each method of commuting there are two columns, one (HHs) indicating the number of
people per household who use the particular method, as identified by the survey
respondents, and the other (People) indicating the number of people represented by
column HHs. The People column was arrived at using the following method using car
and zero, one, two, and three person households as an example:
Number of commuters
per household
0
1
2
3
Number of commuters
per household
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
Total
Multiplied by
x
x
x
x
Car
HHs
Equals
190
=
667
=
407
=
84
=
People
0
667
814
252
Car
Car Pool
Bus
HHs People HHs People HHs People
190
0
1,228
0
1,155
0
667
667
40
40
95
95
407
814
9
18
29
58
84
252
4
12
9
27
47
188
1
4
1
4
15
75
0
0
0
0
4
24
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
8
1,414 2,020 1,282
74
1,290 192
Bicycle
HHs People
1,105
0
149
149
30
60
12
36
2
8
1
5
0
0
0
0
1,299 258
Walk
Other
HHs People HHs People
959
0
1222
0
267
267
52
52
78
156
6
12
10
30
1
3
6
24
0
0
1
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1,321 482 1,281
67
The figure represents the percentage of people who use the various method of
commute, as reported by survey respondents. These percentages were calculated from
the totals for the ‘People’ columns in the table above. A list of the “other” methods of
commuting identified by survey respondents follow the figure.
Page B17
65.3%
Percent of Commuters
70
60
50
40
30
15.6%
20
10
0
6.2%
2.4%
Car
Car Pool
Bus
8.3%
2.2%
Bicycle
Walk
Other
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Cab
Friends and family
Retired
Motorcycle
Retired
Rollerblade
Retires
Motorcycle
None
Rapids Taxi
Taxi
Don’t work
Motorcycle
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Scooters
Taxi
No work, no school
Wheel chair
Retired
No work or school
Taxi
Taxi
Rollerblade
Taxi
Retired
Work in home
Retired
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Rollerblade
Taxi
Motorcycle
Work at home
none
Air plane
Retired
Retired
Retired
Motorcycle
Daycare car
None
Taxi
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Running
Retired
Taxi
None
Live alone
Retired
Rides from friends
Retired
Airport
Motorcycle
Question 25:
Question 25 provided residents with three methods of funding local roadway
improvements and asked whether they would support one or more of them as
alternatives if assessments were eliminated. The three alternative choices provided
were a food and beverage tax, an increase of property taxes, and the establishment of a
street utility. Residents were asked to rank the alternative choices in order of preference
if they supported more than one of them. The table below provides the results.
Yes or No
♦ Yes
♦ No
Rank
♦ 1
♦ 2
♦ 3
Median/Mode
Median
Mode
Food & Beverage Tax
666
524
Food & Beverage Tax
381
134
127
Food & Beverage Tax
1
1
Property Tax
228
887
Property Tax
86
157
298
Property Tax
3
3
Street Utility
443
588
Street Utility
184
247
146
Street Utility
2
2
Page B18
A tax on food and beverage was the only one of the three alternatives that had a
majority of “Yes” responses, 666 out of 1,190 total responses (56.0 percent). Street
utility had 443 yes responses out of 1,031 total responses (43.0 percent) and property tax
had 228 yes responses out of 1,115 total responses (20.4 percent). Additionally, both the
median and mode was one for a tax on food and beverage, two for street utility, and
three for property tax. The clear order of preference is of respondents to question 25
was first food and beverage tax, second street utility, and third property tax
Question 26
Question 26 asked residents to rate their attitude about using selected methods to enable
pedestrian and bicycle travel within Grand Rapids on a five point scale, with one being
strongly disagree, three being neutral, and five being strongly agree. The methods
identified by the question to enable pedestrian and bicycle travel were as follow:
1. Better sidewalk connections are needed
2. More wheelchair ramps are needed
3. Street lighting is important along roads and sidewalks
4. Need more safe and convenient street crossings
5. Need more bus shelters/pedestrian benches
6. More pedestrian facilities are needed in shopping/employment centers
7. Better neighborhood connections are needed
8. Educate motorists on pedestrian safety
9. Better traffic enforcement is needed
10. Grand Rapids is a pedestrian friendly community
11. Grand Rapids is a bicycle friendly community
The chart below graphically displays survey respondents’ level of agreement with the
methods to enable pedestrian and bicycle travel within Grand Rapids identified above.
The numbers one through 11 on the X-axis correspond to numbers one through 11
above. Thus, number one corresponds to “Better sidewalk connections are needed,”
number two corresponds to “more wheelchair ramps are needed,” and so on.
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1
2
3
Strongly Disagree
4
5
Disagree
6
7
Neutral
8
Agree
9
10
11
Strongly Agree
Page B19
measures the degree with which respondents agreed with the method. Since the
respondents were asked to rate their responses on a scale of one to five, with one being
“Strongly Disagree” and five being “Strongly Agree”, responses regarding each method
can be weighted to achieve an average score for each method as follows:
2 = Disagree
3 = Neutral
4 = Agree
5 = Strongly Agree
Method
Better sidewalk connections are needed
More wheelchair ramps are needed
Street lighting is important along roads and sidewalks
Need more safe and convenient street crossings
Need more bus shelters/pedestrian benches
More pedestrian facilities are needed in shopping/employment centers
Better neighborhood connections are needed
Educate motorists on pedestrian safety
Better traffic enforcement is needed
Grand Rapids is a pedestrian friendly community
Grand Rapids is a bicycle friendly community
Score
3.5
3.3
4.1
3.7
3.1
3.2
3.2
3.8
3.7
3.1
3.0
Another way of considering the results is to identify the total percent of respondents
that disagreed (strongly disagreed and disagreed), the percent that were neutral, and
the percent that agreed (strongly agreed and agreed). The results of this quantification
Method
Disagreed
14.0%
11.3%
5.9%
12.2%
23.1%
17.6%
15.3%
10.8%
13.3%
30.9%
30.2%
Neutral
40.9%
52.8%
17.8%
32.4%
45.5%
51.4%
52.9%
28.9%
32.0%
30.2%
39.3%
Agreed
45.1%
35.9%
76.2%
55.4%
31.5%
31.0%
31.8%
60.3%
54.7%
38.9%
30.5%
Page B20
Question 28:
Question 28 asked residents the number of people in their households sorted by age
categories. The age categories were 0 to five years, six to ten years, 11 to 19 years, 20 to
44 years, 44 to 64 years, and 65 years and over. The responses to this question are
provided in the chart below.
Number of
People
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Total
0 to 5
6 to 10
109
109
102
102
39
78
24
48
9
27
4
12
1
4
1
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
158
218
131
166
11 to 19
HHs People
138
138
70
140
17
51
6
24
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
232
362
20 to 44
45 to 64
194
194
261
261
215
430
362
724
9
27
1
3
4
16
1
4
2
10
1
5
1
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
426
693
626
997
65 and older
HHs People
275
275
194
388
1
3
1
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
12
472
682
The figure below graphically illustrates the percentage of households containing the
various age groups:
30.6%
Percent of Households
35
30
25.5%
23.1%
20.8%
25
20
15
10
5
0
0-19
20-44
45-64
65+
Age Groups
When question 28 is cross-tabulated with question 17 (do you feel there is an adequate
amount of affordable housing in Grand Rapids?), it is found that 55.1 percent of
respondents with household members ages 19 years and under answered no.
Conversely, 46.9 percent of respondents with household members ages 45 and over
answered no.
Page B21
Question 29: What is your current before tax yearly household income?
The table below provides the results of question 29. Of the 1,212 respondents, 348 (28.7
percent) reported pretax annual household incomes of $28,950 or less and 247 (20.4
percent) reported pretax annual household incomes of $75,001 or more. The figure
following table graphically illustrates this somewhat polarized household income
profile.
Yearly before Tax
Household Income
Less than $10,850
$10,850-$28,950
$28,950-$33,100
$33,101-$37,200
$37,201-$41,350
$41,351-$44,650
$44,651-$48,000
$48,001-$51,300
$51,301-$54,600
$54,601-$75,000
$75,001-$100,000
Over $100,000
Total
Percent of Respondents
25
Number of
Households
84
264
93
47
44
65
52
55
45
216
152
95
1212
Percent of
Households
6.9
21.8
7.7
3.9
3.6
5.4
4.3
4.5
3.7
17.8
12.5
7.8
100.0
21.8%
20
17.8%
15
10
12.5%
7.8%
7.7%
6.9%
5.4%
5
0
Les s than
$ 10,850
$ 10,850$ 28,950
$ 28,950$ 33,100
3.9%
3.6%
$ 33,101$ 37,200
$ 37,201$ 41,350
$ 41,351$ 44,650
4.3%
4.5%
$ 44,651$ 48,000
$ 48,001$ 51,300
3.7%
$ 51,301$ 54,600
$ 54,601$ 75,000
$ 75,001$ 100,000
Over
$ 100,000
Current before Tax Yearly Household Income
Page B22
QUALITATIVE QUESTIONS
Question 3a: If you are a resident, please describe what you like about your neighborhood
♦ Quiet
♦ Quiet, off main highway
and streets
♦ nice, quiet, newer homes
♦ Crystal Lake, fairgrounds,
pine trees
♦ Quiet -- some woods
around here
♦ Quiet, no problems
♦ handy to shopping, good
roads, nice neighbors
♦ private
♦ Quiet, close to downtown
businesses
♦ large lots, peaceful
♦ Close to the Y
♦ Quiet, convenient to
shopping
♦ Close to shopping and
business, buffer from Hwy
169 & privacy
♦ Location--near to town but
somewhat rural setting
♦ trees, near stores
♦ nice neighbors, quiet
♦ Quiet, in town but it feels
like the country
♦ big white pines
♦ Trees, quiet
♦ safe, friendly
♦ Close to stores
♦ good location
♦ privacy, close to
businesses
♦ Quiet and natural
♦ close to lake, quiet
♦ Rural city
♦ school close, stores in
walking distance
♦ centrally located, close to
YMCA
♦ Friendly
♦ Neighbors
♦ Crystal Lake walk,
fairgrounds park, quiet
♦ New. Set up right for
seniors.
♦ quiet
♦ lake area
♦ People watch out for each
other. Block parties are a
great ice breaker for
everyone.
♦ location
♦ Strong supportive
neighborhoods
♦ close to community
facilities
♦ Apt. with older people
♦ location
♦ quiet, well kept
♦ We are in the country, out
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
of city limits, we like not
being controlled by the
city
quiet
quiet, location
quiet, clean
peace and quiet, the set up
referring to the NW area
Quiet, elderly people, safe,
bus @ front door
Quiet, close to schools and
downtown, has city
sidewalk
Private, wooded, close to
town
quiet, close to shopping
friendly
Quiet and attractive here
Convenient location
quiet, good neighbors
Neighbors
quiet, location
safe, quiet
quiet, good location
close to a small park, close
to shopping
lake, older homes, trails
quiet, kids for my
daughter to play with;
close to school
Quiet
lake
good neighbors, trees,
services
Friendly people,
convenient to stores
trees, lawns & paved
streets
Usually quiet, can walk
anywhere from here
Quiet, peaceful, good
neighbors
quiet, minimum traffic
clean, quiet
safe
Close to all services and
stores
close to town, good
neighbors, beauty
family oriented
quiet
close to grocery store
pleasant
quiet
Nice peaceful older
homes, all homeowners
with little transient traffic,
Love it
crime free
neighbors are quiet, well
behaved, take care of
lawns
♦ friendly people, clean
♦ Close to town without
living in it!
♦ neighbors watch out for
one another
♦ Quiet and nicely kept
homes
♦ Neat neighbors, keep up
their property
♦ Well kept-up, trees
♦ friendly people
♦ clean and quiet
♦ friendly neighbors, easy
access to businesses
♦ near community facilities
♦ Quiet
downtown
♦ Convenient, clean
♦ close to town, easy access
to recreation
♦ convenient
♦ lots of kids at play, only
one old crank
♦ quiet, nice neighbors,
close to work and stores
♦ peaceful, access to bike
and pedestrian trails
♦ Neatness, cleanliness,
pretty houses
♦ Quiet, private with cable
TV, PUC utilities and
private well and septic
♦ Close to businesses, but
not to busy; McGowan
Park is across the street
from me
♦ At the edge of town, quiet
neighborhood, good
neighbors
♦ location, good neighbors
♦ Easy access to services,
clean
♦ Quiet
♦ quiet, clean
♦ Quiet, safe, tidy, good
neighbors
♦ No thru street. Good
neighbors. Close to
schools and activities.
Close to lakes.
♦ Renting--well lighted
where I live
♦ Quiet, well-kept
neighborhood, close to
shopping and schools
♦ friendly, nice homes,
located near facilities
♦ Nice neighborhood, quiet,
nice neighbors
♦ very quiet, large lots
♦ friendly neighbors
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
quiet, location
quiet, convenient location
quiet, close to downtown
quiet
quiet
Quiet, good neighbors
Proximity to businesses,
yet private
Friendly people
quiet, well maintained
quiet, nice neighbors,
close to school
Safe and decent neighbors
close to shopping and
elementary school
Quiet, lots of kids, not a
lot of houses
Have known neighbors for
30 years. Good mixture of
young and old, and
children. Great area to
raise kids
People
Good neighbors
quiet, schools & parks
close to facilities
Location
peace and quiet
Quiet, has little through
traffic, residents are a mix
of ages
quiet, clean
friendly, lots of young
families
zoned residential with
large lots
Quiet, wooded, lakes and
deer/fox
quiet, friendly
neighborhood
quiet, wooded lots, close
to shopping
lake area
Friendly neighbors
trees, lakes
quiet
close to town
private and friendly
close to recreation,
wonderful boat landings
pleasant
15 yrs ago I was close to
Grocery store (miners)
now moved and traffic has
increased, (big trucks)
Rural
open areas, no congestion
people
nice neighborhood, quiet
safety, neatness
location
Large lots / close to town
♦ have everything needed
♦ space
♦ Convenient, quiet--close
to town, storage for
recreational vehicles
♦ Central location, overview of town, close to
central mall, post office,
IGA & Gordy's, where I
work
♦ Quiet, private yet
convenient to services
♦ Satisfied as is. Good
neighbors
♦ Quiet, well kept homes,
friendly neighbors
♦ Old growth timber, open
green space, convenient
location
♦ quiet
♦ Quiet, off the busy road,
close to town but feels like
country, large lots
♦ Quiet, large lots, privacy,
GR Township
♦ quiet, nice trees
♦ Hometown feel, people
know and care about each
other
♦ Fairly upscale houses,
woods across the street
♦ Quiet
♦ No street lights
♦ Trees
♦ Safe, quiet, well-kept
♦ Good neighbors, quiet,
trees, lots are large
♦ everything
♦ quiet, isolated
♦ No sidewalks and wide
streets
♦ Close to F. Lake School,
other young families,
reasonably low traffic
levels
♦ Just far enough away from
the city
♦ Quiet, can get around
town in short time
♦ Quiet
♦ I don't--too much noise
♦ Quiet, all ages, houses and
properties well kept
♦ Good people
♦ large trees, well kept
homes, proximity to lake,
quiet
♦ Quiet, large yards, no
sidewalks
♦ quiet, close to water, trees,
friendly
♦ Good neighbors, close to
Page B23
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
downtown, library,
church, schools
Walking around Ice Lake,
children playing outdoors
Close to schools, quiet,
walking distance to
downtown
quiet, school & church
large lots, good spacing
know it like back of hand,
on edge of town
Friendly
friendly, low crime
Close to town and yet
abundant wildlife
location, economic
diversity, nature,
recreation
dead end street
Trees, access to
retail/schools/park
peaceful, safe, privacy
good hood
Quiet, proximity to
downtown
location
close to community
facilities
Trees and ponds, upgrade
park playground
equipment
single family
large lot size, close to
town
Quiet neighborhood, lot
size, playground nearby
Quiet and private, only 5
minutes from town
convenient location
On the lake, but 4 miles
from downtown
houses evenly spaced,
quiet, nice neighbors
quiet, few neighbors
easy access to town
Close to schools, walking
distance to downtown,
fairly quiet
Quiet, well maintained
properties
quiet, peaceful, low crime
Quiet, country living yet
convenient to shopping,
hospital, clinics, etc.
Located for shopping and
quiet
close to town, good people
Quiet, homey
New to area
police chief lives close by
quiet
quiet
many trees, convenient
location
quiet, clean
Quiet
quiet, clean and safe
♦ wonderful
♦ Walking trails,
snowmobile trails and
areas for 4-wheelers
♦ Quiet
♦ trees, nice neighbors
♦ clean, well kept houses
♦ Large old houses,
everything neat and close
to town
♦ Great neighbors. Quiet.
Property well kept., close
to schools, tennis courts,
civic center
♦ hub of city business
♦ clean, close to shopping
♦ quiet
♦ Quiet
♦ Peaceful
♦ appt, quiet
♦ Stability, wellkept homes,
neighbors
♦ friendly neighbors, nice
properties
♦ fell secure, quiet
neighborhood, wide
streets, well kept yards
♦ quiet, close to town
♦ Easy access to shopping,
hospital, schools
♦ location
♦ Quiet, close to everything
like grocery store and
Walmart
♦ peaceful, lots of trees,
birds, wildlife, convenient
♦ good people, close to
schools
♦ close to town, nice
neighborhood
♦ Senior Building
♦ quiet
♦ Closeness to stores,
church, etc.
♦ Like it all
♦ Quiet, trees, large lots,
good roads
♦ It is fairly quiet, safe,
friendly
♦ Safe, clean, close to town
and good neighbors
♦ Underdeveloped
♦ mature neighborhood,
established trees, quiet
♦ quiet, friendly, small town
♦ Quiet, in town
♦ quiet, clean
♦ Quiet, close to schools
♦ nothing to brag about
♦ quiet
♦ Location to schools and
sidewalks for walking
♦ The city is not involved
yet
♦ Many mature trees, nice
neighbors, wellmaintained yards
♦ well kept neighborhood
♦ We like how safe we feel.
Close to parks and schools
is a nice benefit
♦ Access to major highways
♦ Close to new middle
school & sports complex,
hardware stores, potential
for remodeling house,
high g
♦ close to schools, quiet,
well maintained homes
♦ Just developed--new
homes. Great location
♦ Quiet, clean neighborhood
♦ Access to Crystal Lake
and bike trail
♦ clean/attractive
♦ friendly neighbors, close
to town, beautiful lakes
♦ safe and quiet
♦ Safe, quiet, friendly, good
environment for children,
clean, adequate lighting
♦ Friendly neighbors, large
yards, edge of town, low
traffic flows, quiet,
peaceful
♦ Live in Wabana area; like
the town hall and
recreation opportunities
♦ Downtown location
♦ Close to necessary
businesses, mostly quiet
and safe place for
children, close to school
and playground
♦ Neighbors
♦ Small, friendly, know my
neighbors
♦ river access, nice homes
and neighbors, quiet
♦ View and lake, play space
for kids
♦ quiet/safe
♦ quiet, mix of people, safe,
river accessible to people
♦ quiet, green space, big
house lots
♦ Fairly quiet, clean air
♦ quiet, convenient, wooded
♦ Peaceful
♦ Clean
♦ Quiet, woods, near
schools and park
♦ quiet, except for upm
♦ quiet, good age mix, close
to downtown and lake
♦ quiet
♦ Access to variety of
businesses, churches,
biking routes, woods,
water & friendly
neighbors
♦ close to shopping
♦ Quiet, close to downtown
and retail area
♦ quiet
♦ location, shopping
♦ Close to stores where I
shop
♦ Low crime, friendly
people
♦ quiet, friendly peeps
♦ quiet, good neighbors
♦ trees, no traffic, large lots
♦ quiet
♦ parks & playgrounds; low
♦ quiet
traffic; quiet
♦ Quiet, nice neighbors,
♦ Peaceful, friendly people
visually appealing
♦ quiet, neat neighbors
♦ quiet
♦ Quiet, close to center of
♦ quiet, close to shopping
town
♦ live on dead end, no traffic
♦ friendly and well
♦ Relatively low traffic
maintained yards
♦ Quiet--close to town, but
♦ As good as it can get
large private area
♦ I like that we live by the
♦ Quiet, close to town and
nice lots occupied by St.
lake
Joe's School & Church
♦ tranquility of rural
♦ quiet, beautiful, recreation
community in city limits
areas, clean
♦ seclusion
♦ quiet, well kept homes
♦ quiet
♦ access to recreation, close
♦ clean, safe, friendly
to schools
♦ Close to school, arena and ♦ Privacy close to GR
♦ attractive, quiet, close to
friendly neighborhood
stores
♦ close to town
♦ quiet, nice neighbors
♦ privacy
♦ quiet
♦ Quiet, clean, safe
♦ Quiet, not a through street,
♦ Quiet, pretty
nice homes
neighborhood, in city but
♦ The location--quiet, deadfeels rural
end street
♦ neighbors, size of yard,
♦ friendly people, location
location
♦ quiet, lots of trees,
♦ Quiet
neighborhood watch
♦ quiet, clean
♦ beauty stops at city limits
♦ clean, quiet, close to work
and businesses
♦ well maintained homes,
low traffic, lots of trees
♦ Very quiet
♦ pleasant
♦ friendly neighbors, quiet
♦ quiet and safe
♦ quiet, peaceful, close to
everything
♦ nice people, quiet
♦ Peaceful
♦ quiet, friendly peeps
♦ beautiful trees, friendly
neighbors, safety
♦ extra wine street, close to
downtown
♦ friendly people
♦ Close to shopping, quiet
♦ near downtown
♦ Peaceful and quiet
♦ neighbors, close to stores
♦ area surrounding, good
walking, close to stores
♦ quiet
♦ calm, peaceful, friendly
neighborhood, near
activities
♦ Quiet, good neighbors,
close to parks, lakes, etc.
♦ quiet, lakes
♦ location
♦ location
♦ Quiet, park nearby, close
to shopping
♦ Quiet, except traffic
♦ feels like out of town but
still close, neighbors are
friendly
♦ friendly neighbors, quiet
♦ quiet
♦ close to school
♦ privacy, location
♦ safe, well kept homes and
yards, close to facilities
♦ location
♦ walking environment,
trees, well kept homes
♦ spacious, quiet, trees
♦ sidewalks, trees, well kept
homes, all residential
♦ quiet, private
♦ well established homes,
convenient to stores
♦ wooded, country feel in
city
♦ older homes, mature trees
♦ wonderful neighbors, city
services, near schools
♦ quiet, location
♦ quiet, convenient to
shopping
♦ Good location near town,
older homes and quaint
Page B24
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character large trees, close
to trails
large lots, trees, quiet
trees, nice area
quiet, lot of children, low
traffic, good neighbors,
large lots, mixture of
forest and city
clean, nice people
quiet, well maintained
Quiet, small
location
Convenient businesses
By the beach, school,
grocery store, close to
downtown, family
oriented
quiet, nice neighbors
friendly
YMCA, hospital, clinic
newer & spacious, nice
houses
near stores, quiet
environment, close to
community facilities
quiet, close to town,
natural surroundings, nice
people
large lots, near school &
shopping
Quiet (just moved here)
quiet
quiet
quiet
quiet, nice older
neighborhood
rural setting, privacy,
good neighbors
Close to Y and clinic,
hospital
safe, friendly
almost everything
proximity to shops
location, homes kept up
Quiet
edge of wilderness, lake
access
good neighbors
quiet
close to lakes
close to school, upkept
homes, diverse age group,
trees
location
privacy, close to
businesses
quiet, friendly neighbors
quiet, close to shopping,
school, park
Convenience to shopping,
hospital, clinic, parks
quiet
quiet, pine trees, friendly
neighbors, close to schools
quiet, close to shopping
quiet
Quiet
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quiet
quiet, no close neighbors
quiet, lake view
private, large lots, lake
shore
close proximity to schools
& lake, interaction with
neighbors
close to woods
quiet
close to stores
peaceful
Neat, friendly, close to
downtown
Proximity to bike trail, ski
trails, work and schools
view, quiet
Pleasant, quiet neighbors,
to trucks with loud
exhausts, children who
play well together, not a
cong
quiet, friendly
easy access to parking by
my office
large lots, many trees
quiet, safe, well kept
nice people, well kept
homes, within walking
distance
quiet
Quiet
Quiet, wooded, convenient
I like having room
between houses and my
own wooded area.
It is neighborly, people are
very nice in GR
friendly
Quiet, low traffic, no
business in residential area
new neighborhood with
nice lots
proximity to town and
Crystal Lake
Quiet, wooded area-almost rural feeling
Close to work and
downtown businesses
quiet/safe
Close to public services
and shopping
Quiet, good mix of ages,
convenient to shopping
Good neighbors
Quiet, not a great deal of
traffic
Close to downtown,
beach, walking routes
quiet, nice neighbors,
close to community
resources
quiet, location
Clean, close to schools,
good neighbors
friendly, close to town,
close to clinics
♦ Close to businesses
♦ quiet
♦ Far enough out of town,
quiet
♦ clean, quiet, close
♦ Proximity to central
business area; quiet
streets; trees, relative
safety of neighborhood
♦ The lake
♦ Location, diversity of
ages, access to needs
♦ Clean and peaceful
♦ quiet, private, location
♦ Usually quiet, friendly
neighbors
♦ People and location
♦ Quiet, by the river, close
to shopping
♦ Quiet, houses not too
close together, good
neighbors, close to places
we want to go, streets not
too
♦ Friendly, quiet close to
shopping, main roads are
cleaned often
♦ location
♦ quiet, city water and
sewer, walking route
♦ Proximity to businesses
♦ Quiet, light traffic
♦ Friendly neighbors and
clean yards
♦ Quiet out of town
♦ Location quiet, dead end
street
♦ Peaceful, quiet, yet close
to services
♦ quiet, close to schools
♦ quiet, great neighbors
♦ Close to downtown
♦ Quiet where we live,
woods, close to shopping
area
♦ Proximity to schools,
well-kept homes, good
demographic mix, less
business
♦ Quiet, safe, rural, but
close to town
shopping
♦ Quiet area, close to
schools and downtown
♦ close to town
♦ quiet, close to facilities
♦ Nice area, quiet, close to
schools
♦ Friendly neighbors
♦ clean, friendly
♦ Quite clean
♦ Not a lot of neighbors
♦ Good neighbors
♦ Trees
♦ convenient, trees
♦ live on river, near park
♦ clean, quiet, nice
neighbors, convenient
♦ Not much since 2nd Ave. ♦ Trees, grass, sidewalks,
went in close to town
proximity to lakes and to
♦ lake, lakewalk
authentic downtown,
relative quiet
♦ Nice homes, neat, good
♦ close to Crystal Lake,
neighbors
sidewalks and quiet
♦ Wooded and private
♦ trees, close to facilities,
♦ Family living
good sidewalks
neighborhood
♦ We love Crystal Lake
♦ Quiet and still somewhat
♦ Within walking distance
natural
of business places
♦ Close to everything yet
quiet and friendly
♦ friendly
♦ quiet, well kept up
♦ Convenient, quiet
♦ quiet, close to facilities
♦ quiet, safe, variety of ages
♦ Lake close by, quiet,
♦ friendly, close to
clean, good roads, good
shopping, natural setting
people
♦ quiet
♦ Quick access to walking
♦ we have a central
trail, dead-end street
shopping area-moving S.
♦ park like, quiet, near
along Pokegama
fairgrounds
♦ quiet, recreation
♦ good neighbors
♦ quiet
♦ Great neighbors
♦ Its fairly quiet
♦ wooded, close to services ♦ quiet
♦ quiet, wide streets
♦ quiet
♦ nothing
♦ quiet, safe
♦ Relatively quiet, close to
♦ quiet
services
♦ don’t like what’s
♦ Good neighbors
happening-2nd ave put in
♦ convenient
behind me, 17th ave to be
enlarged, I have no
♦ Greenery, wide streets,
privacy
prompt snow removal,
♦ clean
quietness
♦ Quiet, trees, large lots
♦ quiet, close to schools,
large lots
♦ Properties are neat and we
♦ Access to business
have good neighbors
♦ close to work
♦ open space
♦ It's mostly quiet
♦ quiet, clean, nice people
♦ Quiet, large yard, close to ♦ No through streets, limited
shopping
traffic, good snow
removal, buried wires
♦ Lake, deer
♦ close to shopping, well
♦ Quiet
kept
♦ Quiet at night. A yard
♦ Quiet, safe, nice neighbors
with space. Close to
library, fire dept., middle ♦ Quiet, lovely older homes
school and downtown
♦ Walk to grocery store,
♦ privacy, lack of traffic,
P.O., hardware store,
neighbors
schools, drug store and
coffee house
♦ Convenience to
♦ quiet, well kept homes,
everything, community
sense
trees
♦ Trees
♦ private, close to town,
clean air and water
♦ Neighbors are friendly,
helpful
♦ location, quiet
♦ Large lots, trees, quiet and ♦ less traffic, quiet
privacy
♦ Friendly, quiet
♦ Quiet, wildlife, yet close
neighborhood
to town
♦ Good neighbors and safety
♦ Quiet, single family
♦ safe, quiet
homes
♦ quiet
♦ quiet
♦ large lot, abundance of
♦ convenient business
wildlife
locations
♦ people, business proximity
♦ quiet, old homes but good ♦ quiet & easy access to
condition
river
and library
Page B25
♦ quiet, attractive
♦ homes well maintained,
city owned wetland
nearby
♦ quiet
♦ Quiet, yet close to city
♦ Close to town yet out of
town, quiet
♦ Out of city limits
♦ Great neighbors, quiet
♦ close to facilities
♦ quiet place to raise my
kids
♦ Location, close to
shopping, bank, motels,
restaurants
♦ friendly and helpful
♦ very nice
♦ close to school &
downtown
♦ quiet
♦ my land, would like to
move
♦ low population and close
to downtown
♦ River, wildlife,
recreational facilities,
employment
♦ Quiet & peaceful
♦ decent, friendly and
helpful neighbors
♦ quiet, well kept up,
friendly neighbors,
convenient location
♦ quiet, peaceful
♦ quiet, location
♦ quiet, large lots, good
neighbors
♦ homey, safe, pleasant
♦ clean
♦ Peaceful
♦ lakewalk
♦ wooded area, good
neighbors, big lots, close
to town
♦ quiet
♦ Quiet, close to school &
hospital
♦ I'm here and I haven't
found a better one yet
♦ spread out and private
♦ beautiful parks
♦ playground, skating rink
♦ quiet, no through streets,
well maintained by city
and residents
♦ People, Park River, access
to medical care
♦ peaceful, quiet, animals
♦ close conveniences
♦ Quiet, families of all ages
♦ Green space
♦ close to work and schools
♦ convenient location,
friendly neighbors
♦ not a lot of people, public
land
♦ It is a good, quiet
neighborhood
♦ Living close to post
office/bank/grocery
store/beach
♦ No cats and dogs
♦ Riverfront, quiet, very
little traffic
♦ Very good and neat
♦ plenty of trees, long time
residents
♦ quiet and clean
♦ Location
♦ Fairly quiet, neighbors
keep up houses and yards
♦ downtown lights, benches,
wastebaskets
♦ low density, low traffic
♦ quiet
♦ friendly, close to beach,
schools, many trees
♦ proximity to city and
natural setting, small
♦ close to work
♦ Neighbors
♦ access to main roads
♦ rural but close to city
♦ everyone leaves everyone
alone
♦ good neighbors, quiet
♦ close to stores, quiet
♦ peace & quiet
♦ space between homes
♦ It is quiet and peaceful.
♦ location near river & parks
♦ recreation
♦ friendly environment
♦ green space
♦ good neighbors, streets,
quiet
♦ quiet
♦ no city ordinance
♦ low traffic, space, location
♦ Quiet/no children
♦ dead end street, quiet,
between two lakes
♦ location
♦ quiet, convenient
♦ quiet, trees, lakes, lawns,
good neighbors
♦ quiet, location
♦ quiet, recreation
♦ low traffic, lg lot, family
neighborhood
♦ quiet, not much traffic
♦ friendly, well maintained
houses
♦ quiet, neighborly
♦ water front
♦ Quiet, yards and homes
kept up
♦ trees, peace and quiet
♦ Close to shopping
♦ quiet, well kept houses
♦ Few apartments
♦ large lots, wooded area
♦ location, friendly
neighbors
♦ very quiet
♦ Everything
♦ Being by the Mississippi,
watching ducks and geese,
quiet
♦ Quiet
♦ quiet, secure
♦ feeling of being in country
but close to town, peaceful
♦ quiet & peaceful
♦ quiet, wooded
♦ quiet, friendly people
♦ close to town, wildlife
♦ neighbors
♦ quiet, neat
♦ quiet, neat place
♦ A friendly neighborhood,
born and raised in this
vicinity
♦ quiet
♦ The neighbors
♦ quiet
♦ not too busy
♦ Good
♦ quiet
♦ Don't know anyone, but
quiet and peaceful, except
for one barking dog
♦ was quiet
♦ location
♦ quiet
♦ The river, quiet
♦ nice neighbors
♦ quiet
♦ quiet, located near
downtown
♦ Clean, quiet, low traffic
♦ nothing
♦ Quiet
♦ Quiet, friendly
♦ quiet
♦ peaceful
♦ quiet
♦ Quiet
♦ quiet, lots of trees, lakes
and space
♦ quiet
♦ good recreation
♦ quiet
♦ quiet, lack of traffic
♦ It is conveniently located
♦ Nice people
♦ Close to shopping, good
neighbors
♦ quiet/peaceful
♦ near stores, bank, quiet
hood
♦ quiet, non commercial
♦ quiet, good snow removal
and maintained streets
♦ quiet
♦ nice area, quiet, well
maintained by property
♦ It is quiet and we have
good neighbors
♦ Friendly, mixed ages,
large lots, diversity of jobs
and income represented
♦ Quiet, clean, close to town
& shopping
♦ City park @ west end of
property
♦ close to town, private
♦ old and established, well
lit
♦ It's busy but close enough
♦ quiet, location
to everything
♦ beautiful, peaceful
♦ private, quiet, rural setting ♦ Quiet
♦ not crowded, lots of green
♦ quiet, wildlife, rural and
♦ quiet
convenient
♦ Peaceful, clean, quality
♦ neat, quiet
neighborhood, edge of
♦ close to everything, new
town, quieter
2nd Ave
♦ quiet, distance from lakes ♦ Nothing
♦ quiet
& woods
♦ Quiet, but families with
♦ junk yard to south, west
children
lots of cars in yard
♦ quiet, peaceful
♦ quiet
♦ close to town, convenient,
♦ Leave us along
quiet
♦ quiet/safe
♦ Quiet
♦ friendly people
♦ quiet
♦ quiet
♦ Dead end road w/family
♦ Quiet
homes
♦ Friendly
♦ Quiet, trees, water & safe ♦ Small, the airport
♦ quiet
environment
♦ quiet, lots of trees
♦ Eclectic--nursing home,
♦ Diversity, close to
church, low $ middle
schools, large lots
income, older, younger,
♦ large lots
kids
♦ Well kept and close to
♦ Convenient
shopping
♦ Large lot, close to school,
♦ Location, close to
trees, quiet
businesses and Catholic
♦ large yards, minimal
Church
traffic, good neighbors
♦ Quiet, good neighbors
♦ Quiet, neighborly area
♦ Quiet, convenient location ♦ Quiet, peaceful, nice
neighbors
♦ Within walking distance
♦ location, scenery
to most businesses,
♦ close to school
friendly people
♦ neighbors, trees, different
♦ Neighbors and location
age groups
♦ Quiet, very little traffic
♦ Peaceful, great country
♦ Large lots, river, out of
setting
city limits
♦ location
♦ safe
♦ Trees, grass, quiet, except ♦ Nice and quiet
♦ Close to schools,
airplane noise
churches, shopping yet far
♦ nice people
enough to enjoy
♦ private and totally
neighborhood
residential
♦ country life, next to town
♦ quiet, not lots of traffic
♦ friendly neighbors, close
♦ quiet, beautiful, close to
to shopping
town
♦ close to schools &
♦ Quiet
facilities
♦ Nice
♦ Cleanliness
♦ quiet, secluded
♦ Great neighbors, quiet,
♦ Close to everything
convenient to shopping
♦ convenient location, quiet
♦ quiet
♦ Quiet, abundant wildlife
♦ Have been here since
and birds
owners
♦ Quiet and well kept up
♦ Quiet nice area for kids to
play
♦ Quiet, good neighbors
♦ quiet, well kept up
♦ quiet
♦ Quiet, clean, nice
neighbors
♦ Quiet, convenient
Page B26
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August 2002. Renting
Lakes
location
quiet, clean
quiet, location
Quiet and good neighbors
most of the time
Quiet
Space, housing
Quiet
close to work
location
little traffic
Good neighbors, clean
streets, near school, safe,
well-lighted
Quiet, located near
hospital
good neighbors
quiet
Being rural
The residents themselves /
some vacant lot / green
space
good neighbors
Close to everything in the
south but has remained
residential
big lot, easy access to
community
Beauty, neighbors and
close to many businesses
location
close to schools
Trees, lake, wild life,
peacefulness and quiet
Quiet, close to downtown
Trustworthy neighbors
quiet
quiet, convenient, forested
Quiet, location for
quiet
The lake
We watch out for each
other
Quiet, laid back, friendly,
mostly retired neighbors
Quiet, close to town--good
neighbors
friendly people, quiet
Everything
rural, quiet
Clean, quiet
Well kept neighborhood,
peace and quiet
Nice friendly
neighborhood
close to facilities
quiet
quiet
well kept, neat, clean
Quiet, peaceful, well kept
& neat
Quiet
clean houses & yards
Privacy
♦ Like our neighborhood
♦ friendly, private
♦ nice neighbors, close to
businesses
♦ close to business & family
♦ Good, clean area
♦ clean property, quiet,
close to shopping
♦ Everything--good
location, good neighbors
♦ quiet, small
♦ High moral standards, safe
place to live
♦ location
♦ safe, convenient business
locations
♦ clean, quiet, private
♦ neighbors
♦ not busy (quiet)
♦ quiet, convenient
♦ Quiet and friendly
♦ Close to hospital and
shopping
♦ quiet, peaceful
♦ new addition
♦ Quiet
♦ location
♦ nice, American
♦ close to schools, sidewalks
and mix of ages
♦ Helpful and friendly
♦ private, convenient to
everything
♦ Quiet, friendly
♦ quiet, near town
♦ quiet
♦ clean yards
♦ quiet
♦ quiet, friendly people
♦ close to schools
♦ country setting, quiet
♦ quiet
♦ good neighborhood, close
to river and park
♦ The large barking dogs at
6:00 a.m. that the mayor
has!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
♦ quiet
♦ In a building 55 years or
older, apartments
♦ Close to work and
shopping
♦ wide streets, police
♦ we like our neighborhood
♦ Quiet, good view
♦ neat neighbors, neat in
appearance
♦ close to facilities, good
neighbors
♦ Clean and quiet, except
for car races
♦ Small acreage, yet close to
town and all necessities
♦ Lived here for 8 mos.
Parks, pond behind house
♦ close to businesses
♦ quiet, beautiful, nice
neighbors
♦ Convenient location, quiet
neighborhood, good
neighbors
♦ Walking distance of
schools, church, post
office, dental services,
drug stores and grocery
stores. A
♦ quiet
♦ quiet
♦ Quiet and convenient to
most
♦ Quiet, dead end area
♦ neighbors property kept
up, safe, quiet
♦ All so convenient,
shopping, church, etc.
quiet area
♦ clean
♦ everything
♦ located near businesses
and work
♦ quiet, location
♦ quiet
♦ No backyard neighbors
♦ privacy
♦ good people
♦ nice, quiet
♦ Close to town
♦ Quiet peaceful scenery
♦ lakes, neighborhoods,
fairgrounds
♦ quiet
♦ small town atmosphere
♦ quiet
♦ Traffic speed, loud
vehicles
♦ Close to town
♦ Nice place to raise our
children
♦ Close to everything I need
♦ Quiet, clean
♦ Usually quiet, woods on
side of our property
♦ neighbors and park
♦ rural, large lots, private
♦ nice and quiet
♦ Well lighted, quiet and
friendly
♦ Quiet
♦ atmosphere, convenience
to shopping
♦ friendly neighborhood
♦ Outside of town, by the
fairgrounds
♦ Friendly neighborhood
♦ quiet, well kept
♦ peace, quiet
♦ I like the woods and large
lawn
♦ Great neighbors, close to
shopping, banking, etc.
♦ Quiet, not crowded, not in
GR City Limits
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quiet, friendly
quiet
quiet, large yards
Its a good small
neighborhood
quiet
location near shopping
nice neighbors
quiet, close to town
Quiet, Friendly, well kept
up
everything
close to town, well kept
homes
good neighbors
close to downtown
quiet, clean, friendly
Close to work
roads
large yards
quiet
large lots
Quiet
I rent
Newer homes, safe, clean
friendly
like it as is
quiet
neighbors
pleasant
Nice location
quiet
quiet, friendly neighbors
quiet
peaceful, quiet
Friendly
country away from the
city, Quiet
quiet, friendly
quiet
quiet, wildlife
Quiet and safe
quiet
variety of ages, diversity,
convenient location
Busy residential area
No fast traffic
close to work and
shopping
Peaceful, quiet, diverse
eclectic, close to schools,
parks, green space
clean, quiet
Usually quiet (middle
school coming may
change all that)
close to work
well planned, clean, kept
up
quiet, good neighbors
trees
not too crowded, wooded
views, quiet
clean
quiet, neighbors
Quiet, pleasant
neighborhood
♦ Quiet
♦ Quiet, responsible
neighbors
♦ close to town, yet tucked
away from traffic
♦ location
♦ Quiet & friendly
♦ It was isolated and quiet
with lots of woods until
the Forest Park West
Apartments were put in.
♦ quiet
♦ country setting, close to
town
♦ quiet, location
♦ private, beauty
♦ large lots, quiet
♦ Friendly
♦ quiet
♦ Quiet
♦ location, people
♦ quiet, close to action
♦ Quiet, large lots
♦ quiet, close to stores
♦ quiet, trees
♦ has road that follows
neighborhood
♦ quiet
♦ the people
♦ Quiet
♦ It was quiet, not much
traffic
♦ pleasant
♦ good neighborhood
♦ Nice and quiet
♦ quiet, little traffic, central
location
♦ Large yards
♦ close to schools
♦ Peaceful
♦ nice homes, people
♦ Park in neighborhood
♦ Quiet, view of Mississippi
River, playground across
the road
♦ There is a pond
♦ well maintained houses,
friendly people, buried
power lines
♦ quiet, neighbors take care
of property, close to
businesses
♦ close to town, friendly
neighbors
♦ quiet, friendly, close to
stores
♦ quiet, family based
♦ quiet, friendly, good snow
removal
♦ large lots
♦ Just fine
♦ Quiet
♦ Convenient to town, quiet
♦ Fairly quiet
♦ New, senior citizens'
housing
♦ quiet & friendly
Page B27
♦ quiet and friendly
♦ quiet, location
♦ Nice setting--good
neighbors
♦ friendly people
♦ Trees and nicely kept
yards
♦ Large corner lot
♦ Friendly neighbors
♦ Quiet, well maintained,
friendly
♦ quiet, neat yards
♦ Location next to YMCA
♦ quiet, no traffic
♦ quiet
♦ close to town
♦ Quiet, friendly people who
keep their areas clean
♦ nice homes, location
♦ quiet, friendly neighbors
♦ quiet, trees
♦ Good roads, utilities, good
neighborhood, quiet
♦ quiet
♦ schools nearby, lakes
♦ too noisy, too much traffic
♦ trees, quiet, low traffic
♦ neat, no dogs
♦ Quiet
♦ Friendly, well kept
♦ Fairly quiet, close to
downtown
♦ Nice neighbors
♦ Family and animal
friendly, close to shopping
& restaurants
♦ Has been a pleasant place
to have a home
♦ My apartment is in a
pleasant neighborhood. It
is well kept and a nice
setting.
♦ Close to school and
facilities--pool, tennis
courts--close to
fairgrounds, lake bike
trail, good neighbors
♦ Quiet
♦ Close to town, yet not
right in town
♦ Friendly and clean
♦ clean, well kept
♦ quiet, close to woods
♦ quiet
♦ quiet, close to lake and
schools
♦ Peace and quiet
♦ quiet
♦ access to retail, quiet
♦ Friendly place
♦ Close to stores
♦ Dead end road
♦ Have lived here a long
time. Good neighbors.
♦ quiet
♦ nice location
♦ near shopping
♦ Quiet
♦ friendly neighborhood
♦ quiet and safe
♦ quiet and nice neighbors
♦ Quiet, not in city limits.
Houses farther apart in the
country
♦ nice trees
♦ Quiet, low traffic
♦ quiet, friendly
♦ near shopping
♦ not a power plant
♦ Peaceful, quiet, no major
traffic, large lots
♦ country atmosphere in city
limits
♦ proximity to shopping
♦ easy access to med
facility, shopping close
♦ quiet, good size lots
♦ quiet, easy access to
shopping
♦ quiet
♦ quiet
♦ quiet
♦ rural, quiet
♦ nice, friendly, quiet
♦ near lake, trees
♦ nice people
♦ no close neighbors, close
to town
♦ Location
♦ It's o.k., I like it here
♦ Everything-quietness,
safety
♦ People, closeness to
school
♦ quiet
♦ New comer to area, living
in senior housing
♦ quiet, peaceful
♦ convenient location
♦ convenient location by
businesses
♦ small town
♦ Quiet
♦ Quiet
♦ Everything
♦ quiet
♦ quiet
♦ just moved here
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It's quiet.
Quiet neighborhood. Near ♦
♦
post office, drug store,
♦
bank
♦
quiet neighborhood with
beautiful lake view
♦
quiet
♦
close to shopping
♦
friendly
♦
quiet
♦
natural beauty
♦
residential area
close to downtown, older ♦
neighborhood
♦
large lot, many trees
river
location, good neighbors
We are out of town, but
close
Friendly and quiet
Peace and quiet, county
does a good job on roads
(plowing and sanding,
etc.)
Peaceful, quiet and well
maintained
Quiet--dead end road--low
traffic
Nice neighborhood.
Quiet, no children
Very quiet
Quiet, good neighbors
Usually quiet
Location
Quiet, close to downtown
Quiet
Good neighbors
quiet
Friendly
quiet
quiet
quiet, wonderful
neighbors
quiet
quiet
close to work & shopping
quiet
nice neighbors, close to
stores & schools
quiet
Question 3b: What should be improved or changed with regard to your neighborhood?
♦ Higher Water Pressure
♦ City water and sewer,
traffic problems
♦ Noisy cars and trucks at
night
♦ put road in to our home
and maintain it, stop
changing address here
♦ Upgrade streets, parking
problems with cars from
school
♦ Traffic on River Road
needs to be slowed down
in some areas
♦ Streets need repair, truck
bypass
♦ Nothing
♦ alleys
♦ Nothing
♦ city sewer and water
♦ People need to take care
of garbage and drive better
♦ neighbors cleaning up
after themselves
♦ Noise and speed of traffic
on 7th Ave. SE
♦ traffic speed on hwy 38,
improve sidewalks
♦ nothing
♦ Lost Creek park is often
crowded with children
waiting for turns for
swings, etc.
♦ speeding
♦ Sidewalks. Improve
streets. People should
remove garbage from
streets. Only put out on
collection
♦ repair roads
♦ better streets
♦ Stop noise at night
♦ Slower speed limit
♦ remove summer motorized
use on Crystal Lake, turn
14th St to a cul-de-sac
♦ Blind exit to the north.
Mound should be
removed.
♦ improve roads
♦ More sidewalks and wider
shoulders on roads
♦ hwy noise
♦ enforce/remove and fine
for junk cars on property
♦ Upkeep of apartments
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
without putting a lot of the
work on tenants
Expand bus service to
outskirts of town
street quality
Nothing--we should
remain out of city limits
streets need repair
better/safer access onto
TH 2
child safety, more signs
Lower taxes, no
assessments
Cable TV, high speed
internet
manage traffic for Golf
Course Rd once the new
hospital is built
enforcement of stop sign
runners
More avenues to enter and
exit the Catholic church to
reduce traffic on my street
Reroute traffic on So. 169
around the city. Thru
traffic is causing too much
congestion.
Encourage people to clean
up yards
♦ repairs on 3rd ave SW
♦ speeding vehicles
♦ restore thru st. on 5th ave
between 14th & 17th st
♦ traffic patterns, there are
many children but no
caution signs for drivers
♦ NW 1st Ave Repair
♦ slow down traffic
♦ Improve all streets
♦ slow traffic down, noise
♦ Walking bridge across the
Mississippi River from
area of East Clinic to NE
Gr Rapids
♦ Nothing
♦ some rental units need
upgrading
♦ Teens drinking/partying in
park
♦ roads, parking lots
♦ there is no assessment
policy cul-de-sac lots
♦ Reason to believe one
house has drug traffic. So
far no trouble.
♦ pave streets and sidewalks
♦ repair streets
♦ p.m. traffic enforcement
♦ broken manney shopper
boxes
♦ Too much traffic on
Highway 38
♦ street lights on Renolds
and 9th street fixed
♦ on quiet nights the
papermill or energy center
makes a lot of noise with
machinery
♦ Obey speed limits
♦ more police would be of
great benefit to all
♦ Water and sewer
♦ Traffic movement
♦ pet laws enforced
♦ remove junk piles in city
limits
♦ alley maintenance
♦ Older part of town, a bit
rundown
♦ upgrade Ridgewood and
11th Ave NE, wider
sidewalks
♦ pave dirt roads
♦ hope the old crank sells
Page B28
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♦
house and moves out of
town
better care of alleys, have
neighbors clean up yards
more street signs for speed
and intersections
Nothing
Control dogs that roam
area with no control
Improved street lighting,
commercial parking
limited on residential
streets
We would like natural gas
1st ave NW rough
looking, needs change
Not much
Old vacant homes should
be taken down (10th Ave
NW)
Nothing
Replace street lights when
they go out
Better pedestrian/bike
ways to cross major streets
and roads
traffic control
Streets need improving
change of restrictions to
disallow prefabricated
modular housing or larger
metal buildings
fix 7th Ave, patrol
Blandin Beach area
get rid of Knallwood
Group Home
races becoming often
hwy 53 sound block
needed
Better streets
Roads need to be
resurfaced; develop clear
cut lot
Speed control, safety of
pedestrians
need sidewalks
nothing
streets
Condition of roads. Add
stop signs at intersections
Street lighting
Maintenance and
supervision at Blandin
Beach
Too much traffic to apts
and sports complex
7th street traffic too fast
noise and traffic of gun
club
Clean up trash
nothing
sidewalks
too much HS traffic, 3rd st
seems to be a drag strip
keep large lots for
residents
streets & sidewalks
improve roads, sidewalks
♦ Outdated sewer system
♦ street lighting, restaurant
♦ city streets
♦ nothing
♦ animal control, speed on
Isleview Rd, more beach
area
♦ Casper Cont. expanding,
and all the traffic on 10th
st SE, There is a lot of
wear on 10th St
♦ street lights, speed limit
enforcement
♦ regulate number of pets
people can have
♦ less barking dogs
♦ water pressure
♦ Stop sign on 22nd Ave
and 14th Street (4-way)
traffic goes to fast on 22nd
♦ keep up sidewalks
♦ Zoning does not fit rural
areas being annexed.
More leeway for garage
and storage to fit families
w
♦ Flowers in the seasons
♦ Can't think of anything
♦ Pave alley between homes
on 6th Ave NW & 8th St
NW
♦ Easier access to Hwy 169-add turn lanes in front of
Holiday Station, Taco
John's, etc.
♦ dogs barking
♦ Nothing
♦ Nothing
♦ enforce speed limit, less
dogs and cats running free
♦ More water pressure on
Allan Drive, new middle
school area
♦ Traffic on road, need
restrictions or policing
♦ street lights, road and
sidewalk
♦ Better water pressure, use
less sand on streets--only
on curves, not straight
stretches
♦ People need to maintain
yards better
♦ Ugly light pole in our yard
♦ Traffic--way to fast for
people walking or children
playing
♦ clean up trailer parks
♦ clean up some yards
♦ Install "slow" signed every
4 blocks.
♦ Crime is sometimes a
problem, including meth
labs
♦ traffic flow, more
east/west road access to
updated Airport Rd
♦ Nothing
♦ Make changes to high
school, move fairgrounds
to the north, need good
road to H.S.
♦ Nothing
♦ Get rid of races; assistance
to pay for required city
water and sewer when it
comes
♦ Bad roads
♦ Speed control on 12th Ave
SW
♦ property should be kept
free of junk, building
codes
♦ Need cultural diversity,
sidewalks, pedestrian
crosswalks, dog park.
More sidewalks eyesore
tire bu
♦ slow down traffic on side
street
♦ Back of Acheson is an eye
sore.
♦ Slow down cars around
Ice Lake, no more stock
car races at the
fairgrounds
♦ Poorly maintained
property, junky and
unkempt.
♦ no more business past 5th
st, past 1st ave NE, no
hwy 2 traffic on 5th
♦ traffic conditions on 7th st
SE
♦ traffic enforcement, more
parks and green
♦ prohibit storage of
junk/cars/cont. mat. on
lots
♦ water pressure in G.R.
♦ Nothing
♦ traffic enforcement,
protect environment
♦ enforce leash law on pets,
"dead end street" sign at
entrance to our street
♦ Need sidewalks,
traffic/pedestrian issues
♦ tarred alleys
♦ More vibrant downtown,
more emphasis on
walking, close or limit car
racing, route traffic away
from
♦ sidewalks on street to
catholic church and
adjoining streets
♦ Upgrade park and
playground equip.
♦ pressure from city for
upkeep of yards and home
♦ a new road put between
TH 169 and TH 2 to use
as a cut across on the east
side of Grand Rapids
♦ slower speed limit
♦ auto noise pollution,
♦ loud cars and music at
night
♦ children are gone, most
neighbors retired
♦ Storm Sewer outlet needs
to be improved at 4th Ave.
SW & & 7th St.
♦ less people
♦ Straighten sharp curve
near our driveway
♦ Use of 2nd Ave. SW as
cutoff to Walmart and
points south. Speed zone
needed on 2nd Ave SW.
Traffic
♦ replace old sidewalks
♦ Streets should be put in
middle of right-of-way
♦ Neighbors' yard is full of
junk, right up to our
property line
♦ controlling petty crimes
♦ dog control, lighting
♦ more street lights
♦ nothing
♦ traffic on golf course rd
♦ underground utilities
♦ open the walking bridge,
Oakland to Riverside
Park, back for 4-wheelers
to use.
♦ city allows neighborhoods
where a trailer can be set
next to a nice hope
♦ Traffic fast and heavy
♦ Patrol for speeders
♦ Don’t like stock car races,
get track out of town
♦ stop businesses from
moving into residential
areas
♦ The fast food rest. behind
my house could clean up
the litter in alley
♦ nothing
♦ More privacy
♦ nothing
♦ Control parking on the
street
♦ speed bumps
♦ more stop signs at
intersections
♦ nothing
♦ New playground equp. for
Willow Park
♦ Clean it up. There is trash
all over vacant areas.
♦ busy intersections
♦ Noisy kids, speeding, need
more police patrolling
♦ nothing
♦ sidewalk to Crystal Lake
from McKinney Lake
♦ streets and curbing is in
need of major repair
♦ 20 mph speed sign in front
of Grand Manors I, II and
III
♦ No changes
♦ Like it the way it is.
♦ Need city water and sewer
♦ speed limit
♦ 9th Ave. NW --needs
resurfacing
♦ complete 8th Ave to 5th St
♦ Educate people about
picking up their dog and
cat poop when they go on
other peoples yards
♦ Dangerous intersection
@11th St. & 1st Ave.
♦ Leash laws for cats. Loud
vehicles and music in
vehicles
♦ clean up junk in some
yards
♦ Low water pressure
♦ Control vehicle noise
around our apartment
♦ Improve roads and
lighting alleys
♦ nothing
♦ Waiting for trees, shrubs,
roads, etc.
♦ Pretty good all around
♦ Speed of traffic on
fairgrounds road
♦ street repairs/traffic
enforcement
♦ nothing, leave nature be
♦ water pressure is
insufficient
♦ Our neighborhood is just
fine
♦ Lower speed limit on Hwy
38 til out of city limits,
plows shouldn't get so
close they remove top lay
♦ Nothing
♦ Restrain Blandin from
acquiring more of Blk 17
without also acquiring and
moving business in Blk 18
i
♦ Plant trees along west
fence of air base
♦ clean up laundry building
on 38
♦ Completion of 2nd Ave E.
corridor
♦ More street lights, too
dark around school on
north and east sides
♦ stop trucks from traveling
through residential areas
♦ Stop signs! Other traffic
problems
♦ Nothing
♦ enforce speed limit, more
children at play signs
♦ Put up more neighborhood
watch signs
Page B29
♦ Sidewalks
♦ road work, lower utility
taxes, sewer and water
♦ enforce speeding, less
noise from cars, keep
contractors to city specs
and quality
♦ enforce laws, respect land,
trucks should be made
quieter
♦ Loop water system,
upgrade 4th Ave NW
♦ nothing
♦ add sewer and water
♦ Reduce speed limits,
repair roads and curbs
♦ Nothing
♦ Repair street drainage-water collects in the street
♦ traffic
♦ no open burning
♦ Enforce the removal of
buildings that should be
condemned, yards free of
trash and garbage
♦ none
♦ Signs to indicate children
playing, parking during
fair and trade shows
♦ light pollution from mill
♦ encourage motion
activated lights
♦ I like it as it is
♦ pave adjacent road in next
block
♦ Taking dogs for walks-clean up after them!
♦ Clean the vacant wooded
lots
♦ remove rundown houses,
taxes are too high
♦ no hospital
♦ Reduce traffic on 169
♦ need storm drains
♦ No more handicap group
homes in residential areas.
Traffic problems result
♦ install speed limit sign on
city rd #63 there are none
♦ nothing
♦ 11th ave NE improved for
sports
complex/fairgrounds
♦ Route traffic to middle
school to north side of
fairgrounds not through it
♦ more tress
♦ speed limit enforces
♦ Parking. Possible
calendar parking?
♦ widen Isleview Rd
♦ enforce speed limits
♦ Sidewalks
♦ City water and sewer
♦ Road widened to
accommodate bike riders
and walkers.
♦ sidewalks need update,
♦
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♦
♦
neighbors need to observe
leash law
more activities for
children
Traffic control to stop
speeding vehicles and 4wheelers on township road
better streets & lighting
alley is a water catch in
rain
more patrol in city
enforce traffic laws,
reduce assessment costs
Commercial areas too
close to residential areas,
sewer and water
traffic enforcement, more
stop signs
street repair and traffic
more stoplights, more
beautification
better water pressure,
street lights on 14th St.
SW, high speed internet
Up-to-date, safe
playground off 4th Ave.
fewer busses at Murphy
Elem School, better road
repair
enforce speed limit
city sewer & water would
be great, lots of power
outages
nothing I can think of
dead trees & brush across
the street need to be
cleaned up
traffic too fast on our
streets
fix streets, put middle
school back on tax rolls
and sell it
Work on McGowan Park,
Remove some trees, new
equipment
roads are terrible
Slow down traffic on 4th
Street
cleaner yards
more lighting
friendlier people
develop neighborhoods
More police presence,
better lighting
roads
Younger families
appearing
Kid's slow down driving
stray dogs
need storm drain on 5th
Ave NE & 5th
roads
speed limit enforcement
more police enforcement
on speeding traffic, more
blight enforcement
parks, sewer & water
stabilize real estate taxes
♦ improve bad alley and
houses that aren't
presentable, fill holes in
streets
♦ better beach on crystal
lake
♦ sewer, water, gas,
straighten out NW 7th st
♦ build quality sidewalks
and streets, enforce loud
music and muffler laws
♦ sidewalks
♦ speeding
♦ streets need repair
♦ water pressure
♦ people should be able to
vote on expansions and
property tax
♦ traffic enforcement
♦ street improvements on
2nd Ave
♦ No parking sign in front
yard, bus traffic in the
morning
♦ update playground
♦ city water, sewer, storm
drains
♦ good snow removal on
streets
♦ stop signs on the back
streets
♦ sidewalks would be nice
♦ Speeding traffic
♦ Some of the older houses
could use updating and/or
repairs
♦ slow traffic down
♦ rental occupants park on
my apron, it would be nice
to know name of owner
♦ condemn house next door
♦ nothing
♦ sidewalks
♦ More street lights
♦ nothing
♦ city sewer, and city water
♦ traffic on Hwy 38
♦ road improvements
♦ A cross walk from 401
Apts. to hospital
♦ post speed limit on 5th
Ave
♦ make old middle school
area into single housing
♦ more traffic control, less
car noise
♦ leash law should be
enforced
♦ more streetlights, more
patrolling
♦ keep it clean
♦ more racial diversity
♦ More police patrols
♦ enforce traffic laws
♦ bad sewers
♦ septic upgrades
♦ better lighting at night,
home condition
♦ slower traffic, walking
path by fairgrounds
♦ resurface roads near
blandin before property
clean up
♦ curbs and sidewalks
♦ keep residential and
business separate
♦ reroute school buses
♦ sidewalks
♦ repave 11th Ave
♦ traffic control
♦ sound proof apartments
♦ street & alley lights
♦ Encourage better driving
for bike trails, maintain
businesses downtown for
easy access
♦ junky yards
♦ Plant trees along streets.
♦ more parks
♦ left turn lane at 169 and
8th Ave
♦ prohibit developers from
mowing down trees and
burning them with oil and
tires
♦ curbs would look nice
♦ mill noise, keep trees
♦ Noise from Blandin and
stock cars in summer
♦ update old buildings
♦ Roads need repair.
♦ less noise
♦ Keep the new hospital
area residential--don't
allow other businesses in
the area
♦ boulevard trees are
unhealthy, should be
replaced
♦ Nothing
♦ Improve police presence.
Patrol areas besides Hwys
2, 169 and 38.
♦ things are fine
♦ Work on a "charming"
downtown, don't keep
losing businesses to
suburban sprawl. Need to
be in touch
♦ Speeding cars
♦ People don't stop at stop
signs!
♦ Sidewalks need to be
fixed, enforce 4-way stops
@ 7th Ave & 6th St NW
♦ City sewer and water
♦ corner of city rd A &
ridgeway rd
♦ More street lights,
sidewalks
♦ Need dept. store(s)
♦ Patrolled for speeders
♦ minor blight, speed by
Murphy School
♦ Appearance and upkeep of
some homes is poor; new
street lights (on 2nd Ave.
NW) are very bright
♦ Get drug dealers under
control, traffic speed in
town
♦ Little parking available
near residence
♦ Market rate housing
♦ nothing
♦ Truck traffic on 7th St.
SE, more police patrol for
young speeders
♦ Streets
♦ Police patrols at night,
better street lights, control
traffic speed
♦ Trees gone . . .no further
development
♦ Alleyways need
improvements
♦ food service businesses
♦ fix street, curb, gutter
access to driveways
♦ Fast traffic
♦ Proper routing of bus
traffic and control of
speeding on Ridgewood
Road
♦ More lighting and speed
signs
♦ Clean up ditches
♦ Streets
♦ Fire hydrant too far away,
placement of stop signs,
no home mail delivery
♦ have a group home
♦ streets, speeding
♦ Left turn at 8th Ave and
169. There have been 10
accidents in six years I
have been here.
♦ Women's clothing store(s)
and/or dept. store
♦ Sidewalks needed, clean
up trailer parks and poorly
kept rental properties
♦ Nothing at this time
♦ Streets are bad--especially
7th Ave NW
♦ Speed limits
♦ Better play areas for preschoolers, better water
pressure
♦ nothing
♦ Quit raising property
taxes. eliminate new
assessments every other
year
♦ Street maintenance
♦ remodel rundown homes
♦ Lower taxes
♦ Sidewalks
♦ More trees
Page B30
♦ leash law, alternate
parking
♦ pave 1st block E of the
library, clean up trash by
Ogles
♦ 11th Ave NE in front of
our home is a race track.
Restrooms are needed by
soccer field
♦ Traffic controlled on 2nd
Ave.
♦ 1695 Traffic slowed
down, taxes too high for
retired people in their
homes
♦ Nothing
♦ More stop signs and street
lights
♦ Limit light and noise of
Potlatch. City sewer
would be good.
♦ Snow plowing on our side
of the street, yards get a
lot fo sand and salt on
them
♦ do not middle school
traffic push us out
♦ Better enforcement of
beach rule and noise rules
in the evening
♦ Public dock at Hale Lake
♦ Quality of housing, a lot
of garbage around, noisy
racetrack, inconsiderate
neighbors
♦ repave streets
♦ Better sidewalks
♦ enforce speed limits, limit
semis on residential streets
♦ Noise from trucks, race
track
♦ Traffic on 5th Ave.
♦ enforce traffic laws on 169
♦ Homes and yards need to
be improved
♦ More cultural activities
♦ Nothing
♦ Street improvements
♦ Hwy 38
♦ Speeding cars, noise
pollution (barking dogs)
and unsightly house at the
end of the block.
♦ Repair curb in front of
armory. Also First
Avenue needs repair
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦ Enforce leash laws and
speed limits
♦ Turn lane
♦ pave alleys
♦ upgrade rental property
♦ none
♦ Old middle school should
be redeveloped into
residential housing,
including affordable
housing
♦ Crystal Lake walk should
be improved and separated
from vehicular traffic.
Too much noise pollution
♦ underground power and
phone lines
♦ First Ave NE should be
repaired
♦ More lights in the alley
♦ Better roads
♦ clean up houses
♦ restrict it to present culde-sac
♦ remove deer, control
ATVs
♦ sidewalks
♦ The road should be tarred
and the street lights only
work part time
♦ clear a few more trees to
lake
♦ Fire hydrant on my
property, not corner.
Taxes, can't afford to live
here
♦ We need curbside
recycling
♦ Some sort of fence lower
the noise of the heavy
traffic I have to put up
with
♦ less residential
development, leave more
green space
♦ nothing
♦ Traffic flow on airport
road, hard to enter with no
stoplights
♦ more lights on 14th Ave
SW
♦ Need more street lights,
city water & sewer
♦ Repair sidewalks,
demolish derelict property
♦ Slow down the trucks on
169-200
♦ fewer dogs
♦ tar the alley
cancel plans for
♦ Okay as is
annexation
♦ Security lights
Clean up blighted homes
♦ city sewer & water
and yards, require
♦ keep business out of
landlords to maintain their
residential
property
♦ traffic, lack of good jobs
It's perfect
♦ controlled intersection @
Truck traffic should be
4th st SW & 169
rerouted
♦ potholes, more trees on
boulevards
♦ better streets with out fees
to locals, less business in
neighborhoods
♦ Speed limit is too high
♦ Good the way it is
♦ Better road conditions
♦ Not a thing.
♦ traffic, potholes
♦ less treatment of streets in
winter
♦ enforce leash laws
♦ Better landscaping
♦ road improvements, more
opportunities to meet
neighbors
♦ fix streets
♦ noisy neighbors
♦ enforce speeding laws
♦ Tar road to recycling
plant, more stores, Sears?
♦ Move the new school out
of town
♦ Limit variances allowed,
Why have ordinances if
can usually get variance.
♦ cut down traffic
♦ street by blandin beach
needs improvement
♦ keep deer in woods
♦ nothing
♦ slow traffic on 169 to
30MPH
♦ Nothing
♦ more stop signs & street
lights, better cable service
♦ city water & gas lines
♦ More parking for clinic
and hospital
♦ Fewer dogs.
♦ city sewer and water
♦ some yards look like junk
yards
♦ smell of sewer plant
♦ concerned about the
hospital on the Golf
Course Rd. the increase of
traffic to the SW area,
noise,
♦ Better health care--more
specialized care, upgrade
many streets
♦ leave it out of city limits
♦ Enforce cleanup of trash,
used cars, etc.
♦ Nothing
♦ way to much noise from
race track,
♦ Backyards on alleys need
to be cleaned up
♦ nothing
♦ Replace the curb and
gutter system
♦ Better patrolling from
police, to stop drag racing,
speeding cars
♦ Control noise making cars,
mufflers are loud,
especially at night
♦ our road needs children at
play sign, Oakland Park
equipment upgraded
♦ traffic control
♦ Slower traffic on 5th
Street
♦ need more benches on
Central School
♦ city water and sewer
♦ taxes are getting out of
hand, may have to leave
area to find cheaper place
♦ Problems re extension of
street
♦ noise control from
vehicles, children playing
in roads
♦ consistent housing types
♦ lighting, enforce speed
limits
♦ 7th Ave SE & intersection
7th ST SE needs a street
light; excessive vehicle
noise on 7th St. SE
♦ less money spent on
unneeded frills (?)
♦ patrol more and enforce
speed limits
♦ too many street lights
♦ water pressure
♦ slower speed limits on
Golf Course Road
♦ Streets on 2nd Ave SE are
a mess. Storm sewers
plugged for five years now
♦ "My immediate neighbor
should be encouraged to
move to the Antarctic."
♦ none
♦ add more stop signs
♦ be left alone
♦ unoccupied houses should
get torn down
♦ Nothing
♦ noisy training planes, car
mufflers
♦ repave Airport Road
♦ nothing
♦ update playground, bird
proof garbage
♦ lower taxes
♦ street lighting
♦ better streets
♦ more parks, less atv riding
on road
♦ traffic and train noise
♦ nothing
♦ streets
♦ relocate industry to
Boswell Energy Park
♦ No more development
♦ speed limits
♦ No new project housing
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
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nothing
Traffic on 38
Leave road alone
Slow down the trains for
less noise during early
morning hours.
Smell from the sewage
plant
sidewalk needed
traffic
gold course rd too busy,
speeding problems
noise from paper mill
better outside lighting
water pressure
more stop signs, children
at play and caution
stoplight @ 10th st & 7th
ave se
Hwy 38, extend sidewalk
to lakeshore place &
beyond
Street lights
new pavement
Too many park in front of
my house
move to new school
traffic
gas station turned into
truck stop in middle of
residential
Nothing
don't raise taxes and
insurance
less rental property
better walk/bike paths
around lakes
It's o.k. the way it is
move hwy 169 traffic to
Airport Road, remove the
old hospital
new neighbors
Nothing
need more trees
repair or resurface Airport
Road
stop massacre of
McKinney Lake
None
enforce speed limits
park space
less stop lights and traffic
development
neighbors should upkeep
lawns
Streets in poor condition
Traffic - speeding
Nothing
leave as is
speeders
make sure home lots are
kept at adequate size
improve sidewalks
blacktop road between 3rd
& 4th ave, 8th st SW
Mail delivery to each
household
Page B31
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦ Less train traffic
♦ Street upkeep; control
business expansion
♦ Less traffic
♦ road upkeep, better snow
removal
♦ would be nice to have Mill
shut down for supper
♦
♦ Old buildings condemned
and torn down
♦
♦ nothing
♦ Road should be paved and
♦
made part of city
♦
maintenance
♦ Add/improve sidewalks
♦ slow down 5h st traffic
and bike routes
♦ Slow down traffic
♦ bad roads
♦ Repair roads
♦ Rental property should be ♦ neighbors yards clean up
♦ no double wide homes, no
rented or torn down
morton buildings unless
♦ Everything is o.k.
out of public view
♦ review covenants
♦ Sidewalk to Catholic
originally attached to the
Church, at least variable
neighborhood
roadways to and from
♦ More police patrolling,
church at Mass change.
utility boxes in front yards
Impossible
are unattractive
♦ Should not be used as a
♦ More police patrol to
raceway to fairgrounds or
control loud vehicles,
snowmobile trails in
especially during early
winter
morning hours
♦ No more businesses and
♦ Nothing
apts. or Hope Houses
♦ Nothing
especially
♦ Nothing
♦ roads
♦ houses need repairs,
♦ clean up neighbors yards,
sidewalks, dogs running
drug dealers
loose
♦ sewer odor, stop signs
♦ Sidewalks
♦ Speed limits need to e
♦ Truck traffic through
monitored more closely or
residential area
reduced
♦ stop sign on 7th ave &
♦ fix shabby buildings, clean
golf course rd
up yards
♦ nothing
♦
Nothing
♦ home mail delivery
♦ during car show and fair,
♦ repair streets, leash law
parking on one side and
♦ Sidewalk repair
no alley parking
♦ Water pressure
♦ more sidewalks
♦ Clean up alleys
♦ O.K.
♦ a second access road to St.
♦ trim bushes and shrubs to
John's Church
make intersections more
♦ Outlaw old trailer homes
visible
and clean up blemished
♦ Improve streets and
property
sidewalks
♦ Nothing
♦ more street lighting
♦ Better sidewalks, east♦ Supervise ice rink in
west route north of 7th
winter, also kids hanging
Street
out in school yard in
♦ traffic control
summer
♦ Speed limit should be
♦ Nothing
enforced
♦ Rezone commercial and
♦ Would re-route Catholic
residential as it once was
church traffic off of SW
♦ Turn down the loud music
3rd Ave.
♦ traffic
♦ patrol traffic
♦ control speed on S
♦ different route to catholic
Pokegama
church
♦ Nothing
♦ control noise from car
♦ nothing
radios and mufflers
Signs for children around
Truck jake break noise
cleaner air
Airport Road
hook up to natural gas
side walk from Woodland
Manor to Wal Mart
slow traffic on new 2nd
Ave
destructive deer in the
hood
3rd ave alley street
lower taxes
♦ GR should not try to take
in so many people
♦ more street cleaning and
maintaining of gravel
roads on end of block
♦ road on the east side of Ice
Lake
♦ Noise. Some neighbors
should clean up their yards
♦ pedestrian cross sign by
YMCA
♦ Relocate Detention Center
and Water Treatment plant
♦ Road noise
♦ Enforce traffic and noise
laws
♦ need street lights on last 23 blocks of 5th W
♦ Clean wooded area near
sliding hill.
♦ There are several rental
properties that need
upgrading
♦ slow down traffic on
Pokegama Ave and
Crystal Lake Rd
♦ need black top road
♦ Property values/taxes too
high for elderly
♦ Corner lots assessed less
than center lots
♦ Some places need yards
cleaned up--trash and junk
♦ Water and sewer hookup
♦ NW roads need work, stop
signs at St. Joseph's
Church should be
switched
♦ stop sign at Reynolds and
7 Ave NE, water, power
♦ We like it the way it is.
♦ No changes
♦ None
♦ upkeep of yards and stop
dogs from barking
♦ nothing
♦ law enforcement, more
stop signs
♦ Nothing
♦ Quit working on streets,
dig them up, reassess
property owners, really fix
them or leave them alone
♦ street quality
♦ Better water pressure.
Less Sand and Salt in
streets in winter. Lower
taxes. Control traffic
speed
♦ Four way stops on 7th
Ave & 7th St.
♦ traffic
♦ Traffic speed is too high
♦ speeding
♦ less construction
♦ Nothing
♦ Trees added,
parks/flowers,
curb/gutter/street
improvements
♦ traffic & speeding
♦ noise, speeding
♦ strictly residential
♦ lighting
♦ street is terrible
♦ Nothing
♦ Sidewalks need repair,
slow down traffic
♦ traffic
♦ some yard work
♦ We like it the way it is
♦ RR crossing
♦ traffic
♦ clean up neighborhood
♦ street lighting, law
enforcement
♦ tar streets
♦ road construction
♦ Danson Rd speed limit to
45mph
♦ extend park along river
♦ No outdoor dogs in town!!
No loud stereos
♦ no parking signs should be
posted on 5th Ave during
fair events
♦ semi traffic, traffic noise
♦ Increase water pressure
♦ Leave as is
♦ more police patrol
♦ Move races out of town
♦ ATVs running
everywhere. Litter public
accesses and roadsides
♦ Speed bumps needed,
traffic problems generally
♦ nothing
♦ don't feel safe
♦ tar roads
♦ Traffic - new frontage
road to Home Depot, Cub,
etc.
♦ Improve alley--add class 5
♦ Walkway for pedestrians
along Isleview/Horseshoe
Lake Road
♦ traffic control
♦ ninth ave needs
resurfacing
♦ nothing
♦ streets
♦ traffic on 7th St
♦ Not a thing
♦ Highway 38 speed limit
30 mph in city limits
♦ Cars ignoring stop signs,
speeding
♦ Pretty nice the way it is
♦ repair Airport Road
♦ correction in the
assessment policy
♦ traffic light on 10th Ave
and 169
♦ Police enforce laws re
speeding and loud
vehicles
♦ Route Hwys 2 and 169
and railroad around town
♦ Bigger sized lots (zoning)
fewer homes crowded
together
♦ We still have a dirt road
♦ control people feeding
deer and dog owners need
to pick up poop
♦ resisting the annexation
model of bigger is better
♦ the streets - 2nd ave
♦ More police patrol
♦ Tar Road
♦ Widen the road as the new
school is behind our house
♦ Traffic control, loud
exhaust
♦ better lighting, roads fixed
♦ sidewalks
♦ Enforce 40 mph speed
limit on Cnty Rd. 76
♦ roads
♦ enforce speed limit
♦ all the junk should be
removed and people who
put it there should be fined
if they don’t clean it up
♦ speed limit signs on 13th
st, ped crossing sign by
senior housing & kmart
♦ lots cleaned up
♦ nothing
♦ St. Joseph Church is no
longer here
♦ rowdy neighbors at times,
more law enforcement
♦ none
♦ Enforce traffic laws
♦ high school traffic control
♦ Weekend bus system
♦ No comment
♦ Encourage Catholic
Church to use main hwy
routes
♦ less traffic
♦ Taxes too high, cars
parked in street, hard to
get out of our driveway
because of neighbors' cars
♦ less weekend traffic
♦ better street lighting,
lower speed limits in
residential areas
♦ nothing
♦ Keep pets on leashes or
indoors
♦ Commercial development,
Re: Apartments, Condos
♦ traffic drives to fast
♦ keep dogs and cats in their
own yards
♦ golf course road noise
Page B32
♦ moved here to get away
from city life
♦ Need city septic, water
and lights
♦ roads
♦ repair street
♦ road maintenance
♦ clean up litter, lots of
barking dogs
♦ Slow down cars and trucks
♦ more street lights,
neighborhood watch
♦ Cars with loud music and
speeding
♦ Less traffic, more police
to slow down fast drivers
♦ street drainage, bad roads
and lighting
♦ sidewalks
♦ litter along the road, map
wrong
♦ drainage in alley goes into
garage and yard
♦ Stop sign on corner of 4th
Ave. and 13th St. Cars
race up and down the
street.
♦ Rotweiller next door, yard
not kept clean.
♦ odor from disposal plant
♦ ATVs tear up county
property when it is wet
♦ Nothing
♦ Nothing
♦ less traffic
♦ none
♦ clean up eyesore
businesses
♦ Speeding cars, loud
mufflers and music after
9:00 p.m.
♦ Fine the way it is now
♦ Keep the City of GR from
annexing us
♦ road for catholic church to
use
♦ earlier snowmobile curfew
♦ foster homes should have
limited # of children
♦ fill the holes form running
water mains @ end of
11th Ave and Hy 2 E
♦ the speed on hwy 38
♦ Traffic too fast on NE 3rd
Ave.
♦ Should be allowed privacy
fence
♦ its ok the way it is
♦ 5th st ......
♦ 9th ave NW between 5th
& 7th St - Now
♦ Repair streets
♦ pave the alley
♦ Constant electrical power
problems
♦ Update playground
♦ Speed limit on the
Highway needs to be
enforced
♦ speeding cars, high taxes
♦ nothing
♦ more streetlights
♦ nothing
♦ nothing
♦ 300 kids for Halloween is
♦
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♦
too many, crack down on
loud cars and reckless
driving
control junk in yards and
businesses
Nothing
O.K. the way it is
City sewer
the neighbors, Blandin
property should be
cleaned up
traffic enforcement
traffic patrolling
Stop businesses in homes
and build more
apartments, get utilities
installed
O.K. as is
nothing
Nothing
Change west side of 169
between McDonalds and
Sawmill Inn to
commercial
lower taxes
Right now, everything is
fine
speeding
some neighbors need
clean up yard
Lower taxes
west side of 169 S should
be commercial
Street improvement
Traffic
Need dept. store
Control noisy traffic
Speeding traffic, trash
♦
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♦ A resident with several
cars needing repair
♦ Better streets
♦ Natural gas available
♦ could use more
landscaping
♦ Hwy38 wider
♦ better traffic control
♦ Clean up yards--boats,
trailers, barrels--items no
longer used
♦ Nothing
♦ city water and sewer
♦ Road needs to be widened
which is being done Hwy
38, sidewalk along Hwy
38 would be a asset to
elder
♦ nothing
♦ better traffic control in
front of YMCA
♦ street improvement
♦ gather leaves sooner
♦ more biking and walking
paths
♦ junky businesses
♦ repair streets
♦ Water and sewer
♦ Nothing
♦ Car speed and loud music
on the streets
♦ Too many
thrown on streets and
yards
Landscaping around my
apartment building. As it
is looks institutional
instead of like an
attractive
Slow down the traffic
Slow--children at play
signs. My dog was killed
last year and people speed
on this road because it'
swimming area on all
lakes
Nothing
more parks in SW
Nothing I can think of
Sidewalk would be nice.
Awful to ride a bike, walk
or push a stroller on Hwy
38 to get to town
nothing needs to be
changed
More restrictions on rental
property maintenance
less traffic on 21st street
nothing
3rd st NW
Provide natural gas
slow down traffic on
Ridgewood Rd
more stop signs
none
enforce speed limits
new sidewalks
Wider road with shoulders
for ease in walking
traffic speed too high
Question 6a: Please list two reasons why you like living in Grand Rapids:
♦ small town living with
some big city feels
♦ size of community
♦ small town
♦ small town
♦ rural setting
♦ slow pace
♦ small town flavor
♦ quiet
♦ size
♦ small, has needed
amenities
♦ progressive, yet rural
♦ quaint
♦ safe place to raise kids
♦ comfortable
♦ small community
♦ not too big of a town
♦ rural wooded atmosphere
♦ small
♦ small town
♦ size
♦ small community,
children’s activities
♦ small community
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
size
small town
size
small
small city, good services
pace of life, traffic, job is
calm
size
size
from northern MN
size
small town but most
amenities we need
small town
small town, close to the
great outdoors
rural atmosphere
small community
small town
small
small
small town
small
small town
small community
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
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♦
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♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
small town
small town
small town
small town
small town feel
small town
small town
size
small town
small town
small town feel
rural setting
small town with large
town features
nice size town, people,
safe
slow pace of life
small town
quiet little town
small town
everything you need
without the big city
low population
small town lifestyle
small town atmosphere
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
small town
small town, slow pace
small town
small town
small town
small town feeling
small town
small town
small town, lakes, golfing
size
small town
rural setting
Small town atmosphere
Size of city
Size of town
Size of city
City is right size
Nice size of town
Small community
Size
Small town
Size of community
Small town
♦ Small community
♦ Good size town, nice to
raise children
♦ Small community
♦ Away from big cities
♦ Small town
♦ Small town living
♦ Small town
♦ Small community
♦ Small town atmosphere
♦ Small town, people
♦ Little town
♦ Smaller, quieter
♦ Small town
♦ Small town, friendly
♦ Size of city
♦ Size of town
♦ Small—like to stay small
♦ Nice clean town
♦ Not overcrowded
♦ Small town
♦ Population density
Page B33
♦ Small town
♦ Affordable cost of living
♦ Small friendly town with
numerous activities
♦ Small
♦ Smaller community
♦ Small city
♦ Small town—quicker
access to everything,
clean air
♦ Moved from cities to
retire, less traffic
♦ Small
♦ Not crowded
♦ Small town community
♦ It is a small town
♦ Right size city
♦ Hometown feel
♦ Small town & quiet
♦ Size of City
♦ Rural nature of
community
♦ Small, quiet town
♦ Small town feel w/big
town amenities
♦ Mostly a small, quiet
town
♦ No people
♦ Town size
♦ Life Style
♦ Small town friendly
♦ Small town feel
♦ Like the area
♦ Small town with big city
amenities
♦ Safe
♦ Size of community and
ability to get involved
♦ It is small
♦ Small enough to reach any
place in 10 min.
♦ Small town feel
♦ Small town feeling
♦ Like the size of the town
♦ Desire to live in a small
community, born here
♦ Small town
♦ Small, quiet community
♦ City is size I want to be in
♦ Small town living
♦ Good place to raise a
family
♦ Small town
♦ Small town feeling,
knowing many people
here
♦ Small enough to enjoy
♦ Size of town
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Small town
Smaller town
Right size of city
Not a metro area
Right size
Small enough to be
friendly
Size and location, beauty
of the city
Small town
Small enough to get
around in
Jobs
Small town feel
Job was here; smaller
town
Handy for shopping
Small feeling with lots of
places to go
Smaller community
Small town feel, country
atmosphere
Enjoy small town living
Small town
Employment
Slow pace of life
Smaller population of
people, yet has amenities
Small population
Small enough to know a
lot of people
Small town
Small town
Nice-sized town
Perfect size
Small community,
hometown feeling
Small “big” town
Small community
Small enough, easy to get
around
Lifestyle
small community
small town atmosphere,
but convenient shopping
my job in here
Very low crime, small
town
safe feeling in
community, small town
with resources
job here
Good schools and health
services
smaller city, great for
families
small clean town
I like the small town it
“was” when I moved here
in 1998
♦ nice sized town for
driving in
♦ small town feeling
♦ small town values with
lots of activities
♦ location
♦ town, not city with citylike convenience
♦ its not overdeveloped like
larger towns
♦ easy to get places
♦ small town
♦ convenience
♦ small town feel
♦ small community
♦ reasonable size, natural
resources
♦ like small towns
♦ semi rural setting
♦ affordable, small town
atmosphere
♦ small town
♦ small town
♦ small city with lots of
amenities
♦ small town
♦ close to most activities &
needs
♦ convenient
♦ good schools, beauty,
lakes
♦ best town
♦ small town feel
♦ community size
♦ small town
♦ size
♦ size
♦ small town
♦ small town big city qual
♦ small town
♦ small town feel, lack of
traffic
♦ small town feel
♦ size, climate, location
♦ small town
♦ convenience
♦ small town living
♦ small town
♦ God’s country
♦ small town
♦ small town
♦ small community
♦ small town
♦ small town
♦ small, friendly community
♦ moderate in size
♦ small town
♦ medium size town
♦ small town
♦ small town
♦ small
♦ population size
♦ size
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
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♦
♦
♦
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♦
♦
small community
town life
small town
small town
small town
small town
small community
small community
rural
small town
small town
size
nice little town
small town
small town
small community
little town w/ big town
stores
small town
size of town
enjoy smaller towns
small town
small town
small town
small town
small city
small town
small community
small town boy
small
small
small town
small town
small town feel
right size town
small town
small town feel
small town
small town
small town yet growing
small town
close to shopping
size of town
not too populated,
peaceful
small town
small town feel
small town
small town
small town
rural atmosphere
busy small town
size
I grew up here, small
town feeling
Size
size of community
size of the town
size of town
size of town
small community
small community
small town
small town
small town
small town
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small town
small town
small town
small town
small town
small town
small town
small town feel
small town feel
friendly small town
convenience
proactive city
fit for survival
rural setting
not many people
size
country living
small town living
with big-town amenities
Small town living even
though some amenities
missing
It’s home (hometown
atmosphere)
small town
small town
reasonable sized town
Businesses yet still small
town
Smallness
Small town living
I like it
Nice, small city
Small town
small town
small city
small town
small community
small, home town feeling
size of town
Smaller community
Smaller City
Small town atmosphere,
hopefully town will not
grow too large
Peaceful small town
Smaller town life style
Quiet town away from
Mpls!
Nice size
Small community
Small population
Not a big city
Small town environment
smaller community
small town, less traffic
small city
small city
small town
Page B34
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size
small, alot of businesses
small town feeling
much nicer than St. Paul
small town with big town
features
not to large
It is not the Twin Cities!
Size of town
Like the size of the city
Prefer small towns to city
life
Small town
Safe
Appealing entering city
from any direction
Size
Like living in a small
town
I like a small town
Small town feeling
I moved here to be closer
to my family and away
from metro area
Nice sized town
Size—population
Nice size friendly town
Nice little town
Wouldn’t want to live in a
larger city
Size
Not too crowded
Nice town
home town atmosphere
The size of the town
friendly
small town
small town
small town
low population
small town feel
small town living
small town
small
small and safe
small town
small town
Not too big, but has
amenities
Large stores, still small
town atmosphere
Not a fast paced city
Not too big
Small town w/big city
assets
Small town feel—feel
safe
Less of a rat race
Small town
away from violence of
cities
right size
small city
still small enough
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size of town
small town
small town
small town feeling
small town living
small town
small
small town flavor
small town
size
small town, friendly
smaller city
small, but has everything
small enough to feel safe
small town atmosphere,
rich in natural resources
small town
Small town USA
Small town
not a large city
small town
small
town size
small town
location
small town
small town
living in a place where
you know the people &
they know you
community here just the
right size
away from big city life
size
close to shopping
opportunities for children
close to shopping and
schools
new businesses
great shopping
cultural events
good educational and
cultural facilities
good schools
close to shopping
schools
facilities
schools
good education system
fine arts
has everything that is
needed
good schools
good restaurants
close to businesses
good medical facilities
good shopping and dining
shopping
convenience
great facilities
fine arts and performances
at Reif Center
lots of stores
♦ good services
♦ good schools
♦ have most things needed
here
♦ good shopping
♦ school district
♦ like all amenities
♦ good shopping
♦ hospital
♦ cultural opportunities
♦ Convenient shopping
♦ Variety of stores
♦ Community has
everything needed
♦ Plenty of variety for
shopping
♦ More stores
♦ Great schools
♦ Nice city
♦ Library
♦ Near to services
♦ Good shopping areas and
restaurants
♦ Small city but fulfills
most needs
♦ Nice shopping
♦ East access to businesses
and shops
♦ Shopping
♦ Diversify economy
♦ Good schools, churches,
college, Reif Ctr, etc.
♦ Reif Center
♦ You can get to wherever
you need to in 10 minutes
of less
♦ Excellent schools & many
churches
♦ Good people, schools,
services
♦ Close to shopping
♦ Large town benefits in
northwoods small town
♦ Good public services
♦ Everything we need is
right here
♦ Most everything here, less
mad traffic
♦ Good education system
♦ Moved from rural home
because town living is
easier.
♦ Proximity to large public
land base for various
amenities
♦ GR has almost everything
a person needs
♦ Worked here
♦ Convenient shopping area
for retirees
♦ We can get anything we
need.
♦ Like the convenience of
businesses
♦ Many churches to choose
from
♦ Location
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Location
Health facilities
Good shopping
Easy access to businesses
& services
Good schools
Convenience
Reif Center
Most commercial and
social needs are met here
Close to the stores
Excellent school system
Stores, etc.
GR offers many
competitive retail
businesses & restaurants
Good schools
Conveniences
Location
Close to businesses,
schools, hospital, etc.
We have most of what we
need here. Don’t often
have to leave town
Hub of surrounding areas
A lot to do and shopping
Convenient
Has everything we need
Education system
With new business
coming we have
everything
School district
Close to lots of shopping
Convenience
Transportation—airport,
buses, taxis
Easy access to stores—not
happy about IGA moving
Easy access to either end
of town for personal use
Close to hospital
Children established in
school here
Convenience
Great libraries and beach
Small town but offers all
the essentials
Small community that
offers many things
Small town with big city
conveniences
Small town
atmosphere/large town
opportunities
Great schools
good services
good entertainment
centers
Services
Convenience to all
shopping
Lots of good stores
good mix of business
schools
good schools
good schools
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everything needed is here
schools, library, etc..
conveniences
college, blandin
good medical services
proximity to quality
institutions
lots of different business
lakes, bus service to
Duluth
community services
plenty of places to trade
YMCA, Library
access to stores
hospital & clinic
facilities offered for
seniors
close to business
lots of stores
city utilities
good shopping
easy & fast access to
services
has necessary services
shopping
good medical facilities
good amenities (Reif
Center)
most services needed are
available
good selection of stores &
restaurants
close to everything
schools
easy access to business
commercial & service
quality
everything needed
easy access to services
good shopping
shopping
good business area
good business area
convenience for shopping
everything needed close
by
close to stores
for size of community,
offers a lot
close to stores
good schools
provides most services
needed
big enough to get what’s
needed
Rief Center
like high school area
good retail stores
good facilities
good schools and children
programs
lots of shopping
high degree of education
and culture
most services available
has all conveniences or a
large town
Page B35
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convenient facilities
good schools
has everything I need
Good schools and hospital
Discount stores, shopping
Has all the amenities
Adequate retail choices
Has all I need to sustain
life
Large enough to have
good art, music, sports,
etc.
Shopping is good
Lots of stores for
shopping
Good schools
Access to many amenities
not offered in a town of
similar size
Beautiful library
Cosmopolitan
Good shopping
Good restaurants and
shopping
Has most things we need
Close to just about
everything
Schools and medical care
Big city amenities
Amenities
Big town convenience
Ability to get anyplace in
town in 10 min. or less
Connections to the area
Can do most shopping
here
Variety of businesses
Has my basic needs
Good shopping
Good school system
Big city resources
Large enough for what I
need
Fair shopping and grocery
stores
New business locating
here
Easy getting children to
activities
Provides everything one
needs
Good community
services—shopping,
medical and recreation
Good schools
Wide variety of services
many opportunities for
kids in school system and
community
convenient shopping and
good restaurants
more benches to sit
city utilities
easy hospital & clinic
access
clinic & hospital
good schools
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good shopping & schools
always stores opening
arts programs
shopping
air travel access
city amenities
adequate shopping
shops conveniently
located
shopping
getting decent stores
school system
good schools
good schools & hospital
many amenities
education system
almost every time of
business needed
large city amenities
quality schools
good shopping except
clothes
located near community
facilities
sufficient services
close to the doctor
easy access to stores
YMCA and library
close to medical care
shopping
service hub
library college, hospital
good shopping
close to medical care
good YMCA
good educational facilities
Rief Center shows
Neighborhood schools
Reif Center
Shopping
Good medical services,
law enforcement
Close to stores
Cultural opportunities
many places to shop
facilities
retail variety
schools, hospital
plenty of shopping &
eating
public trans
shopping centers
hosp & docs clean
health care
easy to get around
city govt. takes good care
of streets, public utilities,
parks, downtown
good transportation
convenience for medical
needed amenities
Diversity of services
available
♦ Lakes, streams, arts &
theater
♦ Like small town, but
things available to do, like
Reif Center
♦ Don’t like big city
shopping
♦ Small city with big town
advantages
♦ school system
♦ convenient retail
♦ has most advantages of
large city
♦ Variety of retail and other
businesses
♦ Business diversity from
central mall to large
discount stores
♦ convenient shopping
♦ services, arts. medical
offerings for a community
this size
♦ library & schools
♦ accessibility to education
♦ shopping
♦ library
♦ good schools
♦ cultural, arts, educational
opportunities
♦ Cultural life, Rief Center
♦ Good schools
♦ Shopping
♦ Good for shopping, except
clothes
♦ Services - public utilities,
etc., have been excellent
♦ Friendly small town, great
shopping
♦ Friendly, adequate
shopping for town of this
size
♦ Nice clean town with all
the stores we need
♦ Safe community/schools
♦ Good schools; exceptional
cultural opportunities
♦ Something for everyone
here
♦ shopping getting better
♦ schools
♦ healthcare
♦ good amenities
♦ library, Reif Center,
College
♦ good medical and police
force
♦ good hospital
♦ convenient
♦ commercial and social
activities
♦ good schools
♦ nice shopping
♦ Social offerings
♦ Adequate shopping
♦ Adequate shopping
♦ Many amenities for a
small town
♦ Shopping nearby
♦ Good shopping
♦ Ease of access to my
shopping needs
♦ Shopping areas are
adequate for all of us
♦ Church, lakes, parks
♦ Lots of seasonal
recreation
♦ Convenient
♦ Shopping is adequate for
necessities
♦ Beautiful area, distance to
activities close
♦ Quality school system
♦ Plenty to do nearby
♦ Strong law and fire
control
♦ Good variety of stores
♦ Excellent police, fire and
public services
♦ Close to larger shopping
opportunities
♦ Good shopping facilities
♦ Store and shopping, but
like smaller town feeling
♦ Good schools, everything
you need close by
♦ Access to area facilities
♦ plenty of shopping close
♦ the service and quality of
schools
♦ good retail facilities
♦ good medical facilities
♦ great schools &
opportunities
♦ ample shopping & dining
♦ has everything needed
♦ restaurants
♦ pretty good services
♦ diverse businesses
♦ close to hospital
♦ stores
♦ most needs are met
♦ lots of businesses
♦ variety of services
♦ adequate shopping
♦ everything needed is here
♦ all the business we need
♦ safe, great schools
♦ great variety for shopping
stores
♦ nice restaurants and
shopping
♦ The shopping mall
♦ You can buy everything
you need
♦ Shopping, stores and
restaurants
♦ Variety of stores
♦ Lots of retail
♦ Good schools
♦ Service and adequate
shopping
♦ Bus service is good
♦ Arts and entertainment
♦ Size and location
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More business in the area
Health
Convenient shopping hub
modern schools and
churches
close to needs
education valued
mostly everything needed
here
close to stores
business
services available
most needs are accessible
good non profit
collaborations
convenience
arts, library, Blandin
Paper
convenience of shopping
cultural outlets
good educational and
medical facilities
good schools
easy access to shopping
lots of things going on
good facilities
good facilities
Target and Walmart
everything needed in town
has all services needed
have everything needed
convenient shopping
Shopping
great schools
convenient location to
healthcare
lots of goods & services
has a lot of the major
necessities
good community facilities
services; shopping
involved citizens
family oriented
close community
community spirit
sense of community
support towards non profit
and youth programs
Born here
Family oriented
Roots
Vibrant business activity
Vibrant community,
including downtown,
schools, job opportunities
It is a growing community
Progressive
Home for 53 years
Born and raised here
GR does well in serving
its residents
Community pride
Raised here and love the
sense of community
Here all my life
Diverse activities to be
involved in
Page B36
♦ Like the town
♦ It is an active, civicminded town
♦ Good place to raise kids
♦ Citizens dedicated to
community
♦ Hometown
♦ Upbeat community
attitude
♦ Small city, but many
activities
♦ A growing community
♦ Grew up here
♦ Growth and progress
♦ Raised here
♦ Good location for senior
citizens
♦ Doctor
♦ Born here
♦ Area affords diversity,
people and recreation
♦ Sense of community
♦ Nice community
♦ Born and raised here
♦ Keeps up with the times
♦ Hometown, beautiful
♦ Great community
♦ Strong community spirit
♦ Industrious community,
steady growth
♦ People are civic-minded
♦ I grew up here
♦ Innovative, forward
thinking community
♦ up and coming city
♦ G.R. has outstanding
leadership
♦ Good Senior programs
♦ friendly community
♦ church is here
♦ proud community
♦ nice community
♦ energetic community
♦ culture
♦ community involvement
♦ community events
♦ people who care about
community
♦ I like No. Minnesota
♦ family oriented
♦ community values
♦ Education, friendly
people, home for 55 years
♦ Big city amenities
♦ Hometown where I grew
up
♦ Great people who care
about the community
♦ Good business community
♦ Attitude of people
♦ Closely knit community
♦ General friendly
atmosphere
♦ interest of citizens about
town
♦ similar values of residents
♦ family oriented
♦ Upbeat town
♦ Good government, city
upkeep
♦ Good leaders
♦ Friendly city. Lots going
on.
♦ Upbeat city, improving
and growing
♦ Good services
♦ Silly politics
♦ Nice town to live in
♦ Great programs for kids—
great town to raise kids
♦ Hospital
♦ active community
♦ Nice and pretty
community
♦ community
♦ strong family community
♦ community involvement
♦ residents take pride in
their homes
♦ Simplicity
♦ Moving with the times
♦ Great place to raise
children
♦ Sense of community,
especially at YMCA
♦ Many opportunities for
people
♦ It’s home to me
♦ Good place to be
♦ It is an up and coming
town
♦ It has been my home for
47 years
♦ American
♦ community spirit
♦ support of education
♦ Strong social interest and
emphasis in the arts
♦ I like being here
♦ well managed community
♦ citizen participation in
gov. decisions
♦ It’s a great place to raise
kids
♦ the community
♦ community
♦ mall town, honest, hard
working
♦ Quiet
♦ Safe, quiet
♦ Schools
♦ Good school system
♦ close to job
♦ I operate a business in
G.R.
♦ close to work
♦ close to work
♦ jobs
♦ close to job
♦ employed
♦ employment
♦ more business coming
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progressive community
work
job
job
employment
progressive
employment
employment
prosperous town
Economic growth
potential
close to hunting and
fishing
lots of family activities
lakes
recreation
close to Chippewa
National Forest
close to wilderness
near lakes
cultural events
hunting and fishing
access to scenic areas
recreational opportunities
recreation
lakes, rivers, trees
lakes
golf courses
close to lakes
recreation
lakes and woods
close access to hobbies
access to lakes and woods
access to outdoor
recreation
lakes and access to state
and federal lands
ability to us Isaak Walton
park daily
close to activities
close to forests and lakes
Woods/lakes outdoor
activity
The area, geography,
lakes, etc.
Enjoy lake country
Activities
Outdoor recreation
Lakes and large forest that
surround the community
Surrounding lakes
Close to hunting & fishing
Recreation
Lakes, beauty of nature
Close to lakes
Woods
Mine pit lakes
Close to lakes/outdoor
opportunities
Proximity to woods and
lakes
Lakes
Good fishing
Close to hunting & fishing
Recreational opportunities
♦ Programs for children
♦ Lakes, parks and trees
♦ Access to outdoor
activities
♦ Close to lakes and country
♦ Golf course
♦ Outdoor enthusiast
♦ Walkway around Ice Lake
♦ Recreational
opportunities, golf course
and library
♦ Close availability to lakes
and woods for hunting
and fishing
♦ Recreational opportunities
♦ Fishing, hunting and
boating
♦ Seasonal changes
♦ Lakes
♦ Natural beauty
♦ Close to hunting and
fishing
♦ Environment (lakes,
forests, etc.)
♦ Community functions for
seniors
♦ Lake region is handy
♦ Lakes, trees
♦ Lakes and forests
♦ Lakes
♦ Close to lakes and fishing
activities
♦ Accessible to north woods
♦ Natural resources
♦ Ready access to lakes and
woods
♦ Close to lakes and
recreation
♦ Close to woods and lakes
♦ Lakes and trees
♦ Outdoor recreation
♦ Close to lakes
♦ Outdoor environment
♦ Many things to do if one
had own transportation
♦ Lots of parks
♦ Recreational reasons
♦ location in the state, near
hunting
♦ surrounding lakes
♦ recreational activities, ie;
hunting, fishing
♦ fishing
♦ access to outdoors
♦ recreation
♦ recreation
♦ recreation
♦ small community = big
city like
♦ lakes
♦ lots of good entertainment
♦ lakes
♦ lakes and nature
♦ lakes & Mississippi
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enjoy public land in area
YMCA
recreation
close to recreation
recreation
lakes
close to lakes and woods
lakes & trees
recreation
good parks & bike trails
lakes
close to recreation
location lake country
golf courses
lakes in and surrounding
town
hunting
close to good fishing
close to recreation
lake area
recreation
lakes & forest
close to recreation
vast variety of things to
do
was a great small
community with
outstanding outdoor
activity
near lakes and rivers
lakes
proximity to forests and
lakes
city of lakes & trees
natural resources
close to recreational
lakes and rivers
close to recreation
opportunities
recreation
close to recreation
proximity to natural areas
and lakes
access to lakes and woods
close to lakes
lakes, rivers, woods
near lakes and woods
recreation
Close to hunting and
fishing
Great outdoor recreation
area
Less crime—better place
to raise children
Proximity to lakes and
woods
Fishing areas, scenery,
nice people
Location for outdoor
activities
Lakes
Close to lakes and river
Close to lakes and
wildlife, country
Close to outdoor
recreation
Page B37
♦ Recreational activities—
hunting and fishing
♦ Close to fishing
♦ Close to outdoor
recreation
♦ enjoy programs,
showboat, culture
♦ recreation
♦ lands, recreation trails
♦ close to recreation
♦ lakes
♦ lakes, woods
♦ lakes, seasons
♦ lakes & streams close by
♦ lakes
♦ fishing & hunting
♦ lakes
♦ lake access
♦ recreation
♦ close to outdoor
recreation
♦ Love the outdoors
♦ close to good recreation
facilities
♦ great entertainment and
activities, lakes, bike trails
♦ Great facilities such as
Reif, Y
♦ Organizations and cultural
events
♦ Big city but close to the
woods
♦ Beautiful wooded areas
♦ golf course
♦ lots of activities
♦ easy access to outdoors,
green
♦ lakes close by, good
snowmobile trails
♦ recreation
♦ Recreation
♦ Itasca County natural
resources
♦ Outdoors activities are
second to none
♦ Love the lakes and woods
♦ Activities for all segments
of society
♦ Cross country ski trails
♦ Arts, sports facilities,
education system
♦ youth activities
♦ northern MN environment
♦ recreation
♦ theatre, showboat
♦ Lakes
♦ lakes in town
♦ Entertainment and
recreational programs
available
♦ Lakes
♦ Beautiful Mississippi
headwaters
♦ Woods
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Library
fishing
lakes, fishing
lots of activities
Close to hunting and
fishing
Great cultural events, Reif
Recreation
Winter recreation
Lakes, trails and outdoor
activities
Close to fishing
Lakes, forests and outdoor
recreation
Access to fishing and
hunting
Lakes are still clean
Beautiful lakes
Reef Center
recreation
close to recreation
recreation
lakes & waters
scenery
outdoor activities
lakes and trees
lakes and forests
woods and lakes
close to lakes and forest
lakes in the city
Lakes
Symphonies, concerts,
plays
Green space
Close to good fishing
Nearby lakes
Recreation, lakes,
hunting, golf
Lots of lakes
Recreational opportunities
Lakes and beautiful
scenery
Lots of outdoor stuff to do
Close to lakes and nature
natural areas with easy
access
outdoors
nice lakes
resources
lake & forest access
recreation
recreation
summer activities
recreation
availability to outdoors
lakes and trees
close to lakes and forest
lake access
close to good lakes
water access
education, recreation,
culture
close to hunting and
fishing
♦ close to lakes and
shopping
♦ Access to woods and
lakes
♦ Lakes
♦ Recreational areas
♦ Lakes
♦ Close to many federal and
state recreation areas
♦ Good fishing in the area
♦ outdoor rec.
♦ lakes
♦ hunt & fish
♦ lakes
♦ outdoor activities
♦ recreation
♦ proximity to recreation
♦ safe
♦ law abiding community
♦ clean air
♦ environmental beauty
♦ clean
♦ quiet
♦ quiet
♦ clean
♦ quality of life
♦ quiet, safe, friendly
♦ clean
♦ clean
♦ high standards of living
♦ great place to raise
children
♦ great town for raising
children
♦ clean
♦ clean
♦ clean
♦ safe and quiet
♦ clean
♦ clean air, lakes, trees,
river
♦ quality of life
♦ clean
♦ clean, friendly
♦ clean
♦ clean, fair city
♦ beautiful, clean, many
parks
♦ Good environment for
raising children
♦ Cultured for a small town
♦ I was born here, never
cared to leave
♦ Safety
♦ Home for 55 years
♦ Like everything about GR
♦ Quality town
♦ Lakes in town
♦ Clean
♦ I was born and raised here
♦ Love of the lakes and
woods
♦ Quality of life
♦ Friendly and peaceful
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Quality of life
Low crime rate
Lived here al my life.
Quiet community
Like the area
Feel comfortable, not
congested
Quiet
Progressive, clean city
Low crime rate
Beauty of trees and lakes
Nice place for seniors.
Safe community for
raising kids
Clean and safe
community
Location
Peaceful
Clean and neat
Downtown and its
potential
Grew up here
It is a friendly, good place
to live
Environment
Lakes and river in town.
Small town, cultural
activities
Slower paced life
Born here
Beautiful trees
Safety
Far removed from Twin
Cities
Lived here since 1948,
upkeep keeps town
looking good
Peaceful
Enjoy the overall
community
Quiet change from Fargo
Parks, quiet, clean
Quality of life
Area
Arts
Family lives here and
surrounding area
Grew up here
My birthplace
Clean
Lived here most of my
life, lots of friends
Area is beautiful
I was born here, this is
home
My hometown
Beauty of area
Family came here in
1940s
Near relatives
Lifetime resident
Less traffic, peaceful town
Great area to raise
children
Fairly quiet town
♦ Small town amenities but
lots of
resources/community
events
♦ Few violent acts
♦ Hometown all our lives
♦ Beautiful
♦ Pretty, well kept
♦ Safe place to raise kids
♦ Quiet
♦ Clean
♦ Greenery
♦ Lakes and pines, fresh air
♦ Nice, clean town
♦ Pretty, beautiful
♦ Clean, well managed
community
♦ Home all our lives
♦ I grew up here
♦ Clean city
but arts and theater here
too
♦ Lived here all my life
♦ Clean town
♦ Nice town
♦ Moved to GR from out of
state 30 years ago. Raised
family here.
♦ Well
developed/clean/family is
close
♦ Semi-rural, Northern MN
atmosphere
♦ Trees and lakes
♦ Born here, friends
♦ Beautiful area
♦ Safe
♦ Up North feel
♦ Nice place to raise a
family
♦ Small diverse community,
pleasant surroundings
♦ Home for many years
♦ Surrounding area
♦ Safe place to raise a
family, nice size, pretty,
lakes and trees
♦ Nice scenery
♦ Environment
♦ Grew up here. My home
♦ Safe
♦ Beautiful community
♦ safe environment
♦ my home town
♦ Surrounding Area - Trees
and Lakes
♦ low crime
♦ nice town
♦ it is a nice town, growing
all the time, but not to fast
♦ Natural beauty
♦ It’s in the Northwoods
♦ Quality of life
♦ Fairly safe environment to
raise my family
Page B38
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Safe, Quiet
Great to raise children
beautiful area
Its a good clean
community
quiet and peaceful
quality of life
home for live
its home
small town feel
clean and beautiful
lived here all my life
small enough to know
people, Large enough to
take care of needs
Beautiful area
not real big small town
feel
friendly
clean
family
quiet and peaceful
clean
after 55 years its home
clean
clean
friendly
Quality of life
Friendly
Quality of life
nice town, small
clean air
quiet
clean living, good size
beautiful town
quiet town
clean
low crime, life quality
clean
peaceful
clean town, parks well
kept
beautiful, well kept
quality of life
life quality
clean town
clean environment
clean
clean town
beautiful area
safe, clean
clean
quality of life
clean
nice & quiet
quality of life
peaceful community
quiet, safe, outdoors
neat place
friendly
clean air
friendly
quiet
safe & quiet
tranquility
clean community
♦ quiet
♦ clean and less hectic than
other cities
♦ clean and safe
♦ quiet
♦ nice area to raise kids
♦ clean regarding pollution
♦ Fairly safe community
♦ Area
♦ Slower paced life
♦ Less crime hopefully
♦ Aesthetics
♦ Away from cities
♦ Low crime
♦ School district
♦ Up north away from the
twin cities hassle
♦ Overall, the quality of life
is high
♦ Great town to raise a
family.
♦ Progressive growing city
♦ Woods and clean water
lakes
♦ Clean
♦ Aesthetics of large trees
and lakes within city
♦ Beauty of area
♦ Efforts to make GR look
nice, esp. downtown area
♦ Close community
♦ Air is clean
♦ Clean, pretty, good police
protection, good schools
♦ Quality of education,
programs for children
♦ Safe, low crime town to
live in
♦ Clean, attractive town
♦ Grew up on Iron Range,
close to home, quiet town
♦ Safe community
♦ Safe
♦ Country living
♦ Affordable living
♦ its lakes and wooded areas
♦ beautiful
♦ clean
♦ clean
♦ overall great quality of
life
♦ well kept
♦ not much pollution
♦ clean, green & lakes
♦ clean well managed city
♦ nice area to raise children
♦ Used to be a small
community
♦ Attractive town on river,
lakes, trees
♦ Support of performing
arts
♦ Not perfect, but still a
good place to live
♦ GR is a nice town, has a
lot to offer
♦ Small town with great
school system
♦ Retired here
♦ Clean
♦ Small, northwoods setting
♦ Clean area
♦ It’s home. I’ve lived in
area for 72 years
♦ Many different cultural
experiences available
♦ Friendly atmosphere,
mostly clean streets
♦ GR is clean and one of
most beautiful cities in the
US
♦ Close to where I work
♦ State location
♦ Minimal concern for theft
♦ Clean breathing air.
Friendly
♦ Been here for 46 years
♦ Very clean
♦ friendly town
♦ clean
♦ clean town
♦ clean uptown, service to
community
♦ great place to raise a
family
♦ quality of life
♦ Good place to raise a
family, good schools and
affordable medical care
♦ It’s a friendly community
♦ Living in God’s country,
lakes, woods, wildlife
♦ Friendly people, good
place to raise a family
♦ Good town to raise my
children
♦ Many religious
opportunities and
cooperation between most
of them
♦ Beauty of lakes and land
♦ Clean—benches, flowers,
garbage stands
♦ Slowing growing - low
crime rate
♦ clean and friendly
♦ Friendly
♦ quality of life
♦ Relative slow growth
♦ Cultural events
♦ Reif, concerts, Y, library,
et al
♦ The river through town,
trees
♦ Quiet
♦ Friendliness, work ethic,
honesty of people
♦ Small town with lots of
opportunity
♦ Quietness
♦ Safe place to live
♦ Safe place to raise a
family
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Quieter living
nice town
nice clean city
clean town
clean area with trees
safe
quiet
Quiet
Generally safe for kids
Quiet
it is a beautiful landscaped
town
small and safe
very friendly
very friendly
very friendly
quiet
way of life
Quick access to goods and
services, but in 10
minutes we have access to
nature
Not overly congested
Less stress than city
Clean city, well
maintained
Religious community is
welcoming
Easy to get around
Beauty
Quiet and still somewhat
innocent
Growing community,
beauty of lakes, rivers,
trees
Born and raised in this
vicinity
Clean and growing
Clean
Environment
Better economy, pleasant
atmosphere
Attractive community
rural type
well kept
quiet
quality of life
natural beauty, cultural
activities
safe
quiet
quality of life
quality of life
clean
clean
quiet
Good quality of life
its a friendly town and
pretty clean and quiet
(crime free)
it is clean, neat, fair city
clean and friendly town
pretty city
clean
low crime
quiet
friends
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friendly people
friendly
friendly people
family
people
family
family
people
good neighbors
doctors
family
lots of family
friendly
family
family
friendly
friendly, clean
close knit community
friendly people
friendly
friendly
family
family
people
friendly people
people, family
family
friendly people
friendly people
people
active arts community
family
friendly people
friendly city
people
family
friendly people
I am 3rd generation here,
children and
grandchildren here
Family
Roots here, family
I like the friendly people
My family is here
Bad neighbors move away
quickly
Generally friendly town
Friendly people
Family, grew up nearby
This is home
My friends
Creative, industrious
people with a positive
attitude
Friends
People
People
Friendly people
Friendly helpful people
Friendly community
Friendly, helpful people
Easy to get around
Family is here
Close to family
Friendly community
Friendly people
Page B39
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Friendly people
Friendly people
Family lives here
Grew up here, family and
friends
Friendly people
Friendliness
Close to family
Friendly people
People and business
climate
Family here
Lifelong resident
People
Hometown—Family here
Friendly people
Good people
Don’t want to pack—so
stay here
People are real nice
Friendly community
People
Family is here
Friendly community
Nice, friendly people
Friendly people
Friendliness
Very friendly
Friendly
Diversity of people
The people
Friendly community
People
Friendly
Family and friends
Close to family & friends
Clean, friendly town
Close to family and
friends
Family
People
Nice neighborhoods, good
people
Friends and neighbors
Family here
family
friendly people
Family
Friendly
Born and raised in the
area so all my friends and
family are near
Raised here
good leaders
family is here
the people
spirit of citizens
people
family close by
desirable community
community
family local
friendly community
family
family
great people
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friends
friends & family
people & culture
good people
friendly people
job, family
friendly people
friendly markets, good
people
nice town, lots of trees,
nice people
family
people are engaged
family
friendly people
civic minded community
friendly
people
people
friendly people
friendly people
friendly people
friendly town
family
friendly
the people
family
3rd Ave NE needs new
coat of tar
schools
people
people
friendly people
friendly people
friendly people
nice neighbors
family & friends
everyone is friendly
friendly
family
family
friendly, honest people
can get help when needed
family
friendly people
good professionals
friendly
the people
low crime and population
good people
friendly people
Friendly, civic minded
people
Close to relatives
Family
Grew up here—know
many people
Friendly people, less
travel time to events
Children are here
Friendly people
Like the mix of people
Friendly and comfortable
People
Friendly people
Friendly atmosphere
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Friendly people
Kind and helpful people
Friendly people
People
Family
friendly
low crime in comparison
to other towns
low crime
friendly people
wonderful people
nice people
relatives
family
friendly and safe
friendly people
people
friendly people
good people
safe friendly
friendly business people
good people
family & friends
people
family
Friendly community
Like the people
People
Family near
nice people
friendly people
friendly people
open minded community
good people
beauty of trees, lakes,
people
Lots of friends
People/schools/youth
activities
Friendly people
Concern for unemployed
workers
Good people
friendly
friends
people
interested, participating
citizens
the people
friendly, safe, quiet
residents
close to relatives
Friendly people
Family all live here
Away from large cities
Nice people
Sports
have family here
community concern
friendly people
family
My friends and activities
are here
Nice people
Friendly
♦ People—good neighbors
♦ Many kind and helpful
people
♦ friendly people
♦ Nice people
♦ Stores, good people
♦ Family lives here
♦ People are friendly
♦ Like the people
♦ Social network of many
years/roots
♦ Family and friends,
children
♦ Family
♦ People
♦ Family live here
♦ Friendly
♦ The people here are
wonderful
♦ friendly people
♦ like the people
♦ the people are very nice
♦ people
♦ low crime
♦ good people
♦ service for seniors
♦ friendly people
♦ lots of good people
♦ Close friends/family
♦ family and friends
♦ My family
♦ Glad we have a nice
Eagles Club to dance in
♦ friendly people
♦ its people
♦ friendly people
♦ friendly community
♦ family
♦ nice town, nice people
♦ nice community
♦ people
♦ friendly
♦ nice people
♦ People
♦ Family is close
♦ Close to family
♦ diversity
♦ friendly people
♦ belonging
♦ family
♦ friends & family
♦ life long resident, family
♦ friendly people
♦ nice people
♦ extended family
♦ people
♦ people & families
♦ opportunities to get to
know your neighbors
♦ user friendly people
♦ friendly people
♦ like area
♦ security
♦ After I moved here we
don’t
♦ always lived here
♦ attractive city
♦ beautiful
♦ beautiful
♦ beautiful
♦ beautiful
♦ beautiful
♦ beautiful area
♦ beautiful area
♦ beautiful area
♦ beautiful city
♦ beautiful city
♦ beautiful city
♦ beautiful surroundings
♦ beauty
♦ beauty
♦ beauty of town
♦ Been here 70 years - Its
home
♦ Better than San Francisco
♦ born & work here
♦ born and raised
♦ born and raised here
♦ born and raised in area
♦ born here
♦ born here
♦ born here
♦ born here
♦ Business Community
♦ business opportunity
♦ centrally located
♦ children’s activities
♦ clean air
♦ clean air, good water,
rural
♦ Climate
♦ Climate
♦ climate
♦ close to amenities
♦ close to natural beauty
♦ close to work
♦ close to work
♦ Close to work
♦ Close to work
♦ close to work
♦ close to work
♦ Close to workplace
♦ Convenient to workplace
♦ crime rate low
♦ developing community
♦ Diversity of shopping,
restaurants
♦ downtown looks nice
♦ economic growth
♦ Employment brought me
here
♦ environment
♦ everything one needs
♦ Excellent health care
♦ family
♦ feel secure
Page B40
♦ good area to raise family
♦ Good balance of
economic stability and
natural resource
opportunities
♦ good education system
♦ good place for family
♦ good place to raise
children
♦ good schools
♦ good tourism economy
♦ Great geographic location
♦ great place to raise a
family
children
children
♦ great town
♦ green spaces
♦ grew up here
♦ grew up in G.R.
♦ growing town
♦ high cost of living
♦ home for 25 years
♦ home town
♦ hometown
♦ hometown
♦ I can make a difference
here
♦ I don’t drive
♦ I love my job
♦ it is home
♦ It was a beautiful peaceful
area
♦ its in northern MN
♦ its progressive
♦ job
♦ job
♦ job opportunities
♦ just a place to live
♦ large but private
♦ life long resident
♦ lifelong resident
♦ like the area
♦ like the area around G.R.
♦ like the area of MN
♦ lived here all my life
♦ lived here all my life
♦ Lived here forever
♦ local family
♦ location
♦ location
♦ location
♦ location
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location
lots of events
low crime
low crime
low crime
low stress
Low taxes
Medical assistance
moderate climate
moved from town to be
out of town
moved here for
retirement,
my home town
My hometown
My job
My job
natural beauty
natural resources
natural setting
nature
necessity
nice area
nice community to raise a
family
no choice
no crime
no crime
northern MN
northwoods look about
the town
not a lot of mixed races
not too much traffic
old forests
Our house was free
pretty
price of houses is
reasonable
progressive city with new
development
programs available
progressive
progressive
progressive,
quality of life
resident for over 70 years
retired
right balance between
industry & commerce &
environment
right size
rush hour traffic
safe
safe
safe
safe
safe
safety
Safety
safety
scenic area
scenic area
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scenic beauty
scenic beauty
shopping location
slower pace
Snow removal
summers
the area
there is everything a
person needs here
town is expanding
trees
Trees
trees
trees in town
up north
Was born here
was nice till downtown
was destroyed
we have many important
amenities, without quite
the traffic of big cities
We liked our area as it
was close to shopping
area
wife & work
wife lives here
wonderful place to raise
children
wonderful town to raise
family
work
work
work
A lot to offer—shopping
access to many things
activities, natural beauty
Adequate shopping
Almost everything we
need here
always lived here
area
area
area
area has potential
away from city
beautiful area with the
lakes and trees
beautiful town
beauty
Beauty
beauty
beauty of area
best place to live in Itasca
Co.
big city restaurants
Blandin Endowments
Blandin Foundation
Business opportunity
change of seasons
city growth
city is progressive
Climate
Climate
climate
climate
Close but still far away
from larger cities
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close shopping
close to home
close to rural areas
Close to work
closer for volunteering
community growing
continuously growing
convenience
convenience
convenient to town
convenient with kids
cost of living
crime
crime level
cultural events
cultural opportunities
developing community
Don’t like living out of
town
downtown
easy access to anywhere
easy access to everything
easy to get around
easy to get in and out
easy to handle
Economic growth
Economy is growing
(development)
Employment
employment
environment
environment
environment
everything we need
excellent service
exceptional medical care
family city
few minority residents
finally decent rest
fine educational facilities
Four seasons
get anywhere in a short
time
Good city street
maintenance year around
Good economic
development
Good economic
opportunities
Good job
good place to make a
living when I moved
good roads leading in and
out of town
Good shopping town
grandkids
Great access to highways
great home & location
great location
great place to start & raise
a family
grew up here
growing community
has about all the shopping
we need, restaurants etc
♦ has possibilities to offer
♦ have everything here
♦ Hit and run damaged my
car!
♦ home town
♦ hwy close
♦ It’s growing larger
♦ job
♦ job
♦ job
♦ job
♦ job availability
♦ Job was here
♦ Jobs are here
♦ lakes and trees
♦ large city perks
♦ less traffic
♦ like northern MN
♦ like the area
♦ like the seasons
♦ like the town as a whole
♦ lived here most of my life
♦ Located close enough to
larger areas
♦ location
♦ location
♦ location
♦ location
♦ location
♦ location
♦ location
♦ location
♦ location
♦ location
♦ location in MN
♦ location in state
♦ Lots of wildlife
♦ low crime
♦ low crime
♦ low crime
♦ Low crime
♦ low crime
♦ low crime
♦ Low crime level
♦ Low crime rate
♦ Low crime rate
♦ low crime rate
♦ main roads leading out
♦ marriage
♦ medical personnel
♦ minimal traffic
♦ moderate cost of living
♦ most needs available
♦ my wife’s job is here
♦ natural beauty
♦ natural resources
♦ natural resources
♦ nature
♦ New business
♦ new development
♦ New resident, 4/1/03
♦ nice city
♦ nice city
♦ nice climate
Page B41
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nice setting
no gangs
no other state comparable
no reason to leave
No traffic congestion,
usually
northern MN
not a cement jungle
Not a lot of traffic
not busy
Not enough money to
move
not too much traffic
opportunities
♦ Opportunity for financial
growth (personal) because
OP area growth
♦ picturesque
♦ planful development
♦ plenty of restaurants
♦ Pretty
♦ pretty area and
progressive
♦ progressive
♦ Progressive City
♦ progressive community
♦ proximity to cities
♦ Reasonable utility costs
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retail improving
safe
safe
safe
safe
safe
safe
safe
safe
safe
safe place
safe to raise children
safe town
safety
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schools are good
shopping and YMCA
stable economy
surrounding area
Target rocks
traffic back ups on
Pokegama
trees and green
trees on boulevard
type of work is plentiful
until recently, lots of good
jobs
used to be small and quiet
utilities good
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Variety of businesses
very advanced
weather
well maintained streets
and sidewalks
wildlife, nature
woods
Work
work
work, shopping
Question 6b: Please list two things that should be improved or changed in Grand Rapids?
♦ get rid of race track
♦ more real-estate for
small business
♦ more good paying jobs
♦ More industry
♦ More diverse industries-not so reliant on one
major industry
♦ Diversify industry -higher paying jobs
♦ Control of business
sprawl
♦ Good clothing store
♦ downtown needs
improvement
♦ dept. store
♦ downtown businesses
♦ Less community leader
submissive attitude to
big paper co.
♦ More light industry
♦ more retail
♦ more women's stores
♦ more jobs
♦ better clothing stores
♦ Downtown/riverfront
development
♦ More industry
♦ Kremers corner
♦ Need a department store
♦ Downtown GR--keep
some businesses there,
not all south of town
♦ more industries, can't
rely just on Blandin
♦ business atmosphere for
women
♦ downtown needs
improvement
♦ support industry
♦ more stores to shop
♦ More shopping, clothes
especially
♦ Don't feel the new
hospital is necessary
♦ Customer service
♦ more employment
♦ downtown development
♦ develop and support
downtown businesses
♦ more retail businesses
♦ no city center
♦ more clothes shops
♦ work on downtown
♦ need more shopping
options
♦ downtown
improvements
♦ dept store
♦ shame business moving
out of town
♦ downtown kept active
♦ develop downtown and
have a comp plan
♦ focus on economic
development
♦ more tax paying jobs
♦ more jobs
♦ More clothing stores,
Kohls, Penneys
♦ Need more small
businesses (5-10
employees), attract new
business
♦ More retail clothing
stores
♦ Attract more small
shops to fill existing
space--no more big
boxes
♦ Downtown revitalized,
more to attract residents
and visitors
♦ Need more jobs in the
area
♦ More emphasis on
tourism and industry
♦ Let new businesses
come into town
♦ Fewer metal buildings
♦ More commercial
development on the NW
side of town, not just
along Hwy 1195
♦ Clothing stores for
mature women
♦ department store
♦ more downtown
shopping
♦ more employment
♦ focus on economic
development
♦ more career
opportunities
♦ need UPM expansion
♦ need more medical help
♦ more above minimum
wage jobs
♦ more employment
opportunities
♦ more clothing stores
♦ do something with
Kremer lot
♦ Retail sales outlet like
dept. store with strong
women's apparel
♦ Telephone service is
expensive
♦ more industry
♦ More jobs and industries
to bring young families
in
♦ Increase economic base
♦ greater eco
diversification
♦ more employment
♦ keep downtown active
♦ Buildings too
extravagant
♦ Downtown
development, esp.
Kremer block
♦ No more businesses
south of town
♦ need department store
♦ women's stores
♦ move development out
to hwy 2
♦ Attractive theme fronts
for businesses
♦ RE taxes for seniors
♦ More commercial
development
♦ Tax structure
♦ Jobs--pay scale for area
jobs don't match cost of
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living. Especially hard
for single parents.
Revitalize downtown to
attract tourists
More clothing stores
Price fixing of
gasoline...it is a
detriment to econ. dev.
stop pushing small
businesses out
need a large department
store
better employment
living wage jobs
Business to keep our
children here
Establish a truck route
around city
Help maintain integrity
of existing downtown
Downtown
upgrade the downtown
area
bring in new businesses
to fill vacant buildings
more businesses and job
opportunities
need department store
Need a mall
more jobs at all pay
levels
improve west end of
town
effort to maintain
vitality of downtown
area...beautification as
we develop S.
Pokegama
Better retail shopping
Develop more
downtown area and NE
NW Quads
Loud exhaust on cars,
finish 2nd Ave. SE
between 10th & 11th St.
keep businesses
downtown
Need a dept store.
Stop sprawl on
Pokegama
♦ keep Blandin
♦ Mall mgnt and city
involvement in
employee parking
♦ Economic development
♦ Revive downtown area
♦ more jobs that would be
family supporting
♦ Development of low
impact on environment
business. Work with
Blandin/UPM to bring
in # 7 machine
♦ Shopping--need a large
dept. store
♦ More jobs that pay a
living wage
♦ Revitalize downtown
♦ Job opportunities
♦ need nice campground
for tourists
♦ Encourage business div
downtown, not
southside
♦ downtown looks old and
empty
♦ industrial jobs for
younger people
♦ More businesses and
clean industry
♦ More downtown shops
♦ Develop riverside-boardwalks, gardens,
parks, outdoor
concerts/entertainment
♦ Downtown--need a
pedestrian mall
♦ Downtown redeveloped
♦ More camping facilities
for RV to promote
tourism
♦ Shopping is horrible
♦ less industry
♦ more economic
development
♦ Better paying jobs
♦ Negative attitudes
concerning industrial
expansion
Page B42
♦ Better crime solving for
thefts and vandalism in
town. Facelifts for rundown storefront
businesses
♦ attracting business that
pays well
♦ need clothing store
♦ economic growth to
keep young families
♦ more business
downtown
♦ more clothing shops
♦ higher wages
♦ improve attitude toward
businesses
♦ watch spending and help
new business
♦ downtown should be
developed
♦ more shopping choices
♦ Manufacturing jobs so
young adults can stay
here
♦ Focus hiring on
qualifications rather than
friends and family
♦ Support development
better
♦ More industry to retain
young people
♦ Options for shopping,
clothing
♦ Concentrate on
development downtown
♦ Dept store needed
♦ Dept store
♦ Major dept. store
♦ Stop trying to become
like a Big City
♦ need department store
♦ Improve downtown area
(small shops, arts,
general character
appeal)
♦ More job opportunities
♦ save downtown
♦ less consultants
♦ development of blocks
18 and 19
♦ More industry and jobs
♦ Retail shopping (need
nice dept. stores)
♦ Empty lots downtown
are an eyesore
♦ Continue to work to
maintain downtown
businesses
♦ more tourist attractions
♦ Lower real estate taxes
♦ Herbergers
♦ CBD needs to move
industrial business
♦ Dept store-Penneys/Herbergers in a
mall--could be south of
Home Depot
♦ Better jobs
♦ help maintain the strong
downtown (heart of the
city)
♦ stop trying to please
Blandin
♦ economic development
♦ support new business
♦ make businesses have a
northwoods look
♦ Diverse base of wellpaying jobs
♦ Another large employer
like Blandin
♦ Better downtown theme
♦ Development of
downtown area
♦ Attract more businesses
to the area
♦ more higher paying jobs
♦ department store for
shopping
♦ development needs to E
on Hwy 2
♦ We need growth in the
downtown area
♦ Diversification of
business
♦ empty buildings should
be filled
♦ less empty stores
♦ business should not all
go south
♦ More downtown
development
♦ Better job opportunities
♦ A dept. store is needed
♦ Dept. store, something
besides Walmart, etc.
♦ Taxes are too high
♦ Clothing store like
Herbergers
♦ Goals need to be set for
development
♦ Salaries of working poor
need attention
♦ attracting new business
& industry
♦ more good jobs
♦ more business
♦ more stores
♦ Need ladies' store (like
Kohls)
♦ Less competition in
dining places
♦ Better paying jobs
♦ Downtown - beautify
and enhance
♦ Need more jobs-businesses
♦ Jobs
♦ need decent mall
♦ should have new JC
Penney store
♦ utilize Kremer building
area
♦ more jobs
♦ Need an upscale dept
store
♦ downtown shopping
♦ need dept store
♦ reopen family host
restaurant
♦ need technology &
infrastructure to draw
business
♦ need decent clothing
stores
♦ train tracks going
through the middle of
town
♦ better shopping
♦ industrial jobs
♦ good department store
♦ nice shopping mall,
bring back Pennys
♦ Meet needs of
community as a whole,
not just a few
♦ Less development
(business and
commercial)
♦ We need to actively
pursue manufacturing
♦ Clothing stores, need
more
♦ Attractions/town
developed for tourist
interest
♦ more jobs, businesses,
industry
♦ downtown needs
upgrade
♦ down town development
♦ more big business
♦ downtown diminishing
♦ slow down growth of
national franchises
♦ need more good dept.
store
♦ need dept store
♦ more adequate paying
jobs
♦ Diversified employment
opportunity
♦ help existing businesses
♦ promote economic
diversity
♦ higher wage jobs
♦ Too rapid development
♦ downtown looks terrible
♦ upgraded or new mall
♦ use up vacant
commercial space
downtown
♦ improve business down
town
♦ taxes
♦ develop downtown
♦ Entice businesses to
downtown to restore its
20th century charm
♦ small business tax break
♦ improve downtown
♦ additional industry away
from residential and
businesses
♦ need a department store
♦ Dept. store type
shopping
♦ Access to Telecom USA
which is nationwide
♦ more industry
♦ quality jobs
♦ finds ways to spur
growth, new business,
building improvement to
revitalize our original
town site.
♦ less liquor stores
♦ work for everyone
♦ more dept stores
♦ worry about usage less
about looks & expense
♦ no more big box stores
♦ Blandin can quit taking
over the town
♦ need retail shopping
♦ More shopping facilities
♦ Need a women's
clothing store
♦ Mall should remain
retail, not office
♦ Lower taxes
♦ fill vacant downtown
♦ employment
opportunities with
higher pay
♦ budget money for
project and not assess
people out of their
homes
♦ need a store like Penny's
or Kohls
♦ more industry jobs
♦ more job opportunities
♦ need more retail
♦ public input when new
businesses come into
town
♦ promote tourism with
motorized sports in
mind
♦ Need one good dept.
store (like Herbergers or
Kohls)
♦ Need more clothing
stores and other
businesses for jobs
♦ add a department store
♦ viable down town
♦ more stores for lady's
wear
♦ prices are too high
compared to other
communities
♦ More downtown
business
♦ Less tax assessments
♦ More big dept. stores
(TJ Max, Sears, Kohls)
♦ there should be places
for the kids to go & do
to keep them here after
graduation
♦ lower taxes
♦ support new business,
there’s been a big loss in
shopping options in
retail downtown
♦ more jobs
♦ more businesses uptown
♦ Reduce traffic
♦ maintained a strong
mixed business
♦ wages too low at most
jobs
♦ Kohls and Red Lobster
♦ economic diversity
♦ Cooperate more with
UPM for possible
expansion
♦ get power plant back &
No. 7 machine
♦ wages
♦ clothing stores needed
♦ getting to big to fast
properties
♦ Need clothing stores &
industries. Clean up
litter and prosecute
those who litter
♦ Business district is run
down
♦ Need good clothing
stores--Penneys,
Herbergers
♦ Industrial parks do not
belong next to
residential
♦ Lower grocery prices
♦ Work--more jobs
♦ Taxes too high for
seniors
♦ More businesses needed
♦ All growth should not
exclusively be south
♦ Lower gas prices
♦ Need a good dept. store
like Herbergers
♦ Higher paying jobs
♦ New businesses need to
be welcomed, not
discouraged
♦ More good paying jobs
so all young people do
not have to leave
Page B43
♦ stay on top of
development
♦ more industry
♦ more jobs
♦ reroute traffic around
town
♦ Wages have not kept up
with rising costs
♦ Variety of businesses for
middle-aged people
♦ Lower taxes
♦ More commercial
property need to be
affordable
♦ better cooperation in
south side of city
♦ Need a dept store
♦ More business
downtown, esp. a nice
restaurant
♦ big dept store
♦ Expand economic
development
♦ More shopping
♦ lack of good jobs
♦ More industry
♦ Development to
continue downtown and
south corridor
♦ GR needs a dept. store
♦ Blandin
♦ less costly city services
♦ control growth
♦ Enhance job
opportunities
♦ attract more business
(jobs)
♦ attract manufacturers
♦ more higher paying jobs
♦ more dept stores
♦ Work toward attracting
new business and
industry
♦ Water-slide, hotel/motel
♦ There should be more
downtown development
to walk from store to
store
♦ Cheaper housing for low
income people
♦ More diverse jobs
♦ business development
on 169 is an eyesore
♦ keep downtown area
♦ Dept. stores needed
♦ Find new owners for
paper mill
♦ Upgrade commercial
buildings
♦ Higher paying jobs
♦ more diverse economic
development
♦ keep business downtown
♦ locals should buy paper
mill back
♦ Number of retail
clothing stores
♦ Gas prices
♦ Better shopping, more
stores like Kohls
♦ jobs, need more good
pay
♦ Broader range of
merchandise for sale
♦ More employment
opportunities
♦ more shopping
♦ clerks in stores are often
crabby
♦ have sitting benches and
paths downtown to
encourage people to stay
and shop
♦ Economic stability is
needed
♦ More input from citizens
on expansion and
development
♦ Get rid of discount
stores
♦ new business
♦ dept store needed
♦ New industry
♦ try to save downtown
♦ need more jobs
♦ store with better
clothing
♦ more local merchants
♦ emphasis on small
industry
♦ diversified businesses
♦ quality department store
♦ more jobs
♦ new, bigger mall
♦ keep businesses
downtown
♦ Support new industries
♦ More downtown
emphasis
♦ business leading
direction of city growth
♦ need more restaurants
and a department store
♦ Encourage more living
wage jobs not minimum
wage jobs
♦ revitalize downtown
♦ Dept. stores north and
south
♦ more big businesses
should be allowed to
open in G.R.
♦ Improve old Kemer's
site
♦ product prices
♦ clothing stores
♦ don't allow industry in
city
♦ Stop fighting change
♦ Teens should not be
penalized because of
parent's income in
getting summer work.
All kids need work
♦ business, industrial
environment
♦ Less dependence on
UPM Kymene
♦ blandin needs to have
less impact on the future
survival of this town
♦ more businesses
downtown rather than
south
♦ more jobs
♦ More non-tourist related
jobs
♦ Let industries in and
encourage them
♦ competition for
mediacom
♦ Housing higher than
surrounding areas
♦ repair streets
♦ Good paying jobs
♦ Improve shopping
options
♦ Appearance of strip
from Pokegama So on
169 out to Home Depot
♦ focus on bringing
business in
♦ Specialty shops or small
businesses
♦ Rough pavement
♦ More business friendly
community
♦ stable economic base
♦ more industry &
business
♦ More low rental housing
♦ encourage small
businesses
♦ Better ways to keep
retired people here
♦ stop forcing
development downtown
and riverfront
♦ less commercial greed
♦ incentives for large
businesses
♦ more industry
♦ develop west end
♦ Use empty buildings in
downtown area
♦ More clothing stores
♦ Stop government
spending tax money for
development--that's for
entrepreneurs
♦ Take out old buildings,
add apartments
♦ encourage small
business startup
♦ higher paying jobs
♦ Hwy 2
♦ city spends too much
money on studies,
consultants and has too
many highly paid
officials for town t
♦ City projects reduced
(i.e. payback on
structure, not just taxes)
♦ more industry
♦ more good jobs
♦ downtown is
evaporating
♦ More shopping,
restaurants, etc.
♦ more industry with high
paying jobs
♦ inequitable gas prices
♦ outlet mall
♦ industrial/commercial
diversity
♦ Advertising when new
businesses open or
existing businesses
relocate--give addresses
♦ Changing the mall
♦ more business on W2 &
169E
♦ better paying jobs
♦ welcome Blandin
expansion
♦ Gas stations that
compete on prices
♦ help support new
business &
manufacturing
♦ more good ethnic
restaurants
♦ Improve business
climate
♦ outlet mall
♦ Local government
should patronize local
businesses instead of
shopping out of town
♦ more industry
♦ hwy 2 and 169 should
bypass city
♦ Railroad tracks should
be moved
♦ Roads
♦ Pokegama Ave. from
4th St. to 10th with turn
lane
♦ traffic control
♦ Stop lights are too long
♦ Repair streets
♦ rail road should go
around city
♦ Less salt on roadways,
intersections and stops
o.k.
♦ Improve traffic flow
down hill (Hwy 169) in
town
♦ Hwy 2 bypass
♦ Better flow of traffic -street lights just stop
everyone!
♦ Traffic flow
♦ gas prices
♦ traffic lights
♦ repair streets, street light
timing
♦ no parking on Hwy 2 by
Nords and Benos
♦ Work on traffic flow
♦ Improve the highways in
town
♦ More enforcement of
obeying traffic signs
♦ Traffic management
♦ Traffic bypass around
the city
♦ Parking
♦ Traffic in town
♦ Major reconstruction of
US2 to withstand heavy
traffic
♦ road infrastructure needs
a lot of improvements,
should be city #1
priority
♦ less railroad traffic
♦ Transportation
♦ Traffic flow is not good,
at busy times
♦ Fast traffic
♦ Through traffic should
go around town
♦ traffic
♦ traffic
♦ RR under/overpass
♦ repair city roads
♦ repair streets
♦ by pass for traffic
♦ bypass for Hwy 2 and
169
♦ Traffic is terrible
♦ Better residential streets
♦ reroute traffic around
city
♦ road by McKinney Lake
♦ pedestrian and bike
access, reduce trucks
♦ Traffic laws enforced on
Pokegama Ave.
♦ Improve streets
♦ Better stop light control
♦ Routing highways
around town
♦ Railroad overpass
♦ Traffic lights
synchronized for local
traffic
♦ Direct traffic flow away
from residential areas
♦ RR tracks and bridges
going over river
♦ Traffic congestion
through town
♦ Road improvements
Page B44
♦ Roadwork!
♦ Reroute highway traffic
on Highways 2, 169 and
38
♦ Streets should be resurfaced where ever
necessary
♦ reduce hwy 2 & 169
traffic
♦ transit service within
GR
♦ speed limits enforced
♦ traffic flow 169 S
♦ road maintenance
♦ airport road S of airport
is terrible
♦ hwy bypass
♦ repave streets
♦ street maintenance
♦ better bus transportation
♦ More downtown parking
♦ Street repairs--2nd Ave.
SE and airport road
♦ Traffic flow on main
streets
♦ Driving too fast, noise
♦ RR needs
over/underpass
♦ traffic
♦ traffic flow
♦ Hire econ. dev. firm to
promote GR as a
business opportunity
♦ Streets need improving
♦ Better bus service
♦ fix streets
♦ RR overpass
♦ better commercial air
service
♦ train traffic
♦ traffic flow
♦ bridge over pass
♦ A bypass is needed
♦ Streets repaired and
maintained, pick up
litter
♦ Roads
♦ Traffic control
♦ potholes
♦ loud and noisy vehicles
♦ slow speed limits to
30MPH
♦ fix Airport Road
♦ Railroad
overpass/underpass
♦ Speeding entering town
from west
♦ Bypass for Hwy 2 &
169
♦ Streets need repair and
widening
♦ Loud music, speeding
♦ Route 169 and 2 around
city
♦ Traffic
♦ Traffic on river road,
Pokemgama Ave,
intersection, situation is
terrible
♦ street resurfacing
♦ more public
transportation
♦ the way people drive
♦ traffic flow to and from
fair grounds
♦ roads
♦ Get rid of railroad
through the city
♦ Lots of the roads need
repair
♦ Hwy 169 improved
♦ Better parking facilities
♦ hwy bypass
♦ traffic congestion
♦ plow snow instead of
melting with salt
♦ Hwy 2 bypass
♦ Traffic--need a bypass
for trucks
♦ traffic
♦ street near hospital
♦ Repair city streets
♦ Highways
♦ streets
♦ Truck traffic should be
routed around city
♦ Better traffic control
downtown
♦ Widen Ridgewood Rd.
♦ No control of noise
pollution. There should
be more downtown
development to walk
from store to store
♦ Access lanes on 169-in
fast food area
♦ Roads
♦ Railroad tracks
♦ should be made more
pedestrian friendly
♦ resurface hwy 2
♦ Move Hwy 2 out of
town
♦ traffic
♦ RR traffic
♦ traffic on hwy 2 and 169
♦ traffic thru town
♦ Everyone pay for street
assessments
♦ traffic
♦ more parking downtown
♦ Some streets need repair
♦ traffic
♦ Traffic flow
♦ overpass/underpass
uptown area
♦ traffic
♦ highway bypass around
town
♦ reduce through traffic
♦ traffic control during the
day
♦ Slow down the traffic
♦ Bus service on
weekends
♦ Better enforcement of
traffic laws
♦ Conditions of residential
streets
♦ Enforce speed limits
♦ Traffic
♦ Traffic congestion in
town
♦ more bike trails
♦ hwy bypass
♦ traffic flow
♦ skirt hwy 2 and 169
around city
♦ Improve traffic flow
♦ stop light timing
♦ sidewalks
♦ RR track situation
♦ RR moved
♦ traffic congested & poor
design
♦ RR in middle of town
blocks traffic
♦ Bus service
♦ Traffic through town
♦ Pokegama Ave. is
dangerous
♦ They keep putting up
stop lights where they
are not needed
♦ RR track needs to be
dealt with
♦ traffic
♦ by pass needed
♦ Enforce speed and
traffic regulations
♦ Traffic patterns
♦ Hwy 38 need to be done
ASAP
♦ Downtown traffic
♦ busses
♦ traffic bad on Pokegama
& hwy 2
♦ hwy bypass city
♦ Pokegema Ave River S.
to Holiday needs to be
widened
♦ hwy bypass
♦ no parking on Hwy 2
♦ Traffic is becoming
intolerable
♦ More fines for speeders
in town
♦ Rough roads
♦ Airport road traffic flow
control
♦ RR overpass
♦ get traffic out of town
♦ add turning lights to stop
lights
♦ Hwy 169 is congested
♦ Hwy 2 and 169 corner -need at least 2 lanes
going from North to
West
♦ Reroute traffic around
downtown
♦ The 169-#2 corner
♦ Downtown parking--we
need more
♦ Route Hwys 2 & 169
around City
♦ More stop signals
♦ Traffic control and flow
♦ traffic
♦ Railroad Crossing
♦ roads
♦ road improvement
♦ RR under/overpass
♦ Hyw 2 bypass
♦ Highway 2 traffic and
safety factors
♦ Cars go through red
light on Pokegma.
♦ Crossing Hwy 169
(tunnel/overpass?)
♦ Control heavy traffic use
on side roads
♦ Parking too close to
intersections
♦ continue road work
♦ Traffic flow
♦ A bypass or overpass
♦ Streets
♦ Train horn/whistle at
2:00 a.m.
♦ Traffic enforcement
♦ under/overpass for RR
♦ Traffic, stop signs and
lights
♦ streets to congested,
need more sidewalks
♦ streets
♦ lights at all RR crossing
♦ Road conditions--need
repairs
♦ Better public
transportation
♦ Put bypass around town
♦ Truck traffic is
extremely heavy through
GF
♦ get rid of hwy 2
♦ lessen traffic
♦ railroad
♦ more crossing points on
hwy 169 E of
courthouse
♦ traffic on hwy 2 and 169
♦ a way to get traffic off
Pokegama Ave (by pass)
♦ railroad under pass or
overpass
♦ railroad situation
♦ encourage downtown
parking by eliminating
signs and limits
♦ rail road over pass
♦ north/south traffic lights
are too long
♦ Streets and highways
need more funding
♦ Streets need repairs
♦ Better road systems
♦ New routes for traffic
♦ Police patrols for
speeding
♦ reroute railroad behind
community college
♦ traffic control
♦ tough to get around
town
♦ traffic
♦ parking
♦ Speed of drivers
♦ get transport trucks off
city streets
♦ street improvements
♦ Improve bottleneck of
TH 2/TH 169
♦ Highway 2 bypass
♦ Traffic flow east and
west
♦ Over/under pass @ RR
crossing
♦ bus service
♦ traffic getting heavy
♦ manage traffic
♦ Improve streets, too
many potholes
♦ More street lights and
stop lights
♦ Highway 2 bypass
around town
♦ roads
♦ 4th st should be 1way
♦ streets
♦ re-open the bypass by
M&H and UPM
♦ too much traffic in town
♦ parking in downtown
area
♦ Driving conditions, road
conditions
♦ bypass for hwy 2
♦ parking at the post office
♦ some roads
♦ RR overpass
♦ RR situation
♦ flights in and out of
Minneapolis
♦ trains going through
town
♦ expand airport and get
more flights out of G.R.
♦ traffic on Hwy 2 could
be streamlined with over
or underpass
♦ repair streets
♦ traffic
♦ lower gas prices
♦ hwy bypass
Page B45
♦ turning lane by hardee's
♦ curtail traffic on hwy
169
♦ turn lanes from 4 lanes
E to 4 lanes W
♦ Traffic problems
♦ Coordinate timing of
traffic lights to allow
more fluid flow of
traffic
♦ RR bypass
♦ traffic
♦ Traffic control 169
South turn lanes all the
way
♦ bypass traffic around
town
♦ hwy bypass around city
♦ traffic control
♦ traffic routes
♦ traffic on golf course
road
♦ street maintenance
♦ service road on 169
♦ street lighting
♦ Better connections and
more affordable travel to
Twin Cities
♦ Main highways out of
town
♦ Speed limits to entrance
of schools
♦ Streets
♦ Speeders
♦ traffic bottleneck
throughout town
♦ traffic
♦ cross town
transportation
♦ transportation system
♦ Roads
♦ develop a truck route
♦ some roads need
improvement
♦ Traffic is getting bad
♦ Turn lanes on Hwy 2
and 169
♦ RR track situation
♦ widen road around
fairground
♦ access from north to
south
♦ traffic flows
♦ Condition of streets; city
needs a bypass for
through traffic
♦ improve traffic flow
through town
♦ easier access to the
south from the NW
♦ Rough streets
♦ Traffic lights
♦ Infrastructure tax for
roads
♦ traffic
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need more traffic control
traffic
roads
most streets need
upgrading
fix pot holes in roads
Road conditions
Hwy 2/169 need to
bypass city
Traffic control,
speeding, stop signs
left turn signals
more stop lights
RR overpass
some roads
hwy bypass
traffic congestion
traffic control
reroute traffic
widen hwy 38
traffic on hwy 38
improve roads and more
free parking
side streets need
massive improvements
improve some of the
streets
Beltline around the city
need route around GR
noise on 7th ave &
River road
west end entrance
roads
traffic flow N - S
RR tracks
train noise
traffic congestion
10th Ave NW near
Blandin Beach
Traffic
Roads need
improvement
Pokegama Ave. needs
traffic control
Better bus system
Traffic lights going S &
E on pokagama
more bike & walking
trails
golf course rd & hwy
169 traffic
No double exhaust pipes
allowed
Hwy development needs
frontage roads
hwy bypass
Bypass Hwy 2 & 169
Change timing of some
traffic lights
routing traffic
turning lanes on 169
Traffic
better roads
Recreation multi-use
trail system through city,
accessing all quadrants
♦ More salt on roads in
winter,
♦ through traffic
♦ make hwy z one way
thru town
♦ Reduce Traffic
congestion
♦ underpass/overpass for
railroad
♦ streets
♦ roads need improvement
♦ enforce speeding
♦ More parking downtown
♦ Larger airport
♦ Airport road extended
into bypass
♦ Gas prices should not be
higher than surrounding
towns
♦ highway bypass
♦ Traffic flow, more turn
lanes
♦ more flexible
transportation
♦ traffic
♦ roads
♦ Railroad tracks should
not go right thru
downtown
♦ upgrade bypass east 169,
to airport to S. 169 raise
speed limit to 45mph
♦ roads
♦ sidewalks
♦ Walking, running,
biking trails that dont
cross major Hwys
♦ traffic light timing
encourages people to
pass downtown areas
♦ speeding
♦ More lights on
Pokegama
♦ traffic
♦ 4th street should be
redone
♦ traffic in town has
increased so much on
169 S.
♦ better roads
♦ get traffic out of town
♦ RR
♦ hwy 169 bypass
♦ too much semi through
traffic
♦ remove most stop lights
on 169 from Hwy 2 to
Golf Course Rd
♦ reroute traffic
♦ hwy 2 and 169 bypass
♦ repave roads
♦ bypass around city
♦ improve roads and
streets
♦ Bypass traffic around
town
♦ Traffic
♦ Divert traffic around the
city
♦ Traffic
♦ Streets - repair potholes
♦ turning lanes, more of
them with arrows
♦ too much traffic
downtown
♦ Relocate Hwy 2 and 169
so as to by pass the city
♦ Fix the streets, make
streets that are in good
and bigger, wider
condition
♦ Traffic
♦ Beltline around town,
more new bus's
♦ street conditions
♦ better streets by Blandin
Beach
♦ hwy 2 in town
♦ truck stops out of GR
♦ streets
♦ longer time on
pedestrian walk lights
♦ Blandin expansion
♦ More jobs
♦ Attract younger people
to the area
♦ Expansion of business
base
♦ women's store
♦ tax incentives to new
businesses
♦ Decrease dependence on
Blandin
♦ Empty buildings in
downtown
♦ Need more choices for
clothing stores, etc.
♦ build something useful
on Kramer site
♦ more economic
opportunity
♦ development is chain
stores
♦ better places to eat
breakfast
♦ employment
opportunities for young
people
♦ work with existing
companies to expand
♦ make it easier for
business to do business
♦ More affordable senior
housing
♦ Better shopping--losing
Penneys was a bad
move. Should have
been expanded
♦ Not as many stop lights
♦ need another employer
of numerous people
♦ More industrial
development
♦ Need input from many
businesses
♦ Put effort into
redevelopment of
downtown
♦ more quality jobs
♦ Employment at good
wages
♦ Stop growth on Hwy
169 south corridor
♦ Get rid of Central
School for more parking
and promote business
downtown
♦ Highway 2 East
developed
♦ make it easier for
business to do business
♦ diversify economy
♦ I hate having to go to
Duluth for major
shopping.
♦ Parking downtown,
especially since fee was
increased to $25
♦ Need a good clothing
store for women with
reasonable prices
♦ clothing stores
♦ Roads! Especially 2nd
Street
♦ restore and invigorate
old downtown area
♦ Aggressively pursue
industrial/mfg. business
for employment
♦ Prices competitive with
Duluth
♦ clothing store
♦ better jobs
♦ build a department store
♦ Quit building
showplaces in out of the
way places, be practical
♦ Support local businesses
♦ higher incomes, prices
aren't lower here
♦ Better control of gas
prices
♦ Downtown needs a
facelift
♦ Create more business
downtown
♦ Keep an active "main
street" of successful
small businesses
♦ more quality jobs
♦ Better access and
conveniences for visitors
♦ Less restrictions on
♦ get more jobs
♦ more jobs
Page B46
♦ Roads in SE need to be
fixed
♦ Bring more better
paying jobs for young
families
♦ Repetition in discount
stores
♦ Affordable housing for
middle class seniors
♦ Retail
♦ more jobs
♦ higher pay
♦ Fewer realtors,
restaurants, loan
companies
♦ dept. store
♦ out of town to buy
clothes
♦ close most liquor stores
♦ more downtown
business
♦ good paying
employment
♦ Support new business
and industry for the area
♦ downtown is becoming
ghost town
♦ more business
♦ Encourage new business
growth
♦ need more jobs
♦ bring in higher paying
business
♦ stop spreading retail
south
♦ better jobs
♦ more no parking signs
♦ traffic law enforcement
♦ hwy bypass
♦ rush hour traffic
♦ fix roads
♦ Revitalize downtown--a
nice restaurant
♦ better roads, less
congestion
♦ Roads
♦ traffic
♦ traffic
♦ traffic downtown too
congested
♦ bypass traffic around
GR
♦ Upgrade roads &
sidewalks (too many
potholes)
♦ Better control of vehicle
speed on Hwy 2
♦ Get the highway out of
the center of town.
♦ Bypass traffic around
town
♦ green light last longer
coming on to 169 & 2
from side streets
♦ roads resurfaced
♦ bypass Hwy 2
♦ improve streets
♦ Finish 2nd Ave. SE
between 10th & 11th St.
♦ roads, streets, and traffic
flow
♦ Roads
♦ Control traffic flow
♦ route to twin cities
♦ Speed up trains
♦ need at least 1 r&r
crossing
♦ Make more
pedestrian/bike friendly-too car-centric
♦ Detour signage/traffic
routing during
construction times
♦ Reduce traffic speed and
poor driving practices
♦ road repairs
♦ Finish 2nd Ave SE to go
through the Casper dirt
lot straight to the clinic,
etc.
♦ roads
♦ Enforce speed limits and
car stereo volume levels
♦ Traffic problems
♦ Traffic
♦ repave 4th Street
♦ emergency
transportation
♦ Railroad
♦ More industry
♦ Railroad tracks
♦ Railroad bypass, maybe
truck bypass too
♦ roads
♦ increase speed limits
♦ more patrolling
♦ repair roads
♦ fix pot holes in roads
♦ RR relocated
♦ Better flow of traffic
♦ repair streets
♦ plowing
♦ Traffic on Hwy 2 &
169E is horrible
♦ Road improvements
much needed
♦ 4th SW to Pokegama
should have light to
have safer access and
would in turn slow
traffic
♦ street condition
♦ Stop signs on airport
road
♦ railroad crossing
♦ time trains not to
coincide with rush hour
♦ Street repairs,
permanent plan
♦ Major hwys should
bypass city
♦ More traffic signs (in
some intersections there
are none)
♦ Hwy 2 through town is
too narrow
♦ shouldn't be any
uncontrolled
intersections
♦ make downtown
pedestrian friendly with
shops and attractions
♦ Highway 2 in town is a
mess
♦ Highway bypass for 1
and 169
♦ Two more stop signs on
9th Ave. to slow down
traffic
♦ fix streets
♦ speed limit lowered on
169S beyond city limits
♦ traffic control
♦ better snow removal
♦ More parking uptown
♦ Late for work when
trains come through
town about 8:00 a.m.
and 5:00 p.m.
♦ car noise & racing
♦ more walkways near
river
♦ Airport road very rough
and lots of traffic
♦ enforce noise laws for
car stereos
♦ open road by Blandin
♦ Other traffic violations
♦ Better control of traffic
speeding
♦ the wait at the train
tracks
♦ overpass for ambulances
in emergency
♦ Overpass/underpass for
RR track
♦ move RR tracks out of
GR
♦ turning lanes on 169 S
♦ Enforce traffic laws-stop signs and speeding
♦ Bypass of Hwy 2
♦ Downtown traffic is a
problem
♦ rail road over or
underpass
♦ improve airline service
♦ pot holes
♦ reroute hwy 2 around
town
♦ RR tracks suck
♦ too many loud vehicles
♦ improvement to the
railroad
♦ double lane HWY
around city
♦ Need a truck bypass
♦ Parking problems on
Pokegama Ave.
♦ walkways
from golf course road
south.
♦ bus service
♦ turn lanes for all
businesses
♦ Crossroads are
dangerous for pedestrian
♦ Stop & go traffic on 5th
Street/pedestrian hazard
♦ sidewalks, do something
with vacated buildings
♦ extend service road to
next road by Holiday
♦ Do something about
railroad tracks
downtown
♦ Improved roads, lots of
rough streets around
♦ bypass of highway
♦ another traffic bridge
over Mississippi
♦ Too many stop lights
♦ traffic downtown, turn
lanes need to be
addressed
♦ Relieve congestions in
downtown
♦ Main highways should
bypass city
♦ Bridge across river by
LaPrairie
♦ traffic
♦ get transport trucks off
city streets
♦ Limit airport noise
between 5AM 7 7AM
♦ Railroad overpass on
169
♦ Slow down traffic
especially on 169 so
♦ 5th st should be 1way
♦ Stop closing off streets
♦ downtown traffic
♦ city walking trails
♦ higher stop lights, add
on west end of hwy 2
♦ road repair
♦ why can't train move
faster through town?
♦ Better roads, without
potholes
♦ Bypass of major hwys
♦ Traffic control
♦ Loud music from cars
♦ road congestion
♦ Review stop lights for
better placement
♦ lack of thru routes,
congested traffic
♦ parking ramp downtown
♦ speeding
♦ railroad-traffic back up,
emergency quality when
trains block intersection
♦ RR areas
♦ fix streets
♦ semi truck bypass
♦ RR over/underpass
♦ rail road traffic is a
nuisance
♦ rollerblading and bike
trails
♦ One way streets (4th &
5th)
♦ timing on stop light
♦ stop emergency sirens
from 11pm to 5am,
except in heavy traffic
♦ stop gas price fixing
♦ Lower taxes
♦ Traffic too fast on Golf
Course Rd
♦ easier access to get
across town
♦ RR tracks
♦ traffic lights by
Swanson's
♦ Hwy #2 and 169 bypass
♦ railroad bypass
♦ transportation needs to
change by train to twin
cities
♦ construction on 2nd ave
has helped to go South
to stores
♦ Hwy bypass
♦ over or under pass for
railroad
♦ Need more parking
♦ Traffic
♦ a highway bypass is
needed
♦ improve pedestrian
safety
♦ Pokegama traffic density
♦ move RR someplace
else
♦ bus service
♦ Repair streets
♦ Better traffic flow
♦ A connecting road
between the middle
school and high school
is unnecessary.
♦ better streets
♦ Improve streets, street
lights
♦ hwy bypass
♦ street repair
♦ traffic on 169 S
♦ Traffic flow
♦ Roads should be
improved
♦ trucks out of residential
areas
♦ fix streets
Page B47
♦ Snow left in middle of
streets
♦ better and cheaper
transportation
♦ improve roads
♦ Young people--noisy
cars and speed
♦ Improve air
transportation
♦ repair roads
♦ Congestion of traffic,
growth is degrading
living standards
♦ Reroute traffic
♦ a by pass to get truck
traffic out of town
♦ Easier bike access
across town
♦ Better public
transportation
♦ traffic signals at
intersection of 5th and
1st, cross walks need
improvement
♦ less traffic in town
♦ traffic
♦ Truck bypass
♦ repair roads
♦ Improve bus service
♦ hwy bypass
♦ roads need resurfacing
(airport road)
♦ Improve 4th St./Hwy 2
roadway
♦ Repair streets
♦ roads are in bad
condition
♦ Speeding
♦ Stop signs on 5th Ave
NE at 4th St.
♦ street repair, winter
plowing to include
removal of high banks
of snow
♦ Hwy not adequate for
volume of traffic
♦ railroad in town, very
dangerous for Em
vehicles to wait
♦ hwy expansion
destroyed local
merchants
♦ Get hot on traffic
violations
♦ improve roads
♦ speed limit increase
between wells fargo and
KFC
♦ RR overpass needed
♦ Enforce traffic laws
♦ Downtown parking
♦ streets
♦ traffic
♦ traffic
♦ better hospital
♦ More competitive
medical care (not just
one clinic)
♦ Better health care--m
♦ medical services
♦ Better medical care
♦ Better medical treatment
♦ new medical facility
♦ Medical specialists
♦ all physicians should be
on Hospital staff
♦ Social services for
mentally ill and
retarded/mental
development problems
♦ More specialized
medical personnel for
new hospital
♦ Overhead to get to
hospital
♦ Two hospitals--one on
each side of Mississippi
River
♦ Proposed new hospital
location
♦ Need better health care
♦ better Medical care
♦ Quality education-teacher accountability
♦ All day/every day
kindergarten is a must
for all schools
♦ More focus on education
♦ More money should be
available to schools
♦ middle school
curriculum - not
challenging
♦ Adequate school
funding
♦ Hiring system in public
schools
♦ smaller class sizes in
school
♦ more things for kids
♦ School board
♦ Schools
♦ Emphasize libraries,
schools, etc.
♦ Even better educational
system
♦ School string program
♦ Better education
options, i.e. charter or
private schools
♦ More education on
mental illness
♦ need more books in
library, more hours at
public library
♦ park things free kids
class
♦ Too much spent on
school buildings
♦ Smaller schools--bigger
is not better
♦ Continue to upgrade
schools
♦ less govt. regulation
♦ Fewer personal agendas
in politics
♦ Surrounding
communities should
share costs of services,
i.e. airport, library, civic
center, etc.
♦ more police
♦ boy and girls club
♦ more police force
♦ stop hidden agendas
♦ use existing historical
buildings
♦ council members and
planning commission
♦ city council shouldn't
hire consultants to do
council work
♦ bring back skate park
♦ more community
outreach, involvement
from law enforcement
♦ to much control of
assessments by city
bureaucrats
♦ Better zoning laws and
regulations
♦ City gov't need a huge
change
♦ property taxes too high
♦ more realistic governing
bodies
♦ lower property taxes
♦ Taxes too high
compared with
surrounding areas
♦ Council continues to act
on its ideas in spite of
opposition from the
majority of residents.
♦ city needs clean vision
which is communicated
to public
♦ Crack down on drugs
and vandalism
♦ Limit taxes
♦ housing for the elder
♦ taxes are too high
♦ assessment policy is
excessive
♦ lower taxes
♦ like to see overall yearly
tax on all infrastructure
work
♦ Assessments for
improvements should be
changed--example of
what happened to Burt
family
♦ Lower taxes
♦ mail 2x daily
♦ more police
♦ enforce laws a
♦ planned neighborhoods
♦ zoning, Hwy 169 should
be all commercial
♦ downtown parking
permits for min wage
workers is wrong
♦ More water pressure
♦ Zoning need to be
overhauled
♦ law enforcement
increase
♦ get rid of mayor
♦ rezone 169 S. into
commercial limited to
businesses
♦ More info/better
informed at visitors
center
♦ electric utility
♦ Pedestrian access
♦ Fairness of court system
♦ keep library open on
saturdays & long hours
in summer
♦ planning commission
♦ Assessments for
improvements
♦ stop wasting tax payer's
money
♦ lower taxes
♦ New city council
♦ Too rapid increase in
taxes (property)
♦ library open longer hrs,
and saturdays
♦ High cost of city
administration, special
assessments, city owned
parks
♦ Better walking from
area to area
♦ Snow plowing
♦ Unfair court system
♦ Leadership from city
officials
♦ better supervision of city
employees
♦ more law enforcement
for drugs
♦ better drug control
♦ library hours
♦ town looks ugly on main
hwy
♦ more police officers
♦ commercial property
taxes too high
♦ listen to the people more
♦ Assessment policy
♦ Better planning, more
attractive buildings (not
Morton) Ugly like Hwy
10 in Anoka
♦ cleanliness and
maintenance of city
♦ Sidewalks need
improvement, especially
in residential areas
♦ Property taxes too high
♦ govt. attitudes
supporting only
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♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
economically
advantaged/more
support for the
environment
involve community in
issues
City Council members
and county
commissioners should
be friendlier
Developers pay
assessments
Better streets
let public have more say
in things
A better way of
assessments on
improvements for
streets, water, sewer
street lights
plow sidewalks in
winter
lower taxes
relieve burden of utility
construction in
neighborhoods
more camping facilities
less government
enforce the blight laws
law enforcement
council stop spending
unbudgeted money
building codes
keep spending down so
elderly can afford
elderly are no longer
going to be able to
afford taxes
more tourist interest
gas price
invest in contract work
Side roads need garbage
and litter picked up
Police dept.
high cost of city
government
city should work harder
to attract more people
larger police force
Better training for city
police
too much money spent
on consultants
attitude of city towards
development
what council wants to do
with GR is not feasible
for average taxpayer
enforce traffic laws
more bus
spread out amenities all
over town not just
middle & southside
review assessment
policy
cut down on spending
more access to trails for
ATV's
Page B48
♦ Home taxes increasing
w/no improvements to
warrant increases
♦ Power plant
♦ Snow plowing
inadequate
♦ Lower taxes, more
police in view
♦ community garden
needs watering system
♦ change assessment
policy
♦ Lower RE taxes
♦ lower taxes
♦ more parks for children
♦ leaders need to favor
growth
♦ enforce traffic lays
♦ More affordable things
for children to do
♦ Lower taxes
♦ city govt needs to be
more in tune to local
business needs
♦ assessment for water
and sewer should be
changed to a hook up
fee
♦ run the City like a
business not a
government agency
♦ city quit spending
unnecessarily
♦ some of the council
♦ mayor, city council,
police, services
♦ Lower taxes
♦ assessment policy
♦ plan & execute
♦ reduce taxes
♦ Put local residents'
interests over big
business' interests
♦ more things for teens,
crime is on the rise
♦ open minded decision
making
♦ lower petty crime rate
♦ Broader minded city
officials
♦ Method of assessments
♦ Snow removal
downtown
♦ city council should
support planning
commission
♦ stop rising taxes
♦ Unfortunately too late-limit zoning for retail
♦ bring down monopoly of
gas prices
♦ Harris township
annexation
♦ more up town parking
♦ traffic control
♦ Better water pressure
♦ strong leadership of
council including mayor
♦ Provide more resources
and activities for youth
♦ Rezone some residential
areas to commercial especially south end
♦ lower property taxes
♦ City waste
♦ RE is overpriced
♦ limit rezoning in
residential areas
♦ need mini parks with
benches near library
♦ should be a 1% city tax
to pay for maintenance
of streets
♦ Better use of city money
♦ city spends too much
money on studies
♦ Clean up litter and
prosecute those who
litter
♦ educate drivers on laws
♦ assessment of property
for street improvements
♦ Police enforce traffic
violations in town
♦ Keep developing trails,
outdoor facilities
♦ slow down E bound
semis on Hwy 2
♦ curfew for teen residents
♦ water pressure in NE
♦ Being part of world
economy means public
servant wages &
benefits may have to be
reduced
♦ Need sidewalks and
street lights
♦ crack down on loitering
♦ more control of young
teens and animals
♦ More openness in
government
♦ street repairs
♦ Taxes too high
♦ Stick to a zoning plan
♦ More tennis courts with
lights, clean streets for
public to rollerblade
♦ consolidate government
and nonprofits
♦ Assessments should go
to whole city, not
individuals
♦ Need more walking
paths and bicycle lanes
♦ Elect city council by
established districts (as
in map which
accompanied this
survey)
♦ Property taxes brought
under control
♦ Better law enforcement
of traffic violations
♦ More government
conciliation
♦ Vandalism
♦ more helpful post office,
bigger, more assistance
♦ less loitering on streets
♦ enforce noise laws on
vehicles
♦ lower taxes and medical
services for seniors
♦ storm drain
♦ monitor gas prices
♦ better local news
reporting
♦ city council
♦ Street lights need to be
"smarter"
♦ fund for assessments for
improvements
♦ less spending so one can
afford to stay here
♦ Better control on city
spending
♦ Snow removal, street
sweeping not planned
for 7-9 a.m. on major
streets
♦ Get rid of planning
commission
♦ Quality of drug enforced
prevention
♦ Continue study of
method of special
assessment
♦ Fire the fire Marshall
♦ better shopping
♦ Don't put politics ahead
of community benefits
♦ more willingness to
work with businesses
(blandin expansion)
♦ enforce pet leash laws
♦ enforce laws and
prosecute
♦ more efficient with tax
dollars
♦ listen to the people
♦ Watch spending
♦ lower taxes
♦ city council that listens
♦ reduce number of
abandoned homes
♦ expedite planning and
implementation
♦ Shouldn't need a permit
to put in a new toilet or
replace a deck
♦ get rid of Laymen
♦ More polite police/law
enforcement
♦ city council
♦ Less taxes
♦ Public facilities that cost
$$ to maintain with no
return
♦ Police
♦ law enforcement
♦ city should listen to
♦
citizens
♦
♦ RE taxes need to be
♦
reduced
♦ improve sidewalk
condition
♦
♦ lower taxes
♦ reduce government
♦
spending
♦ more open minded
♦
council members
♦ City gov't find ways to
save without losing
services
♦
♦ not enough police
patrolling
♦ lower assessments
♦ Better police force
♦ fix roads
♦
♦ reduce taxes
♦ A better noise ordinance ♦
♦ Pedestrian friendly and
♦
bike lanes
♦ County use tax to pay
♦
for maintenance of our
city
♦
♦ more senior housing
rentals
♦
♦ Improve city parks
♦ more exercise trails
♦ Street in front of
♦
Blandin Beach
♦ city partnerships seem to ♦
be one sided
♦
♦ too many rules and
♦
regulations
♦ stop spending tax dollars
♦
on consultants
♦ better public transportation
♦
♦ downtown and river
♦
beautification
More police patrol
conifer areas protected
should be more vacant,
shrubbery should be
promoted
More green space - trees
on blvds.
Town has a trashy, stripmall aspect
Riverfront area behind
Olges IGA its an eye
sore, Replace trees
where they've been cut,
south end of
retain green space for
public use on edge of
town and develop green
space in town and
neighborhoods
More green space
Reduce number of
overhead power lines
Stop trying to be a metro
area
Keep trees and green
areas.
More walking areas
w/no traffic
less city spending on
consultants and
riverfront development
sewage plant odor
Reduce sprawl, keep
facilities downtown
Quit taking down trees
Green space for visitors
and residents
Lets try to keep the town
"a village" community
need clothing stores
Approaches to GR
should be more aesthetic
♦ Stop cutting the big trees
♦
Don't cut down any
♦ Stop cutting down old
more trees.
pine trees
♦ Privacy in
♦ Trash on roads
commercial/residential
♦ more trees
areas
♦ More trees/green space
♦
don't destroy trees
along entrances and
♦ save large pines for
within city
green areas
♦ more shopping
♦
retain trees and green
opportunities
space
♦ preserve trees & natural
♦ Flowers in parks
environment
♦ take action Riverfront
♦ stop cutting all of the
improvement project
pines down
♦
stop cutting down trees
♦ Remove unsightly junk
every time a new store
from yards, improve air
or restaurant is built
transportation
enforce
noise pollution
♦ Get rid of races
laws
♦ Fewer bars and places to
♦ do something about
buy liquor
smell from treatment
♦ a face lift to some of the
plant
older stores
♦ keep the large trees
♦ cleaner yards
♦ River center will
♦ protect lake shores
improve city
♦ more green space
♦ stop destroying tall
♦ Improve green space
pines
Page B49
♦ Town is looking like
Mpls suburbs; recover
Northwoods appearance
♦ Clean up downtown
♦ Improve appearance of
poorly kept residential
areas
♦ plant trees
♦ city should brown field
blocks 18 & 19
♦ preserve trees old
buildings
♦ too much emphasis and
further growth to the
south will cause our
town site to falter.
♦ cleaner streets
♦ Use and abuse of
riverfront property
♦ Junk in people's yards
♦ Noise and smell from
Blandin
♦ Businesses clean up
junk
♦ Lower taxes
♦ limit chopping down
trees
♦ more attractive
approaches to city
♦ keep large trees
♦ quit clearing lots along
169
♦ more trees, less cutting
♦ Reclaim river corridor
from business and
residential
♦ Enforce clean-up of
eyesores, safety hazards
♦ increase management of
green spaces
♦ Blandin emissions
♦ Noise from car stereos
♦ Taxpayers don't have
clout in major decisions
(schools, hospital, etc.)
♦ better restaurants
♦ leave river front the way
it is
♦ leave riverfront alone
♦ Clean up trashy areas,
improve appearance
(like around Walmart)
♦ more green space
♦ Stop removing trees for
parking lots
♦ develop the river
corridor with green
space and trails
♦ protect natural resources
so people will continue
to visit us
♦ more trees
♦ Move stock car races
away from residential
area
♦ accountability of arenatoo expensive for youth
♦ affordable high speed
internet
♦ affordable housing
♦ All people affected
should have a say in
things as planning takes
place
♦ Another cable company
♦ Be allowed 6 ft. privacy
fence
♦ better clothing shops
♦ Better pedestrian and
roller blade behavior
along roads
♦ better shopping
♦ better shopping for
women’s clothing
♦ Bicycle access
♦ Bike/walking routes
♦ Bridge over R.R. tracks
♦ Cafe/restaurant
downtown or riverfront
♦ Change for sake of
change is not desirable
♦ cheaper cable
♦ cheaper cable/internet
♦ Clean up gangs and
crime
♦ clean up the city earlier
♦ Community center
w/indoor-outdoor pool,
playground
♦ community needs
stronger leadership
♦ Continue to develop
activities for children
♦ control sprawl on south
end of town
♦ Crime
♦ cruisers & loitering
♦ cut out car racing on
Friday nights
♦ decrease amount of
juvenile detention,
group homes, and
troubled teens being
brought in
♦ dept store like Kohls
♦ Develop downtown to
be consistent with
present
buildings/architecture.
♦ Develop market rate
♦ housing
♦ do something with old
theater building
♦ don't build anything that
we can't support in the
future
♦ downtown
♦ Eliminate the downtown
railroad and tracks
♦ Enforce curfew
♦ Entertainment for
teenagers
♦ Extend cable tv service
farther
♦ extend the city limits to
Peterson Rd
♦ Fewer drinking
establishments
♦ Fewer liquor stores and
beer joints
♦ Friendliness of police
♦ gas is too high
♦ gas prices
♦ gas stations fixing prices
are highest on the range
♦ Get drugs out of schools
♦ get rid of group home
♦ Have City stop
annexation plans
♦ High speed internet
♦ I wish people were
friendlier to new
residents
♦ increased shopping
♦ keep fairground like it is
♦ keep the way it is
♦ land west of UPM mill
should be residential
♦ Laws to keep property
clean, house painted,
lawns
♦ less alcoholic
establishments ( off sale
)
♦ Less emphasis on Judy
Garland
♦ less property tax
♦ Lets keep it a small
town
♦ lighting around crystal
lake
♦ Limit rezoning of
residential to
commercial or multidwelling
♦ lingering bias toward
native Americans
♦ lodging properties
♦ make 4th st more
attractive for tourists
♦ make nice affordable
housing for seniors
♦ making home owners
pay for assessments
created by development
♦ map shows 38 on east
side crystal lake, should
be on west where it is
now
♦ media com is too
expensive
♦ moderate development
to maintain high quality
of life
♦ money go to education
not roads
♦ more activities
♦ More activities for
seniors
♦ more affordable housing
♦ more affordable senior
housing
♦ More awareness of
community happenings
♦ more clothing
store/better mall south
of town
♦ More cultural activities
♦ more friendly neighbors
♦ more low rent housing
♦ more moderate income
housing
♦ more motels
♦ more music venues
♦ more police
♦ more recreation
♦ more recreation
opportunities
♦ more restaurants
♦ more shopping
♦ more shopping options
for women
♦ more single family
housing needed
♦ more tourist attractions
♦ More youth programs
♦ Need a nice department
store
♦ need a place for families
to get out and visit
♦ need better shopping
facilities...clothing for
career people
♦ need clothing shops
♦ need clothing store
♦ need kid's hangout
♦ need more adult
entertainment
♦ need to stop putting such
a huge assessment
burden on homeowners
♦ new radio stations
♦ no expansion of walmart
♦ no more barking dogs
♦ Not change to large city
♦ Not enough clothing
retailer
♦ nothing
♦ nothing
♦ nothing decent for kids
to do
♦ Nothing, we can' afford
anymore big
improvements
♦ people need to open up
to progress
♦ physical appearance of
Hwy 2 W
♦ Places for teens to hang
out
♦ Planning (long/short
term) with citizen input
♦ Pokegama golf course
♦ police needs better
community people,
training
♦ preserve and refurbish
town
♦ public outdoor swim
pool
♦ Put a handle on the kids
♦ quit trying to be
everything, Get new
industry versus
duplicating what we
already have
♦ Raise limits for pets
owned per household
♦ reduce petty crimes,
♦ renovate before building
new
♦ rental housing
♦ retention of young
people
♦ safer walking
♦ sewers, water main,
roads, sidewalks need to
be repaired
♦ shopping
♦ Shopping for clothing
♦ shopping pathetic
♦ shopping, need more
clothing stores
♦ Should be equal
treatment of residents.
Now it seems it's all
about who you are or
who you know
♦ small town
♦ small town mentality on
some issues
♦ some old buildings need
to be demolished
♦ spend less on surveys
and assessments
♦ stop destroying old
buildings
♦ stop giving UMP the
rest of town
♦ take more care in where
commercial property is
allowed
♦ Taxes, can't afford to
live here anymore
♦ Teenagers need more
supervision
♦ teens need hangout
♦ The walk light is too
quick to change
♦ Too many discount
stores
♦ town does not seem
homey
♦ treat all residents
equally
♦ Upgrade older areas of
downtown, renovate
buildings.
♦ W entrance to city on
Hwy 2 looks terrible, a
large power plant will
make it worse
♦ water park, basketball
court
Page B50
♦ water pressure
♦ way to many fast food
places
♦ We need activities for
teens
♦ we need another
women’s apparel shop
♦ Zoning
♦ Add a Red Lobster
restaurant
♦ adequate senior housing,
such as manor house
♦ Adult entertainment
♦ air service
♦ appts w/ elevators
♦ assessment cost
reduction
♦ become more kid
friendly
♦ better area for teens to
hang out
♦ better understanding for
neighborhood concept
♦ better water quality &
pressure
♦ Bike racks around town
♦ Blandin has too much
power
♦ board walk somewhere
♦ build/preserve only what
we can afford to
maintain
♦ Cable TV
♦ Car drivers are breaking
the law--cutting in front
and back of pedestrians
♦ change zoning standards
♦ Clean places for kids to
hang out
♦ clothing stores needed
♦ control growth
♦ convert hospital to
senior citizen appts or
all person appts
♦ department stores
♦ Don't waste money on
brick roads, etc.
♦ expanded college classes
♦ family recreation
♦ Fence put up at Hill City
to keep the South to the
South
♦ Fishing piers on Hale,
McKinney, &
Mississippi
♦ Focus on downtown,
family events or other
special events
♦ focus on education &
arts
♦ gas prices
♦ gas stations & recreation
item suppliers should
stop touting locals
♦ get rid of gangs
♦ GR should look more
rustic
♦ hide big box stores with
trees
♦ higher gas prices than
other towns
♦ housing for young
families
♦ housing prices
♦ I hate mediacom as a
cable provider
♦ improve eyesore
residence
♦ improve rental home
options for our
employees
♦ increase walk time
♦ increased promotion of
community programs
(parks, rec area)
♦ Infrastructure updates to
roads, fiberoptic cable
♦ keep it a small town
♦ keep more tourists here
instead of just a passing
through town
♦ less emphasis on
tourism
♦ less restrictions on
beautification rules
♦ low cost apartments and
housing
♦ make education a
priority
♦ more affordable
apartments
♦ more cultural
development
♦ more green
♦ more like walker
♦ more parks
♦ More recreational
activities (swimming
pool, water park)
♦ more recreational
opportunities for older
children
♦ more restaurants
♦ more senior housing to
attract retirees
♦ More to do for all ages
♦ more welcoming for
new people
♦ Need bike/pedestrian
paths
♦ need more child
activities
♦ need more clothing
stores
♦ need more clothing
stores for middle age
♦ need more tolerance of
each others life styles
♦ neighborhood blight
♦ no more liquor stores
♦ no more loud stereos
♦ non alcoholic restaurants
♦ on time
♦ Plan development to
create a vibrant
community
♦ Public lake access--for
swimming
♦ quit getting rid of
anything old
♦ Racetrack at fairgrounds
should go
♦ recreation
♦ recreation for adults and
children (affordable)
♦ riverview playground
location bad, unless
more parking
♦ shopping choices
♦ should ban smoking in
ALL restaurants
♦ should be able to put up
privacy fence
♦ shrink itaska county
dynasty
♦ skateboard park
♦ stop cutting trees
♦ stop recruiting people
from outside the
community to move
here
♦ store fronts look poor
♦ Support performing arts
♦ taxes increased to
rapidly
♦ Too many uppity-ups
(society type)
♦ tourist attractions for
families
♦ upscale women's
shopping
♦ utilities upgrades water,
etc.
♦ walking trails within
city
♦ wireless communications
Question 20a: What is your solution for the primary limiting factor noted in question
18 [question19]?
♦ Taxes I pay leave no
money to make or grow a
business
♦ Better paying jobs to
enable people to purchase
homes
♦ Need to make more space
available downtown, more
attractive, so we all don’t
go south for space
♦ My market is limited by
age of population (younger
families)
♦ Buildings can be utilized
♦ People can't afford to buy
houses because wages are
too low
♦ Financial institutions need
to drop rates, too many
churches sitting on
valuable land
♦ Education of populus
♦ 1/2 % sales tax so the
people residing in GR don't
have to carry the
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
assessments for the whole
count
Not enough skilled labor
at a cost we can afford
Better highways and
streets
Less government
regulation
N/A
4 lane hwy between G.R.
and Minneapolis
4 lanes to twin cities
Large corps., franchises
that do not bring in new
families to expand
marketing opportunities
Need more jobs
Economic development,
increasing populace and
growth
City should do economic
study of committees
assets, build upon
resources we have rather
than what
♦ Lack of customer service, ♦
friendly dealing with outof-towners, pay scale low
♦ More business opportunity
♦ Purchasing land
♦
♦ Reinstate 1990 MN tax
levels
♦ City government should be
more proactive towards
♦
♦
♦ Itasca County has a
shortage of employees
♦
suitable for
manufacturing--other than
the most simple task
♦ Give incentives to
developers, ICC is
growing and students need ♦
a place to live
♦ Taxes are too high to let ♦
private people supply
rentals. If they could you ♦
would have more than eno
We have always been told
we need more housing.
Now people are moving ♦
into senior housing and
homes a
♦
Taxes, assessment and
♦
other restrictions make it
very hard to do business in ♦
the city limits of GR
Charge fees for services
rather than tax businesses
Education should be
♦
aligned with opportunities
Taxes for
commercial/business
property should be based
more on the services that it ♦
receives
Stop domination by large
corporate entities
Charge fees for services ♦
instead of more taxing
Make GR appealing
economically to youthful ♦
population, work to retain
qualified personnel
Lower commercial
property taxes
Retired
Slow spending, city
assessments
Affordable single family
housing could be built
where middle school is,
apartments on hospital site
Tax breaks for
builders/owners to provide
profit incentive to build
and continue to own
(rental pro
Limit property taxes-businesses are bearing
more burden than they
should be
Fund to help small
business grow besides the
ERC
Eliminate the need to
charge for profit more
Page B51
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
taxes and allow non profit
to slide by
Continual incursion into
the CBD w/o control of
Blandin has effectively
reduced property values,
des
Financial
Population has to grow
N/A
Market opportunities
Knowledge of programs
available
Politics
Growth in Grand Rapids
Not enough development
in northern MN
The above keeps industry
located in metro MN
Four lane highway to the
Cities
Commercial property very
expensive
Inadequate employees
Jobs are needed before
housing can be constructed
DSL, Cable access for
internet
Lower payroll, real estate
& sales tax
Everything is either really
old and expensive or just
expensive
My business is in my
home, i should be entitled
to full homestead i live in
the entire house
Unaffordable property
Business taxes should not
be used to keep down
residential taxes, promote
jobs to grow skilled labor
Change assessment policy
so developers and city pay
for new services
Lack of decent paying
jobs. Too many low
paying/low skilled jobs
chase young professionals
out.
City should be more
accountable for spending
on non essential services
Expanding businesses, not
enough activity/demand.
Need to attract additional
mfg/industrial business
Enlarge economic base
♦ Need workers skilled in IT
♦ Affordable housing on
middle school site, work ♦
with local developer to
build good quality, low♦
cost
♦ Market opportunity is
limited, we need more
people to attract business ♦
♦ City/EPA should
condemn/buy older
♦
downtown bldgs owned by
absentee landlords. Build
new buildings t
♦ No reasonably priced
♦
rental
♦ Too much subsidized
♦
housing, private business
interests can't compete,
♦
except for seniors' housing ♦
♦ Lower taxes, property and
sales tax are especially
♦
painful
♦ Need to build new midrange price homes where ♦
old run down homes are.
Renew area and get young ♦
families
♦
♦ More tourism
♦ Startup of an Angel
♦
investment network is a
♦
good start
♦ Retirement community
♦ Get new progressive
♦
people in certain positions
♦ Housing must be available ♦
for young labor force
♦
♦ Need to attract new young ♦
families with decent
paying jobs and
♦
opportunities
♦ Capital to expand, less fear ♦
of change from city
leaders
♦
♦ My business involves
significant general
♦
merchandise and with
Target, Walmart, K-mart,
♦
Home Depot, e
♦ A "red tape facilitation
committee" to walk
♦
expanding business
through the process
♦ Middle school property
♦
should be split up into
single family homes.
♦ Advertising only in the
♦
Herald Review, to
expensive, cant get loan if
self employed
Need wheel chairs and van
to get disabled out and
about
State of MN is impossible
to deal with, cities need to
fight for their businesses
Rezone land between
McDonalds and Sawmill
Tax structure should be
low during start-up and for
five years. Tax structure
should be developed a
More support for small
business owners
Tax relief for small
business
Multi family rentals
Need new businesses to
grow, people will come
Frustrated by lack of
affordable space to
rent/lease
Attracting a skilled labor
force
Freeze or reduce taxes
More single family owner
occupied
Develop rental property
Not so much tax on
tourism, advertise for
tourists
Decent apartments that
older people can afford
Lower real estate taxes
Nothing needed.
Building being done by
private money
To many vacant houses
and property for sale
More access to job fairs at
schools
Lack of long range
planning
If no affordable housing,
look elsewhere
City should budget money
for costs and charge
outsiders for using the city
City does not work with
existing businesses to
expand
This is a national and state
problem, as well with no
simple answers
Stop the assessors and
reality agents from raising
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
the market value on
♦
properties that don't have
th
Repair older rundown
property
♦
nursing home needs
♦
addition
Government is anti small
business
♦
Taxes for government
services are high, tax on ♦
building put me at a
♦
disadvantage
Don't know
Restore empty buildings ♦
Lack of good paying jobs
Mkt opportunities sell
outside the area, even
interstate and possibility ♦
internationally
♦
There is rental shortage
Better bus service, better ♦
fabric store
♦
I don't have the answer for
everyone else, but will
work my situation out. I
will probably move the
♦
Property taxes are too
♦
high!!
Create jobs, housing
development
♦
More banking flexibility & ♦
incentives, higher
expectations for post HS
education
Improve here & there
♦
More housing would mean ♦
more business
Forced to rent a smaller
♦
space
Funding, tax incentives
♦
More money for tourism
♦
Lower taxes
Very hard to obtain fund ♦
locally
Expand city
Some zoning changes are
needed
Rental properties having to ♦
pay non homestead taxes
Tax breaks, incentives
together with rezoning for
building of townhouses
and apts in city rural area
Low cost loans
Help people secure low
interest loans
Talk to city official about
cutting programs, don't
need beauty just
necessities
Taxes
GR too restrictive
compared to neighboring
towns
Expand ICC's training of
skilled/technical labor
Taxes
Retain young population
by stimulating new
business opportunities
Expanding housing
increases population and
you lose the small town
feel
Re-zoning
Hard to find responsible
help
Parking restrictions
Rezone west side of Pok.
Ave. So. to business. This
is not a comfortable area
to live, with all of t
Move
Should have lower rent for
single parent or family of
low income
Always a problem
The community is overretailed in some areas, but
needs clothing stores-NOT discount stores
Attract more people
Less government
regulation
Reduce government
bureaucracy
Reduce government
regulation and taxes
Taxes on business
property
Lower RE taxes by
implementing a 1% local
tax on all goods to help
pay road improvements &
education
Re-evaluate the airport
zoning restrictions
Page B52
Question 20b: If you are a business owner, what are the existing factors that allow your
business to be successful today?
♦ Excellent service
♦ Do part-time logging.
High stumpage prices by
oral timber auctions limit
purchase
♦ Healthy local economy,
good local jobs, tourism,
good place to live
♦ space is affordable, high
speed internet, many
small towns and self
employed people
♦ promote traffic from hwy
169 east to Naswauk K.
promote advertising
♦ 4D tax law helped
♦ friends
♦ progressive government
♦ low interest rates
♦ more high paying jobs
♦ GR is a good retail draw,
nervous about number of
high paying jobs we are
losing
♦ economy, status of
employment, future
expansion
♦ Loyalty to "shopping
local"
♦ Good work force
♦ state of economy
♦ Business owner's talents
and desire to succeed
♦ n/a
♦ Attraction to wilderness
and habitat
♦ strong housing market,
regional hub
♦ Local loyal customers
♦ agriculture
♦ Current trend of growth
♦ pay scale, training costs
♦ knowing a lot of people
♦ My boss lets me work just
as hard as I want to
♦ cooperation between
businesses located in area
♦ Hard work
♦ Rent too high in mall,
forcing people to close
their businesses
♦ Strong support from
existing employees.
However, expansion
would be very difficult.
♦ economy, tourism, city
growth, jobs
♦ The hard working owner
and help. Not the local
government
♦ Airport--transportation to
Twin Cities and Lake
Superior shipping.
Workforce is trainable--
more old
♦ We are the retail hub for
people living within 5060 miles
♦ good hwy frontage and
signs, internet service and
lodging tax
♦ a mix of residents and
tourists provide year
round stability
♦ Income of the
vacationers, summer
residents and retirees
♦ specialized quality
products using raw
materials and resources
available locally
♦ location
♦ Market opportunities
♦ location of our business
and fact that alot of
people from outlying
areas shop in G.R.
♦ N/A
♦ hard work and
determination
♦ Location, I provide a top
quality skilled service
♦ Location and products
♦ Good base of
employed/insured
customers
♦ Good work ethic of
employees. Reasonable
wage structure
♦ plenty of people
relocating & retiring to
our area
♦ gain local commitment to
business
♦ Willing to travel to other
cities
♦ progressive community
♦ advertising and word of
mouth
♦ people who pass through
see my outdoor furniture
♦ good paying jobs that
attract families
♦ provide high quality
product and great service
♦ politics
♦ low interest rates
♦ hard work, tolerance
♦ clean, beautiful
downtown
♦ accessibility
♦ Cheap labor--but because
of that they move on
because they can't afford
to live on their wages
♦ Strong housing market
♦ Constant development
within Itasca County
♦ small town, affordable
labor, positive working
relationships
♦ business signs are
advertisements, city
should not dictate
dimensions
♦ Blandin’s success
♦ healthy local economy
♦ have ran a successful
business in G.R. for 70
years
♦ former contracts, limited
expenses, access to
flexible partnership
♦ hard work and long hours
♦ my bank
♦ 480.5% tax increased this
year, stop raising taxes,
Customer appreciation
♦ market
♦ good services and
education thru ICC and a
great chamber
♦ the customer is first service and availability
♦ Lower payroll (ironic,
isn't it?), low cost of
buying a building
♦ Healthy business
community
♦ Demand for our services
♦ We have good exposure
on a major highway
♦ core customers, service
♦ Lower taxes
♦ Good overall economy.
Customers who use our
services instead of out of
towners.
♦ repeat customers,
relationship, customer
service
♦ Labor rates lower than in
metropolitan areas
♦ Good paying jobs
♦ Plenty of demand for the
product
♦ Location, enough people,
things for customers to do
when we are working on
vehicles
♦ Tourism and retirees
looking for
vacation/retirement
property.
♦ Lack of qualified
competition
♦ money from other areas
♦ People who work for us
♦ Labor, rail, taxes
♦ Our business tends to
have a well educated
customer base
♦ economic diversity
♦ Healthy growing
community
♦ New housing going up
♦ Thankfully some
customer loyalty and
video marketing and
niche marketing and
continually changing
♦ Technology access
♦ Grand Rapids is a popular
place.
♦ Healthy local economy
♦ im good at what i do,
word of mouth
♦ professional, personal
service, location on main
street
♦ Tourists--they look for
the small-unique.
Something with
personality that
distinguishes our town
from others
♦ my business location
♦ more retirees moving into
town
♦ hard work, locals using
services
♦ Les government taxation
♦ More housing
♦ water frontage for buying
property and building
new homes
♦ people like the up north
area
♦ Work hard at it
♦ ability to be on Hwy 2
♦ stop hiring Hibbing
contractors, use locals
♦ I do quality work at
affordable prices. I turn
away jobs.
♦ long work hours
♦ not too successful lately,
bad economy
♦ hard work and dedication
♦ lots commute to MPLS
♦ people
♦ economically healthy
working population that is
not burdened with the
existing unreasonable
local, s
♦ location of business and
facilities, will fight if
executable outcome can
not be negotiated
♦ large lot
♦ location
♦ community support
♦ location
♦ cost/rent ratio in GR
homes
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
The need for our services
work ethic
Determination
people with taste
people still have babies
Expansion outside GR
traffic on hwy 169
My business is not
dependent on the local
economy.
Personal, land, work
ethnic
growing population base
parking
housing development
Making military parts
long hours, hard work
Initiative
small town charm &
natural environment
working 24/7
loyalty to local businesses
location
Government is killing
small business
small business asso.
adequate mix of business
and industry in area
have the customer base
and business and industry
tourism
growing population,
especially retirees
Family business--work
many hours--4 members
good location, adequate
office space, friendly
people
access to capital, market
opp.
Population base, trade
center
demand for service
work around regulations
and our own abilities
30 years in business
good employees and
economy
increasing property value
As a landlord I keep my
rents as low as I can and
still be able to survive
diversity
focal business center or
our county
desirable location
good work force
Pretty tough since 9-11.
The expansion of big
chain stores have made it
hard on small businesses.
Page B53
Question 21a: What one or more services do you regularly seek from outside the
greater Grand Rapids area?
♦ Good medical care
♦ Automobiles, service on
cars
♦ Catalog services
♦ shopping
♦ None
♦ shopping
♦ Clothing--need a good
clothing store in GR
♦ Clothing stores, craft
materials
♦ Specialized medical
services
♦ Shopping
♦ clothing
♦ shopping
♦ shopping
♦ shopping
♦ India food
♦ Shopping, gasoline,
telephone & internet
♦ medical
♦ shopping
♦ airline travel
♦ A little upscale clothing
♦ airline travel
♦ healthcare
♦ retail
♦ Buying clothing
♦ Appliances and parts
♦ shopping
♦ none
♦ shopping
♦ good shopping, special
gifts or clothing
♦ Retail dept. store
♦ medical care, evening
entertainment
♦ Medical
♦ Car, gas
♦ medical care
♦ shopping, entertainment
♦ shopping for clothing
♦ I ride the bus as I don't
drive
♦ shopping
♦ Shopping for clothing,
car service and groceries
♦ Medical, Sam's Club
♦ hardly anything
♦ Clothing stores
♦ none
♦ shopping, fuel
♦ Shopping in Duluth
♦ shopping
♦ medical
♦ shopping
♦ medical specialists
♦ Shopping at Christmas
time, weddings, etc.
♦ shopping
♦ Medical
♦ Dental surgeon
♦ restaurants
♦ medical specialties,
shopping
♦ none
♦ Dept. store for shopping
♦ shopping
♦ Shopping for clothes,
appliances, furniture
♦ Specialty medicine
♦ Clothing
♦ Shopping--Duluth or
Virginia for women's
clothing
♦ Clothing and fabric
stores
♦ Legal work
♦ medical care
♦ Clothing, automobile
♦ Good air transportation,
more frequent flights
♦ JC Penney
♦ healthcare, shopping
♦ Shopping malls, lumber
materials
♦ clothing
♦ medical care
♦ Direct mailing
♦ Penney’s, clothing stores
♦ business insurance
♦ None
♦ Quality restaurants, pubs,
shopping
♦ Engineering services
♦ some medical
♦ Menard's (not Home
Depot) Big clothing
stores
♦ Health care, sold by local
agent
♦ Telephone
♦ clothes
♦ plays
♦ Furniture, clothing,
sewing materials, wine
♦ education
♦ shopping
♦ none
♦ Auto care
♦ shopping
♦ air travel, clothing
♦ shopping
♦ shopping
♦ Medical care
♦ electronic stores, mall,
Pier 1
♦ Medical care, Sam's Club
♦ more industry like
business opening
♦ clothing shopping,
household furnishing
♦ clothing stores/Gourmet
upscale groceries
♦ gas
♦ Medical
♦ Blare and Haband Mail
Order Catalogs
♦ Legal and financial
♦ Hardware/home
improvement/malls/resta
urants
♦ None
♦ Shopping
♦ none
♦ Shopping
♦ Labor
♦ Clothing, entertainment,
airplane service
♦ health care
♦ A place to buy adult
clothing
♦ Better doctors and
hospital
♦ Kohls, Red Lobster,
Olive Garden
♦ We try to get all services
in the GR area
♦ Clothes, computer stores
♦ Dept. stores, Sam's Club,
Arts & Theatre
♦ dining and recreation
services--for cancer
♦ Dining
♦ Shopping
♦ medical, entertainment
♦ shopping
♦ Department stores and
craft supplies, medical
specialists
♦ education and reference
material
♦ doctors, specialist
♦ Continuing education
♦ air travel, shopping
♦ Small niche restaurants
w/casual atmosphere &
quality food
♦ shopping & medical
specialists
♦ Medical
♦ shopping
♦ Financial planning
♦ Shopping, clothing, art
supplies
♦ Shopping
♦ Medical specialties
♦ medical
♦ Cultural activities,
computer equip, clothes
♦ None
♦ Specialized medical care
♦ shopping
♦ medical
♦ Business insurance
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
required by type of
business
medical specialists
Shopping
home cooking
medical specialist
shopping
medical
clothing
Clothing
air travel
shopping, nicer clothes,
sports equipment
none
medical
shopping
shopping
Department stores
Museums (art and
science)
Lower gas prices, men's
clothing
None
plus size women's
clothing
Shopping
shopping
Auto
Medical care
medical
Shopping
Home repair,
transportation, clothing
shopping
Shopping for clothing
medical care
medical, auto
Women's clothing
Better clothing stores for
adult women
Clothes, shopping,
restaurants
Cars, medical and
furniture
shopping
Some medical services
shopping
Entertainment and
shopping
medical specialists,
entertainment
Kohl's, Olive Garden
shopping
internet
shopping - clothing
shopping, air travel
Clothing
Medical
photography needs
shopping, medical
Shopping
legal, accountiing,
entertainment
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
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♦
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♦
♦
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♦
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♦
♦
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♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
men's clothing
None
shopping
Dept. store
Shopping
air transportation
Shopping, clothes,
medical, entertainment
J.C Pennys and Kohls
medical and
entertainment
medical, sports wear,
electronics
surgery
medical/automobiles
hi-tech medical care
shopping
medical
Sewing machine repair
Clothing stores (larger
dept. type)
medical services
shopping, healthcare
Health care
shopping, medical
shopping
shopping
medical
shopping
more entertainment
besides bars
medical, dental
medical & school
shopping
none
shopping
medical services
none
shopping
none
air travel
Family entertainment
shopping
shopping, dining
medical
health care
Men's clothing stores,
medical services
Shopping malls
shopping, recreation
special medical
none
None
Repair services
major events
medical specialists
shopping
some cultural, shopping
shopping
medical specialists
Shopping, women's
clothing, car service
recreation vehicles, yard
Page B54
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♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
equipment
shopping
shopping
shopping
medical services
Night and weekend
entertainment
shopping
none
Clinic
shopping, entertainment
shopping
Speciality stores for
crafts & clothes
Advanced estate
planning services
shopping
medical
medical
children's clothes
internet
None
shopping
research assistance,
training
food service supply
shopping
medical
medical care
air transportation
medical, entertainment
Shopping
medical
shopping
plays
shopping, concerts
Greyhound bus service
shopping
Downhill ski are, air
flights
Medical
legal
entertainment, recreation
internet
medical services
Tax preparation services
everything-there is not
competition pricewise
here
Health care
shopping
shopping
medical
Retail clothing, home
furnishings such as
linens
Shopping
Shopping, specialized
health care
Almost all
Shopping
Need Kohl's, music
store, microbrewery,
vegetarian friendly
restaurants, sewing
supplies
Market penetration
♦
♦
♦
♦
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♦
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♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
advertising, TV
commercials
Some medical
shopping
Clothing stores
recreation
Legal
advertising
Financial planning and
legal
Shopping
Gas, ladies' apparel
None
Education
Some shopping
shopping
Clothing and electrical
products
Harley Davidson
Shopping and gas
Specialized medical
services foreign auto
dealers in addition to US
already in GR, dept.
stores, sty
shopping
Doctors
Shopping and medical
specialists
Medical, veterinary
Medical
shopping
Eye care
Medical care
Sam's Club, adult
novelty store, larger
malls
Dept. store like
Herbergers
Shopping, clothes, etc.
periodontal care
Clothes shopping, mall,
unique gifts, eating out
Women's street clothing
Cable TV
None
None
shopping
Communications
Clothing stores
Video and commercial
photo
Computer services,
maintenance
Financial Info
medical services
boundary waters
inventory
medical
Shopping
Shopping--clothes/shoes
shopping
Gas prices
Shopping for quality
goods
None
Dept. stores, dress shops
♦
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♦
Some medical
Shopping for supplies
Car dealers, shopping
Auto repair
Shoe store
Cancer treatments in
Hibbing
I try to use all local
services
Appraisals for specialty
inventory
medical
Buying clothing
clothes
none
Entertainment-especially good movies,
restaurants
medical specialties
oncology services
Clothing
Specialized retail, health
care specialties
shopping, leisure
activities
vet, dental, computer
service
Larger women clothing
women's clothing, TV &
electronics
shopping
Shopping
medical specialists
shopping, medical
medical
Women's clothing, men’s
dress clothes
medical
auto service
medical
gas, shopping
Clothing for men,
shopping for women
shopping
heath care
medical
shopping
medical care
Clothing items, bldg..
supplies, health care
Building materials
shopping
Dept. stores
garbage service
shopping
none
cabela's
medical care
Medical
Most
medical
Department store
shopping
internet provider
shopping
shopping
Men's and women's
♦
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clothing
clothes shopping
shopping
Gas
fishing
medical
none
Medical
shopping
Air transportation and
theater
None
shopping, entertainment
advertisement
Auto glass, no one else
in town can compete
I like the town. It
usually covers the things
I need and want.
Recreational
Clothing and shopping
shopping
Hospital care
shopping
I travel a great deal
outside GR
recreation, shopping
clothing for larger
women
shopping
most
publishing, web serv,
artists
clothing stores, wendy's
medical
Menard's, Sam's Club
people to join
specialized medicine
shopping
shopping
entertainment
entertainment
medical
none
medical
Gas
shopping
Tools and lumber
family entertainment
medical services
reasonable and
affordable furniture
stores
Something to do
None
shopping
Not many, most right
here
need dept. store
clothing
sams club
medical care
mid-range clothing; J.C.
Penny's, Kohlts
medical services
Medical - professional
medical care
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shopping
Medical
shopping
shopping
cardiac care
CPA, hairdresser, dental
none
None
anything
none
shopping
Health care, shopping
Doctors and hospitals at
times
Sometimes medical
none
Clothing
shopping
stock
menards
recreation
Doctor
Groceries and clothes
Shopping
Most all "high ticket"
groceries, clothes
Shopping
None
Nothing new
Mail order, outlet
shopping, specialty
restaurants (buffet,
nationality, etc.)
social security
Men's clothing store
Gas
shopping
medical specialist
Medical services and
dress clothes
Clothes, shopping
none
specialized doctors
hospital, dental
shopping
Clothing, surgery,
specialty doctors
Shopping
Recreation
clothes, health care,
recreation, appliances
Medium priced good
quality clothing, in
middle to large sizes
medical
Clothes
air transportation
Clothing stores
Nothing regularly-occasional entertainment
spas
shopping, service
stations
Shopping, especially
clothing
Specialized health care
None
Page B55
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satellite
Specialized medical care
None
affordable ISP
medical specialists
Gas
Medical
shopping
shopping
Buy work shoes
Retail stores
Bigger mall
shopping
None
medical
shopping, medical
services
Medical
shopping
duluth medical
Shopping other than
discount
Shopping
medical
Department stores
None
children's clothing, Best
Buy
medical
Good health care
shopping
None
None
Major home purchases
Medical specialists
Medical
medical care
Special healthcare needs
Clothing
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medical specialists
aircraft repairs, gas
shopping
entertainment
None
vehicle service
Medical specialists
department stores,
medical specialist
Medical specialists,
Sam's Club
shopping
shopping
shopping
shopping
shopping
shopping
medical services
Almost all
medical
retail
gas
Specialized health care
Healthcare, general
merchandise
shopping
Medical care, clothes,
shopping, sea food
restaurant, overnight
stays
Gas
shopping
shopping
clothes shopping
Clothes
shopping
medical
Shopping and medical
shopping
♦ shopping
♦ Shopping
♦ All clothing outside of
GR
♦ Dept. store
♦ Clothing stores, sporting
goods
♦ Shopping--clothes,
appliances, for better
selection and price
♦ Fabric
♦ Shopping
♦ None
♦ shopping
♦ clothes shopping
♦ medical
♦ none
♦ specialized healthcare
♦ Better bus system
♦ None
♦ Clothing
♦ Better shopping, need
Penneys, Kohls, Sam's
Club, JoAnn Fabrics, etc.
♦ none
♦ shopping
♦ shopping
♦ high speed internet,
affordable tv
♦ Pediatric dentistry
♦ wholesale bldg products
♦ none
♦ shopping
♦ Doctors
♦ shopping
♦ shopping
♦ shopping
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internet
retail, ethnic dining
medical
shopping
shopping
medical specialists
shopping
dept store
car buying
medical
medical
Menard's, Miller Mall
Shopping, clothing
Medical
shopping
Entertainment
Menard's
shopping
shopping
shopping
None
Fabric store
Internet or in Duluth for
some purchases
Health Care
Medical
shopping
Medical
none
medical
medical
shopping
car
Services that are less
expensive
None
Required medical
services
Entertainment
shopping
women’s clothing
Adult porn store
Internet
Dept. store for nicer
women's clothing
♦ general shopping
♦ shopping
♦ Shopping
♦ medical specialist
♦ ob/gyn
♦ healthcare
♦ medical treatment
♦ gasoline, clothing, air
travel
♦ clothing
♦ shopping
♦ Gas
♦ Clothing
♦ church
♦ Hospitals, doctors
♦ Women's clothing,
sewing supplies, medical
♦ shopping
♦ uniforms, EPA
♦ none
♦ Clothing
♦ Ladies' apparel
♦ Shopping
♦ Shopping
♦ Telephone and internet
♦ Shopping--clothes
♦ Clothes, shopping
♦ medical
♦ medical, shopping, auto
service
♦ shopping
shopping
Question 21b: Why [do you regularly seek those services from outside the Grand
Rapids Area]?
♦ We don't have it here.
Too much politics and not
enough health care
♦ Better deal, more honest
people to deal with
♦ Homebound
♦ not enough shopping
♦ lack of it in GR
♦ Nothing here since
Penneys moved out
♦ Better brands and variety,
sizes, more for healthy
competition
♦ Greater experience
♦ GR is limited and not
competitive
♦ selection
♦ selection
♦ I like it.
♦ Don't have variety in
clothing & electronics,
gas prices unreasonable
♦ health
♦ limited supply
♦ inadequate connections at
GR
♦ Not much variety here
♦ GR is metropolitan,
should attract more
♦ no ear specialist in town
♦ variety, price, in stock
♦ Nothing here in my price
range
♦ None available in GR
except Sears
♦ current stores all the same
♦ need more variety
♦ Because there is nothing
like it in Grand Rapids
♦ Not available
♦ not available
♦ Better quality facilities,
more qualified Drs and
specialists
♦ GR car dealer not
friendly, gas is high in GR
♦ not enough specialists
♦ more options in Duluth
and Twin Cities
♦ Grand Rapids does not
offer stores other than
discount chains or you
girls apparel.
♦ My husband passed away
8-20-02
♦ nothing in town
♦ Only one store (Braun's)
has clothing for mature
women and Walmart
♦ Different medical
specialists
♦ No clothing stores in GR
♦ limited items, high gas $
♦ Sam's Club, clothes for
business women and
women 40 and older
♦ no major department store
here
♦ specialist
♦ price
♦ reliable care
♦ Prices too high and find
what I want
♦ prices are better, more
variety
♦ Fargo and Duluth for
specialists
♦ None for miles around.
♦ food & service
♦ all we have is discount
business
♦ not available
♦ Not offered at all
♦ Unavailable here
♦ Limited opportunities in
town, we need Kohls
♦ We have no dept. stores
♦ Selection limited in GR
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Specialization
need specialists
Need clothes & car svc
selection
GR mall is too small,
lumber too expensive
poor choices locally
don't allow referrals
They can provide what we
need fast
Bigger towns have better
and more stores for
shopping
cost
None here
none avail in town
knee specialist in Duluth
better than one in GR
Menard's is the best price,
easiest to shop at, variety
for clothes
No local service available
Page B56
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selection
diversity
Selection and better prices
not available
mall is sad, need more
stores
Better elsewhere
selection
lack of accessibility
selection
selection
need specialists
selection
overall better healthcare,
large family requires large
discount
no adequate shopping
not availale here
gas always $.10 higher in
GR
Poor emergency room
care, difficult to get
appointments with
doctors, higher costs of
medical care t
Because they sometimes
have special prices
Long-term relationships in
Mpls.
Like to travel out of area
on weekends
No shops available in GR
Better selection and prices
Lack of nice children's
and ladies' shops
Not enough skilled labor
Not available here
not available
There is nowhere to buy
clothes
To find discounts and
quality
Better selection of goods
better quality and more
variety
Other MN areas have fine
medical facilities
Menus locally are boring
GR doesn't have items I
am looking for or they are
very over-priced
IMC sucks
selection
What GR has is
inadequate
local info limited
none available
Not available in my field
in GR
cost, selection
There are no quality
choices in town. This
would attract
tourists/youthful adults
poor selection
none here
No one specializes in the
type we need
♦ GR need more clothing
stores, better quality
clothes
♦ Dept store needed
♦ all business is done
locally
♦ Need specialists
♦ better physicians in duluth
♦ Herberger's type of
clothing quality not
available much
♦ None
♦ Orthopedic, vascular,
neurology
♦ prices
♦ need specialists
♦ Not available locally
♦ medical reasons
♦ Cannot buy clothes in this
town
♦ best tasting
♦ we don't have them
♦ bad experiences at GR
♦ the mall is all young
clothing, mostly for girls
♦ none here
♦ too expensive to fly to the
cities
♦ very limited selection
♦ no skin specialists
♦ selection
♦ prices
♦ no variety
♦ Shopping
♦ Not much in this area
♦ GR has highest price gas
on the Range
♦ Nothing here
♦ no Menards, or clothing
store
♦ to deal with more honest
people
♦ Care here not accepted by
insurance company
♦ Limited in GR
♦ So I have more to spend
on other things available
in GR
♦ not enough choices
♦ Lack of selection in GR
♦ no preventative or
alternative services
♦ not available here
♦ Limited sizes and choices
♦ Current stores carry stock
for young ladies with
small shapes
♦ Nothing unique or
interesting here (ethnic)
♦ Price/selection, better
specialists
♦ no department store
♦ See specialists in Duluth
♦ selection
♦ Variety
♦ not available
♦ We don't have these
businesses
♦ not available
♦ cost
♦ poor selection here
♦ more variety and better
price
stores in GR
♦ Specialized services
unavailable, don't like
patient treatment
♦ poor service & price
♦ variety, specialists
♦ Mall does not have a very
good variety of clothing
stores
♦ not available
♦ not much in G.R.
♦ not enough choices
♦ Unavailable here
♦ flights overbooked, too
expensive
♦ Limited choices, limited
medical specialists
♦ none available
♦ not available
♦ no specialists, must go to
Duluth, not available here
♦ surgical specialists not
available
♦ better quality/quantity
♦ not available
♦ no selection
♦ no specialists here
♦ No quality service
available
♦ None in GR
♦ lack of advanced medical
service
♦ not enough specialists, no
good dept stores
♦ Concerned about quality
of care provided in GR
♦ limited selection, limited
hospital services
♦ selection
♦ don't use specialty shops
much, hate shopping
♦ no service here
♦ selection
♦ because its lacks same(?)
♦ don't like locals
♦ lack of good service/trust
♦ selection
♦ service & selection
♦ hospital is not equipped or
staffed for health issues
♦ selection
♦ price
♦ There is really nothing
around as far as family
fun.
♦ medical referrals
♦ better doctors
♦ Men's clothing stores
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limited, need specialist
MDs
Not enough stores in GR
GR has nothing
Specialized instruments,
local repair not available
concerts, hockey, baseball
none here
selection
limited variability in GR
not available
none available
No dept. store in GR, I
own a foreign car
selection
limited choices
selection
there are no good stores in
mall
better services
Cost
Better bars/bands in Cities
and Duluth
selection
Better service
limited
quality, selection
Not enough variety of
stores
no skilled representatives
locally
selection
more comfortable with
larger hospitals
none here
cost, service
limited
limited professional
resources, networks,
opportunity
prices
selection
specialists
needs not available here
price and scheduling
nothing here
Need a good dept. store
specialist
variety
none here
variety, no concerts in
G.R.
not available
prices
Poor hospital services,
high medical expenses
specialists in landlord
tenant and business issues
not many choices here
none available
Lower cost in smaller
towns
cost, more competitive
Local hospital lacks
specialties and I don't see
that changing
There are no department
stores
♦ quality
♦ not available
♦ There aren't any such
stores here that are
affordable for the average
person
♦ Merchants don't know
who their customers are.
They have misread the
demographic of this area.
♦ Not available in GR
♦ This town does not have
anything. It all has to be
ordered. The people feel
you have to buy here.
♦ Can't get things here
♦ Quality products can't find
at Walmart and Target
♦ Existing services
unsophisticated
♦ Referrals
♦ no selection
♦ Nothing in GR
♦ like to travel
♦ Need someone outside the
area
♦ not available
♦ Confidentiality
♦ We need a Herbergers and
a larger Penneys
♦ Cheaper
♦ No grad school in GR or
nearby
♦ More variety, greater
selection
♦ price, selection
♦ Not good store choices in
GR
♦ There's none in GR
♦ Prices
♦ Limited variety in GR,
limited availability--even
allowing for a small town
♦ selection
♦ Not satisfied with care in
GR
♦ Need more stores for
women
♦ Unavailable or cost is
more than nearby towns,
refusal or reluctance of
doctors to take MN Care
or M
♦ We do not have
specialized services here
♦ selection
♦ Family member referred
♦ We don't have any of
these
♦ Not much here--need
downtown development
♦ none available
♦ Not a variety of clothes
options, modern styles,
need more restaurants
♦ Nothing in GR
Page B57
♦ Cable is expensive. With
another provider prices
would likely fall.
♦ Earn living and spend
money here
♦ selection
♦ We have large computer
phone systems
♦ We have hardly any
except Walmart/Target
♦ None in town, like Best
Buy, Dell
♦ Family
♦ not available
♦ more quiet area
♦ better quality
♦ Choice is limited in GR
♦ There are no good stores
♦ more variety
♦ Prices too high
♦ Need to travel out of town
for 21) a.
♦ I feel a second opinion is
necessary on occasion
♦ Sam's Club
♦ Not available here
♦ Have not found reputable
business in many attempts
♦ May not be available here
♦ None here
♦ availability
♦ There aren't any here
♦ not enough men’s
clothing
♦ They are not available
here
♦ not available
♦ We need a dept. store
♦ selection, prices
♦ cheaper
♦ no good clothing stores in
town
♦ no good clothing stores,
no appliance displays
♦ G.R. has nothing to offer
women, we need a Kohl's
♦ Limited clothing in
GR/discount stores only
option
♦ more retail stores, better
results
♦ billing conflicts with
insurance, insurance
company will not
reimburse
♦ Not enough choice in
either style or cost
♦ Not enough choices in GR
♦ not available
♦ no Honda dealer
♦ specialized doctors
♦ price
♦ Need selection for men's
clothing, more for women
♦ location of my business
♦ lack of health care
specialists
♦ limited choice of doctors
♦ kmart, target, walmart do
not provide
♦ better quality more
specialists
♦ Not good selection for
retail, common
knowledge about poor
health care
♦ Prices
♦ no good affordable
clothing stores
♦ Need a good clothing
store
♦ competent but expensive
♦ limited options here
♦ price & selection
♦ none here
♦ Deer River has SMDC
Affiliation
♦ In order to survive and
pay my bills
♦ access to more specialists
with experience
♦ I want quality clothing
and linens, selection
extremely limited
♦ cost
♦ lack good stores
♦ more variety
♦ selection
♦ quality and selection
♦ I like Canada
♦ lack of trust
♦ We don't have enough
specialty doctors here
♦ better prices, more variety
♦ Hard to get flights from
GR
♦ choices limited
♦ chamber does not do a
good job
♦ No one in town can
compete
♦ No racetrack here
(straight 1/4 mile)
♦ More variety in Duluth
♦ none in town
♦ Dr. Kristen Johnson no
local
♦ variety and quality
♦ Gas costs
♦ variety
♦ nothing available in G.R.
♦ no selection
♦ prices
♦ unavailable in GR
♦ no selection in town
♦ better doctors
♦ Not offered here
♦ local attitudes leave
something to be desired
♦ bad experiences in GR
♦ not available
♦ GR is good, especially
RIEF Center, but can't
provide everything
♦ none around
♦ not available
♦ Outrageous prices in GR,
higher than most cities
♦ Price
♦ water park, go cart track
♦ no specialists
♦ most places to expensive
♦ Grand Rapids has nothing
to do but work
♦ lost all good clothing
stores for women
♦ most stores around here
are inadequate
♦ not enough available
♦ bad past experiences
♦ Bigger variety,
Herbergers
♦ more up to date
♦ Duluth & Mpls. have
more professional services
♦ need more specialist
♦ GR has rip-off attitude
♦ Mayo clinic
♦ prices
♦ other citys offer more
♦ inadequate hospital and
staff
♦ None
♦ GR is always higher - Gas
♦ lower prices, poor
attitudes
♦ Poor healthcare system
♦ More specialists needed
♦ selection, medical
specialists
♦ No good stores here (like
Herbergers)
♦ selection
♦ availability
♦ prices
♦ none here
♦ Better service elsewhere
♦ we have plenty
♦ Too expensive in GR
♦ Price and selection
♦ Overpriced locally
♦ better quality, wider
variety
♦ No large dept. stores or
mall
♦ None
♦ Choices
♦ GR needs one
♦ There aren't any in GR
♦ Prices are always higher
in GR
♦ lack of variety of stores
♦ not avail here
♦ More choice
♦ Greater selection
♦ Don’t have any good
specialists
♦ clothing limited here
♦ Inexpensive dept. stores
(Kohl's), local medical
care is not respected
♦ We need a
Herbergers/quality
affordable women's
clothing
♦ None here of interest
♦ pricing and selection
♦ Lost our shops that carried
these sizes
♦ specialists not available
♦ Cost and variety
♦ flight availability
♦ Maternity/kids stuff not
available
♦ need closer relaxation
♦ no department stores, gas
expensive
♦ Discount stores don't meet
all needs
♦ to many disruptions in
service
♦ We have all I need right
here
♦ not located here
♦ High prices, no
competition
♦ Specialists
♦ selection
♦ selection
♦ No longer JC Penney
store in town
♦ No clothing stores here.
♦ Would bring more
business to town
♦ V.A
♦ no variety in Grand
Rapids
♦ more specialists
♦ There are not decent
places to shop for work
(business) clothing.
♦ Certain things unavailable
in town
♦ doctors not qualified
♦ We don't have a shopping
center for clothing
♦ duluth has better selection
♦ Specialist and Dr's that
care
♦ Drs. here for enjoyment
and profit--not quality
health care
♦ no selection
♦ Local prices are too high
♦ No one can do the
services
♦ Didn't have good medical
care here
♦ Lack of trust in local
medical knowledge
♦ Not enough diversity in
clothing stores
♦ prices
♦ variety
♦ no good classy bars here
♦ price, people in town don't
have the right knowledge
♦ none available
♦ Better quality health care
elsewhere
♦ variety
♦ selection
♦ selection
♦ selection
♦ nothing here
♦ Inadequate to suit my type
of business
♦ not available
♦ nothing in town
♦ Cheaper elsewhere
♦ Urologists and oncologists
not available
♦ Local medical providers
don't accept Health
Partners Ins., Sam's Club
for bulk discounts
♦ not happy with GR mall
♦ Better services, more
choice, change from
what's in town
♦ Better prices
♦ not enough shops for
material
♦ selection
♦ not enough variety and
style in G.R.
♦ Nothing left in GR
♦ for large person, diff
styles in kid's clothes
♦ referral
♦ Better clothing, affordable
medical and prescriptions
♦ selection
♦ GR does not have a nice
place to buy children's or
women's clothing
♦ Not all clothes and sizes
available
♦ Not enough quality stores,
sporting goods, really
lacking in all areas
♦ Dress clothes -- nothing in
GR
♦ transportation services
cater to elderly
♦ Not available locally
♦ selection & cost
♦ no selection
♦ physician referral
♦ not avail here
♦ no good clothing for men
and women
♦ Selection of goods
♦ our mall is terrible
♦ not available
Page B58
♦ no dress shops
♦ cost effective
♦ very little variety in G.R.
need a new/big mall
♦ Specialists
♦ too many women shop
duluth and elsewhere
♦ too many women shop in
duluth & elsewhere
♦ none available
♦ service
♦ more selection
♦ heart doctors or
"specialist" internal that
stay here
♦ nothing in town
♦ need good dept store
♦ not available
♦ no affordable clothing
store for woman local
♦ none here
♦ prices
♦ poor care here
♦ Variety
♦ No department stores
♦ selection
♦ Top names not available
outstate
♦ Better prices than Home
Depot
♦ selection
♦ save money, more choices
♦ too limited
♦ GR has none at present
♦ Price and availability, esp.
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women's clothing
cheaper
Referrals, closer to family
Need specialist
because doctors and
lawyers do
recommended by local Dr.
no dealer in GR
Not much variety here--especially music
no competitive prices
Need clothing stores other
than discount stores
They are fun
no local
more diversity
not much here for clothing
stores
♦ Not very good selection in
GR--especially for kids
and clothes
♦ best gyn available
♦ been in GR for short time
♦ don't have the facilities
yet
♦ prices
♦ need a GOOD dept. store
downtown
♦ None here
♦ Prices--local gas station
owners are greedy
♦ we miss the more humble
churches
♦ Retail not available here,
med specialists needed
♦ there are no department
stores
♦ none available here
♦ Not sufficient in GR
♦ No quality apparel store
(dept.) in GR
♦ Lack of updated items.
Business owners not
capable or will nto order
items.
♦ Cheaper and better service
♦ None available
♦ medical more specialized
♦ selection
♦ Limited amount of
choices in Grand Rapids
Question 22a: What one or more products do you consistently purchase outside of the
greater Grand Rapids area?
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Clothing for teenagers
clothing
Men's clothing
Clothing and incidentals
clothing
clothing, recreation
Car
Good dress clothing
Clothing in sizes I need,
computer and software
Furniture, autos, gas
Clothing
clothing
dining, recreation
Shopping for clothing
clothes
clothing
Day-old bread
Clothing, electronics,
computer parts
fabric and clothing
clothing
Clothing
Guns, building materials,
cars
groceries/clothes
clothing
Clothes
Appliances
clothing
appliances
gasoline
clothing
Camping, clothes, athletic
equipment
Furniture, clothes
clothing
building materials, gas
Automobiles, clothing
recreational & hobby
Gas
Car and gas
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clothing
clothing
clothing, sports equipment
clothing
clothing
shoes, sewing supplies
clothing and furniture
None
clothing
Clothing, and we need a
Menard's
Hardware store
men's suits
Clothes
none
clothing
Clothing, bulk items at
Sam's Club
Clothes
Clothing, cars, presents
clothing
laundry soap, bleach
Fuel, vehicles
clothing
None
women's clothing
Clothing nicer than
discount stores, less
expensive than Northwear
Clothing
clothing
clothing
clothing
clothing, vehicles
Clothing, shoes
Mid-price range clothing
None
Clothing
gasoline
Clothes to fabrics
Sporting goods
clothes
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♦
specialty items
Clothes, automobile
Nothing
Sam's Club items
Clothing
clothing
Lumber, clothes
lumber home furnishing
and appliances
gifts, books, internet
clothing
medical
electronics, computers
Office supplies
See 21) a.
everything
Women's business attire
Specialty sporting goods
clothing
clothing
Bulk foods, construction
& remodeling materials
men’s clothing
Office supplies
Appliances
clothing, menards
hay and feed for farm
Furniture, clothing,
sewing supplies, wine
clothing
clothes
clothes
none
Women's clothing
clothing, fabric
see 21
Beauty supplies
clothing
lumber, food
computer supplies,
clothes, household items
clothing
♦ construction materials,
clothing
♦ clothing
♦ cars
♦ mostly everything except
food and gas
♦ clothing
♦ clothing
♦ clothes, cars
♦ women's clothes
♦ Clothing, furniture,
vehicles
♦ Figi's
♦ Clothing, books, cars
♦ Menards
♦ Clothing
♦ Gasoline
♦ Facial products
♦ Clothing
♦ cars
♦ Children's and ladies wear
♦ Cars, clothing
♦ Clothing and pet supplies
♦ Clothing
♦ Adult and teen clothing
♦ computer and software
♦ gas
♦ Clothing
♦ clothing, electronics, cars
♦ Clothing, computers,
appliances
♦ Clothing
♦ Clothing
♦ Men's clothing and quality
sporting goods
♦ uniforms
♦ Clothes and computers
♦ clothing
♦ Artesian goods, not junky
craft shows, public
performances
♦ clothes
♦ GR has a void with the
loss of Penneys
♦ Clothing
♦ clothing, specialty items
♦ Gas, Food
♦ shoes, toys, sporting
goods
♦ See 21)a.
♦ food, clothes
♦ clothing
♦ Stores other than
Walmart/Target, etc.
♦ clothes, technology
♦ Ethnic specialty foods,
fresh organic vegetables
♦ gasoline
♦ Clothing
♦ electronics
♦ Clothes, shoes
♦ Clothing, shoes
♦ clothing
♦ Clothing
♦ clothing
♦ clothing
♦ Supplies
♦ Clothing, cars, athletic
shoes & sporting goods
♦ Gas
♦ None
♦ Gas
♦ clothing
♦ menards, kohls
♦ bulk products
♦ none
♦ Discount office products
♦ Clothes, suits
♦ clothing
♦ Prescriptions
♦ gas
♦ clothing
♦ Dog food
Page B59
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♦
♦
Clothes
vehicles
clothing
clothes, shoes
dolls
Sam's Club, Wendy's,
Toys R Us
dress clothes, quality
sports attire
none
clothing, cosmetics
clothing
Travel a lot, gas
clothes
men’s clothing
Clothing
Food/restaurants
Clothes
clothes, building supplies
clothing, gas, building
material & vehicles
building products
Clothing
clothes
children’s clothing
clothing
Cars and furniture
Clothing
clothing
Clothing, household items
clothes
Women's clothing
Clothes, casual business,
jeans, etc.
music, audio tapes, books,
organic food
clothing
No products consistently
Year around nursery
(gardening/plants)
See 21) a.
Men's clothing
Fabric
clothing
Clothing, furniture
gasoline
Clothes, cars
Gas
sports equipment
Scrapbook supplies, home
supplies
clothing, auto parts, phone
cards, gas
books
clothes
lumber
women's clothing
Clothing
Organic food, gas
auto parts, women's soap
gas
Mens'/boys' clothing
clothing
clothing, furniture, rugs
clothes, electronics, autos
Clothing
♦ women's shoes, gourmet
foods
♦ automobiles, food
♦ Clothing, recreational
equipment
♦ groceries
♦ Fabric
♦ clothes
♦ none
♦ sportswear, electronics
♦ Gas
♦ Clothing, appliances
♦ none
♦ technology
♦ Gas
♦ xmas presents
♦ clothing
♦ clothing, lumber, dvds
♦ Clothing
♦ Clothing, sewing
machines
♦ Clothes, some food (Sam's
Club)
♦ clothing
♦ Clothing
♦ medical
♦ Remodeling supplies
♦ clothing
♦ business clothing
♦ clothing
♦ clothes
♦ gas, any product sold in
G.R
♦ clothing
♦ appliances
♦ medical care
♦ clothing, electronics
♦ clothing
♦ clothing & cars
♦ hair products, bulk
products
♦ none
♦ clothes
♦ clothing, bulk food
♦ fabric and sewing supplies
♦ clothes
♦ Building products
♦ clothing, discount shoes,
delis, restaurants
♦ clothing, auto
♦ clothing & furniture
♦ Specialty clothing
♦ None
♦ clothing
♦ clothing
♦ none
♦ Field supplies
♦ cars & parts, clothing
♦ appliances, sporting goods
♦ clothing
♦ clothing
♦ clothing
♦ raw materials
♦ men’s clothing
♦ clothing
♦
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♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
clothing
clothing
clothing
clothing
clothing
groceries, vehicles
clothing
Gas, lumber and housing
supplies
clothing
clothing
clothing, furniture
clothes
clothing, household
goods, large expenditures
clothing
Business clothing
clothing
childrens' clothes
clothing, household items
Clothes
autos
gas
wholesale food
women's clothing
clothing, gas
clothing
cars
retail, food
clothing
Clothes
clothing
Women’s clothing
clothing
clothing
clothing
lumber
nothing
tires, electronics
Nothing
Outdoor equipment,
clothing
clothing
Purchase almost
everything in GR
discount supplies
clothing
Home improvement needs
(Menard's)
Clothing--kids and adults
automobility
Women's clothes. Local
sources cater to older
woman and preppy styles.
Not 30-50 years of age.
clothes, shoes, sometimes
grocery selection
Clothes, kids school
clothes
clothing, sporting goods
clothing, food, automotive
Same as 21)a.
Gas
Women's clothing
Clothing
Same as 21)a.
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♦
♦
♦
Clothes
See 21) a.
clothing
Cars
Clothing
clothing
Clothing
boats
Clothing
clothing
Clothing
Clothing
clothing
Computers and
appliances, building
materials (before Home
Depot)
Raw
materials/components
clothing, shoes,
electronics
Clothing
electronics
clothing
Clothing
Major product purchases
Small electrical products
and garden tools
Harley Davidson
Fuel
clothing
Clothing-household
items-cars, theater and
concert tickets
clothes, sporting goods
clothing
Gas
Clothes, furniture,
children's clothes
Books, craft supplies,
clothing, art supplies
Ladies ready-to-wear
clothing, Christmas gifts
clothing
women's clothes
Car
Vehicles, bulk items,
clothes
Same as 21) a and b
clothing
electronics, automobiles
Clothes & shoes, beauty
products
electronics, computers
Clothes
Clothing, electronics,
Christmas gifts
None
High end sporting goods
clothing
Clothing
clothing
clothing
High end groceries
Same as 21) a. & b.
Clothes
clothing
♦ Anything I can buy at
Menards
♦ clothing
♦ computer products &
software
♦ building materials
♦ Vehicle, large appliances
♦ Clothing and shoes
♦ clothing, Sam's club
♦ Gas when possible
♦ Clothing, ethnic foods
♦ Clothing
♦ Clothing
♦ Gas, clothing
♦ Shopping for supplies
♦ Many products, including
furniture
♦ Clothing and computer
supplies
♦ Wholesale goods
♦ medical services, men’s
clothing
♦ Wood
♦ Musical instruments, cds,
stereo gear
♦ Clothing, electronics
♦ Clothing
♦ Gas, medical and sporting
goods
♦ autos, electronics,
jewelry, furniture
♦ gas
♦ Clothing
♦ clothes
♦ none
♦ Used clothing
♦ Not many
♦ clothing, sheets, towels
♦ See 21) a.
♦ Ladies' clothes
♦ Clothing and recreational
equipment
♦ clothing
♦ building materials, gas
♦ clothing
♦ clothing
♦ clothes
♦ beauty products, clothing
♦ Clothing, TV appliances
♦ clothing
♦ Clothes
♦ women's clothing
♦ Women's clothing
♦ clothing, sporting goods
♦ clothing
♦ Clothing
♦ clothing
♦ Furniture, appliances, gas,
vehicles
♦ Clothing
♦ auto
♦ autos, books, cds,
clothing, wine
♦ cars
♦ Clothing, hobby supplies
♦ clothing
Page B60
♦ clothing
♦ clothes, shoes , jewelry,
etc
♦ gasoline
♦ clothing
♦ Same as 21) a. & b.
♦ Gas, food and building
materials
♦ clothing, cars
♦ Clothes
♦ electricity
♦ clothing
♦ none
♦ sporting goods
♦ clothing, wine, business
supplies
♦ Clothes, Sears Products,
appliances
♦ Menards, Sam's Club
♦ clothing, shoes, linens
♦ gas, clothes, food
♦ men's clothing
♦ clothing
♦ Clothing
♦ clothes
♦ sporting goods, clothing
♦ cars, furniture, clothing
♦ Gas
♦ Quite a few, pleasure
oriented items
♦ none
♦ none
♦ clothes, cars, building
supplies
♦ clothing
♦ Have to drive to MPLS
for flights
♦ None
♦ clothing
♦ clothing
♦ Meat
♦ Electronics and computer
equipment
♦ None
♦ autos, toys, clothing,
electronics
♦ Clothing and gifts
♦ horse products, bulk
products
♦ gas, lumber
♦ clothing, gas
♦ Clothing, food
♦ cars, electronics,
recreational vehicles
♦ Gas
♦ resale
♦ hardware and technology
items
♦ car
♦ Clothing
♦ gasoline, cars
♦ clothing
♦ gasoline, recreational
equip.
♦ clothing
♦ almost everything
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office supplies @ discount
Women's clothing
clothing
gas
clothing, gas
clothing
electronics, cars & boats
clothing, cars
clothing
clothing
clothing, car
clothing
none
gas
Gas
clothing
clothing
Tools
autos, business supplies
Gas, food, etc.
clothing, cars
Car
clothing
food
food, Rx
clothing, eyeglasses
clothing
clothing
clothing
home improvement items
Gas
Septic Service
gas
building materials
Clothing
a lot
automobiles
clothing, gasoline
none
new inventory
Clothes, shoes
clothing
Sam's Club
none
New car
clothing
anything I can
clothing
gas, clothing
Most everything
None
None
women's plus size
clothing
books
Clothing
food
clothing
wholesale food
clothing
gas
bread
fishing & outdoor gear
Vehicles and gas
Clothes
♦
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♦
♦
♦
clothing
Groceries, clothes, etc.
Gasoline
Clothing
Lumber
clothing
Good women's clothing
Clothing
Clothing
Clothes
Clothing, gas
clothing
clothing
clothing
Gas
autos
cars, clothing
Clothing
shopping
Clinique cosmetics
Autos
clothing
none
Clothing
race car products
gas
clothing
Clothing
Clothing
None
clothes, gasoline
clothing
Very little
clothing
Building materials
Same 21)a.
Nothing regularly
clothes
gas
Clothing
wholesale food
Draperies, fabrics
Clothes
clothing
Clothing, fabric
Vehicles
merchandise
clothing
clothing, electronics
Gas
Women’s clothing, tennis
shoes
clothing
clothing
Dog treats
Clothes
autos
None
clothes
Bakery
clothing
Gas
clothing
Clothes
clothing
Clothes and groceries
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♦
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♦
♦
♦
♦
clothing, appliances
Clothing
Clothing
Wreath rings
clothes
clothing
groceries, clothing
None
Gas
clothing, fabric, paint
supplies
clothing
Gas
Furniture, appliances,
autos
car, gas
Nothing
clothing
gasoline
Almost all my business
materials
bldg supplies
New cars and women and
men's clothing
Clothes, building
materials
clothing
gasoline
clothes
Men's and women's
clothing, shoes
clothing, building supplies
supplies-food
Fresh fish on ice
medical supplies
clothes, food
Automobiles, gas
outdoor equipment
clothing
larger outdoor toys for
children
gas
clothing, gas
most products produced
from manufacturer
clothing
Autos
clothing
clothing
clothing
Women's clothing store
needed
cars
clothing
clothing
clothes
gas
anything cheaper
groceries, clothes
medicine
Clothing
Raw material (steel)
tooling
clothing, house
furnishings
clothing
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♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
clothing
Gas
Home furniture
clothing
Music (sheet), cds
Clothing, computers,
other electronic items
material
Clothing
clothing
clothing
car
Clothes
Clothing
clothing
Women's clothing--we
need a department store
for a town this size
Clothing
Clothing
clothing
clothing
Ladies' clothing and
children's clothing
Gas
Clothing and home
furnishings
Clothing
Clothes, sporting goods
Same as 21a
gas
Fabric
Clothing, furniture
Clothing, gasoline
clothing
None
clothing
clothes
clothes
clothing
clothing
clothing
electronics
None
See 21) a.
none
Bulk items for household
use
Gasoline and Diesel Fuel
clothing
clothing
Clothing, hardware
bldg products-siding,
windows
none
clothing
Car, vehicle
clothes
women’s clothing
women’s clothing
Clothing, housewares
clothes
clothing
trucks, clothes, building
materials
Page B61
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♦
♦
♦
men’s clothing
clothes, food
Clothing
vehicles
music & cds
cars, clothes
clothing
clothing
clothing
clothes
clothes
fishing equipment/stores
Clothes
Clothes
Sam's Club
clothing
clothes
food, clothing
Nothing
Women’s clothing
clothing
clothing
clothing
♦
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♦
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♦
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♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Household
None
Fabric
Computer equip.
Clothing
women's clothing
Automobiles
cars
Dept. Store, hosiers,
children's clothes
men's clothing
clothing
clothing
None
none
technology
clothing
clothes, cars
clothing
Products that save money
None
High quality athletic
equipment--bikes, skis,
running shoes, snowshoes
♦ Clothing, shopping
generally
♦ clothing, appliances, cars
♦ clothing
♦ Gas
♦ clothing
♦ Cars
♦ Nicer women's clothing
♦ computers
♦ Clothes
♦ clothing
♦ electronics
♦ clothing, car
♦ gas, dog food, tools,
sporting goods
♦ Clothes
♦ women's clothing
♦ construction products
♦ clothing
♦ clothing, art supplies
♦ clothing
♦ clothing
♦
♦
♦
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♦
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♦
♦
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♦
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♦
♦
♦
Gas
Wood, fuel
office supply stores
clothes
Clothing
clothing
clothing
Clothing, sewing supplies,
gas
clothes
clothing
computers
clothing, home
furnishings
clothing
gas
gas
clothing
none
clothing
Clothing
Gas
Car
♦
♦
♦
♦
Gas
Electronics, cars, clothing
Gas when possible
Clothes and household
items
♦ Clothing
♦ Cars
♦ Gas
♦ Clothes
♦ Clothes
♦ Auto-gas
♦ gasoline, cars, pickup
trucks
♦ clothing
♦ auto
♦ clothing
♦ clothes
♦ office supplies
clothing, groceries
Question 22b: Why [do you consistently purchase those products outside the Grand
Rapids Area]?
♦ Not much clothing for
teens available
♦ no stores
♦ Good prices on quality
clothing
♦ only have discount stores
here
♦ not available
♦ Cheaper prices
♦ Discount stores O.K. for
some things, but not
adequate for everything
♦ Better choices elsewhere
♦ Cheaper elsewhere
♦ Limited selection and
price
♦ selection
♦ No selection here--only
for teenagers in the mall
♦ no selection
♦ selection
♦ It's cheap
♦ No variety here, prices are
higher
♦ limited supply
♦ selection
♦ Variety lacking here
♦ Cheaper
♦ local grocery store doesn't
offer double coupons
♦ variety, price
♦ No distributors in the area
♦ selection
♦ cost, delivery
♦ less expensive
♦ we have next to nothing
for clothing
♦ Limited availability in GR
♦ Limited choices
♦ better line, nothing
available
♦ cheaper
♦ Either not available in GR
or can't compete in prices
♦ No price variations in GR.
Cheaper prices out of
town
♦ variety
♦ more selection in other
areas
♦ need variety
♦ selection
♦ variety/quality
♦ lack of shopping choices
♦ selection and quality
♦ selection
♦ Better selection, lower
prices, better bargains
♦ prices to high
♦ cheaper
♦ Style, sizes and choice
♦ choices, cost
♦ Better selection and
prices, more stores to
choose from
♦ Limited selection
♦ Variety of clothing and
better quality, better price
on cars
♦ more to chose from, better
pricing
♦ price
♦ cheaper
♦ no quality around here,
variety
♦ no good department stores
♦ Clothing in sizes larger
than 12
♦ Variety
♦ no good department store
here
♦ selection
♦ price, size, styles
♦ nothing here, not
competitive
♦ No selection
♦ Unavailable in GR
♦ I don't like buying clothes
from Walmart, Target or
K-Mart
♦ price
♦ Selection too limited in
GR
♦ Better selection
♦ poor selection good
clothing
♦ not available
♦ Need clothes & car svc
♦ Good prices
♦ No decent clothing stores
in GR
♦ selection
♦ Lumber too expensive, no
good clothing stores
♦ poor choices and prices
♦ easier
♦ lack of selection
♦ high cost
♦ better prices and more
selection
♦ Competitive prices and
fast service
♦ we are a distributor
♦ Community too small to
support specialty shops
and this is o.k.
♦ limited availability
♦ very few choices for stores
♦ Like Sam's Club and
Menard's
♦ no variety
♦ Cheaper/when on special
♦ GR stores have small
selection of items in stock
♦ better selection
♦ more plentiful
♦ not adequate
♦ selection
♦ Limited or sometimes no
selection in town
♦ see 21
♦ No wholesale supplier
♦ selection
♦ lumber always cheaper in
Duluth
♦ can't find in GR
♦ quality & better selection
elsewhere
♦ customer service
♦ selection
♦ prices
♦ nothing available but food
and gas
♦ selection
♦ deals, service
♦ selection
♦ Better selection and lower
prices
♦ Good selections and
special prices
♦ More variety and
sometimes lower cost
♦ Lack of competition
among local service
stations
♦ Can't get it here
♦ cheaper
♦ GR does not have it
♦ Selection, price
♦ selection is very limited
♦ No stores--only
Walmart/Target, etc.
♦ Poor selection in
affordable clothing
♦ not available
♦ price
♦ There is no place to buy
them. Get a Herberger's
♦ Only Walmart carries
larger sizes
♦ Not found on GR
♦ Lousy businesses in GR
♦ Large towns have more
diverse cultural population
♦ better quality, lower
prices, more variety
♦ Need a dept. store
♦ Nothing in GR for
price/quality/selection
♦ availability
♦ selection
♦ See 21)b.
Page B62
♦ supply
♦ none here
♦ There are no quality stores
here
♦ selection
♦ Limited selection in GR
♦ price
♦ choices
♦ need specialized for our
son
♦ JC Penney gone--need a
dept. store
♦ Can't buy what I want here
♦ no selection
♦ Shops don't offer my size
in good quality clothing
♦ selection
♦ quality
♦ Supplies limited, not
diverse enough
♦ Cheaper price/gallon
♦ Can usually find what the
family needs in GR
♦ Too high priced in GR
♦ no store here
♦ better selection & price
♦ Sam's Club
♦ Price/availability
♦ price and selection
♦ cheaper
♦ prices
♦ Sam's Club is cheaper
♦ No good places to buy
nice clothes
♦ prices
♦ no variety
♦ none here
♦ none here
♦ little or no selection
♦ none here
♦ selection
♦ Fabrics -- more affordable
in a larger store
♦ Limited selection
♦ Greater selection of
quality fabric
♦ Can't find size and style
clothing, price
♦ price
♦ Variety, prices
♦ It's cheaper
♦ not available
♦ Don't have any good stuff
♦ not available
♦ not a very good selection
♦ no variety
♦ prices, not available
♦ not available
♦ More variety, cheaper
prices
♦ not available, price
♦ Costs are always higher in
GR
♦ Mall is empty of clothing
stores for boys
♦ shopping very limited
♦ not available
♦ bigger selection
♦ Unable to obtain the right
size and type
♦ not available
♦ price
♦ Better selection, prices
♦ price
♦ Quality not available in
GR
♦ more selection
♦ not available/no selection
♦ Because of cost
♦ Greater selection, lower
prices
♦ lack of selection and brand
♦ choices
names
♦ selection
♦ Too expensive in town
♦ Travel
♦ more choices
♦ no variety
♦ no selection
♦ no selection
♦ Wider choice
♦ No major dept. stores
♦ Better supply and variety ♦ Lack of a place like
Penneys
♦ There isn't a store that
carries name brand men's ♦ None here
clothing
♦ lack of clothing stores
♦ avail. & cost
♦ Independent
♦ inadequate shopping and
shops/selection here
high prices
♦ limited
♦ style
♦ Poor selection in town
♦ no clothing stores
♦ quality & selection
♦ more choices
♦ can't find it here
♦ selection
♦ selection
♦ selection
♦ No affordable, quality
♦ products over priced in
dress clothes in GR
G.R
♦ no stores here
♦ cheaper, more variety
♦ Price, variety
♦ price
♦ not available
♦ not enough compassion &
♦ Limited here
competence
♦ Lack of selection in GR
♦ not available
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no selection
better in duluth
not available
variety
selection, easier, price
not available
selection
Cheaper
not available in GR
cost and service
price
Loss of JC Penney
price, variety
no stores worth shopping
for clothes
selection
Cost
Not available here
service, selection
selection
selection, price
selection
not available
price
availability
no department stores
variety
limited selection
no brand names, no
department store
selection, price
no good shopping here
prices
more options
Price
selection
price
selection
cost
selection
selection and sizes
selection
none here
no high end dept. stores in
GR
I need a larger size
prices
price
only one company, need
competition
quality, cost
loss of JC Penny
price
cheaper in larger stores
None in town
choices & price
no decent, fair priced
quality available
selection
selection
variety
better price
price, variety
This is my home area and
I like to see jobs here
No quality equipment or
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personnel who know how
to service bikes, skis,
kayaks. Need outdoor
clothes
cost, value
price, quality
May shop more at Home
Depot in the future
Not enough variety for
ages 10-18
cost is lower elsewhere
no variety
Lack of variety
selection
Same as 21)b.
C-Store and other "fix"
gas prices
GR desperately needs a
good dept. store
Not available in GR
Need more grocery stores.
Instead of liquor stores.
Can't get them here
Not available in GR
no selection
Price competitive
Do not want to buy from
Walmart
no mature women's
clothing
Clothing
No suitable clothing stores
in GR
selection
No selection of men's
clothing in GR
More variety in Duluth
better stores
Larger discount in Duluth
Not available here
Availability and price
Variety, selection
selection, cost savings
Better quality, name
brands
Present supplies in GR are
not cost competitive
More choices and prices
There's none here
Price and no difference in
convenience
selection
Cultural opportunities are
good, yet it is a small
town and we need the
variety available in a city
no department or sporting
good stores
selection
Cheaper out of GR
Dept and toy store
No adequate bookstore, art
supplies, no mid to upper
range clothing stores
Availability
selection
selection
♦ discount stores carry
clothing
♦ Price
♦ Vehicles are cheaper,
better selection of clothes
elsewhere
♦ selection
♦ price and selection
♦ Not enough variety, more
modern stores in bigger
cities
♦ None in GR other than
sports or youth clothes
♦ More selection in bigger
cities
♦ Earn money and spend it
here
♦ Price and lack of selection
♦ none here
♦ Only Walmart and Target
here
♦ variety
♦ selection
♦ Not available
♦ Cost and selection
♦ no nice stores in town
♦ Cheapers
♦ selection
♦ lack of retail in area
♦ cheaper
♦ Price and choice
♦ Variety
♦ more variety
♦ Can't find what I need
♦ Limited selection here
♦ Gas in cheaper elsewhere,
clothing stores in GR are
limited
♦ Sam's Club - local prices
too high or don't have
needed items
♦ What we have speaks for
itself
♦ Lack of choices and
reasonable prices
♦ no choice in GR, not
offered in GR
♦ Non-competitive prices
here
♦ Cheaper
♦ Not available here or
selection is limited (poor)
♦ Selection, prices
♦ No dept. store, no better
quality clothing
♦ Price, quality and
selection
♦ customer service
♦ price
♦ no variety
♦ Lack of good thrift clothes
♦ We try to buy local and
MN chains compared to
Nat'l
Page B63
♦ No Penneys store or other
clothing stores
♦ selection
♦ cheaper
♦ quality
♦ cheaper, more selection
♦ have to go out of town to
purchase things
♦ not available
♦ Nothing here...no displays
to see appliances
♦ not much selection
♦ G.R. does not have decent
clothing stores,
Moderately priced
♦ no selection
♦ No choice
♦ no brand names
♦ selection
♦ Few options in GR
♦ selection & sales
♦ GR stores seem
consistently higher than
Duluth. Paid $100 less for
same upright freezer in
Duluth
♦ Not enough choices in GR
♦ no Toyota, Honda dealers
♦ selection, not available
♦ price
♦ Clothing is either
exclusive or run-of-themill Walmart
♦ lack of retail outlet
♦ lack of selection
♦ quality, variety
♦ price fixing
♦ no dept store
♦ See 21) b.
♦ Price
♦ lack of decent retail
clothing stores
♦ Not a good dept. store
here
♦ only one available
♦ variety
♦ price & selection
♦ limited choices, cost
stores, poor local Sears
outlet, selection
♦ Price & Selection
♦ no quality selection
available
♦ prifce, selection
♦ selection
♦ better quality
♦ Clothing
♦ not a good selection here
♦ selection
♦ selection
♦ Not available or higher
priced and taxed
♦ selection
♦ selection
♦ Can't get on in GR
♦ Not a decent clothing store
in town
♦ styles and selection very
limited
♦ I like the meat locker idea
♦ cost and selection
♦ selection & price
♦ Too few options in GR
♦ none here, cheaper
♦ better prices
♦ avail. & price
♦ Don't like items or prices
locally
♦ variety, not available
♦ prices, not available
♦ GR is always 6 to 21 cents
higher
♦ price
♦ better prices and more
choices
♦ better deals
♦ size not available
♦ price
♦ nothing for the mature
women
♦ price
♦ selection
♦ prices
♦ unavailable here
♦ None here
♦ price
♦ price
♦ selection
♦ more competitive
elsewhere
♦ variety
♦ quality, modern store
♦ variety, quality
♦ selection
♦ price
♦ High prices in GR
♦ selection
♦ cost, better service
♦ Gas is more expensive in
GR
♦ price
♦ Better price
♦ selection
♦ not as available
♦ selection
♦ cheaper
♦ selection, price
♦ Too high priced in GR
♦ I know the people
♦ price
♦ cost
♦ Not a good variety here
♦ cheaper
♦ local dealers don't care if
they get business
♦ selection
♦ Home Depot
♦ things I need are not here
♦ selection
♦ prices
♦ Cheaper
♦ not an adequate selection
here
♦ price
♦ brand name
♦ High prices
♦ selection
♦ No good stores here
♦ availability
♦ selection
♦ cheaper
♦ I like Cabelas
♦ Lower cost, GR rips us off
on gas--prices are fixed
♦ No stores
♦ selection
♦ Too expensive in GR
♦ Prices too high
♦ Choices are Target or
N.Wear. Too limiting
♦ good quality, fair price
♦ There is not a middle price
range clothing store
♦ No dept. stores
♦ No stores in GR
♦ No diversity of sizes/types
in GR, monopoly
♦ too junky or expensive
♦ I don't shop discount
stores
♦ selection
♦ Prices are always much
higher in GR
♦ dealers in town never call
back
♦ service & selection
♦ Choice, quality and
reasonable price
♦ need more stores
♦ Dealers willing to
negotiate prices
♦ Variety
♦ don’t have any
♦ better prices
♦ no variety
♦ No reasonably priced
clothing stores
♦ selection, price
♦ selection
♦ Only things a town/area
our size are too small to
support.
♦ quality, not available
♦ Cost
♦ Desired clothing not
available in GR
♦ selection
♦ less expensive
♦ Discount stores don't meet
all needs, price
♦ No store handles these
items at reasonable prices
♦ Need good quality, more
things like specialty, kids
maternity
♦ selection
♦ JC Penney gone
♦ Better deals outside GR
♦ not located here
♦ variety
♦ Walmart and Target don't
cut it
♦ Price too high
♦ not available
♦ no selection in town
♦ selection
♦ Only available at Walmart
Supercenter
♦ No clothing stores here.
♦ price
♦ selection
♦ price
♦ GR gas is too costly
♦ more selection
♦ No places in GR for
dress/work (business)
wardrobe
♦ limited choices
♦ Not clothes I want in sizes
I need, food is cheaper
elsewhere
♦ prices
♦ Can't find it in GR
♦ Stores here do not carry
name brands
♦ Manufacturer is in
Wisconsin
♦ lack of sizes in stores
provided
♦ better buys, better
selection
♦ limited selection
♦ Cheaper
♦ lack of stores
♦ GR price too high
♦ no dealer in town for the
make I like, Gas is always
15 to 20 cents higher than
other towns
♦ selection
♦ price
♦ Cheaper, no legal
complications
♦ lower cost @ menards
♦ Auto dealers could care
less about local customers.
No good clothing stores.
♦ Not enough diversity for
clothing, prices on
building materials are
higher in GR
♦ no department stores
♦ price
♦ variety
♦ Can't buy a man's suit in
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GR, or dressy clothing for
women in larger sizes
selection, price
price
Not available in GR
variety, cost
We are an island of higher
prices, controlled by a few
selection & cost
selection
can't find locally
cheaper
selection, cheaper
none here
no Penny's store
No financing here (credit
problems)
availability is very limited
selection
variety
None in town that has
women in mind
selection
selection
price
prices
We need a women's dept.
store--better quality
clothes
Not available here
selection
need clothing store
Cheaper elsewhere
Better selection and price
not happy with mall here
More variety, better prices
Selection, cost and
warranty service
Not much selection here-need Herbergers/Penneys
quality clothing is not
available
selection
better prices
Better choices
selection
Better grade of clothing
Not much here for the
older person
variety & price
Greater selection than
Walmart or K-Mart
Gas too high in GR
Not enough diversity,
prices need to be
competitive
price
quality, design, selection,
price
Availability
wholesale, lower prices
Poor selection of women's
clothing, gasoline prices
are higher in GR
selection
not available
more stores in the cities
Page B64
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not available
quality, price, selection
selection
don't have a decent
electronics store
Selection of goods
Cheaper at Sam's Club and
we enjoy the drive
Surrounding area is
cheaper
selection
no quality stores here
Price and selection
cost effective
nothing here
Prices not competitive
here
not much available in
Grand Rapids
selection
selection, quality
No dept. store in GR
not available here
selection
more selection
Better shopping
elsewhere, more choices
♦ cost, attitude at local
dealers
♦ not available locally
♦ selection
♦ I like a little "class" to
some clothes
♦ better prices/service
♦ No department stores
♦ Prices
♦ poor selection
♦ none available
♦ price
♦ not available in our stores
♦ need a JC Penny store
♦ save money, more choices
♦ Not enough choices
locally
♦ Can buy it here
♦ Price
♦ Not enough in GR
♦ no good stores in G.R.
♦ cheaper
♦ price & service
♦ Personal choice and
occasion
♦ no variety
♦ nothing here
♦ selection
♦ price
♦ more selection
♦ Few sources for family
needs in GR
♦ good selection
♦ variety, quality
♦ I will not purchase gas
here from a controlled
system.
♦ cant find what im looking
for
♦ No satisfactory local
dealer
♦ We don't have a decent
store in town
♦ not much here
♦ No place in GR has a good
selection
♦ not available here like at
best buy
♦ selection & price
♦ price
♦ No dept. stores with
clothes we desire
♦ cheaper
♦ unavailable here
♦ selection
♦ Local prices too high
♦ cost factor
♦ we miss Penneys
♦ No affordable selection
without going to a
discount store
♦ cost less
♦ not much available in G.R.
♦ Not available locally, no
clothes for older people
♦ limited clothing stores
♦ none compatible with bus
in G.R.
♦ not enough quality choices
♦ not available
♦ prices
♦ price
♦ lack of options
♦ lack good lines of clothing
♦ Quality not available in
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GR
Cheaper
Honda dealership
Cheaper elsewhere
Local gas stations are
guilty of price fixing?
We get catalogs everyday
Not available in GR
Better deals elsewhere
Cheaper
No stores
No stores here
less expensive
cheaper everywhere else
nothing available and too
expensive
better personalities &
deals
variety
quality
we need Office Max
Question 27: Please describe your vision of Grand Rapids 10 to 20 years from now.
What would you like Grand Rapids to look like and what attributes should it have?
(Feel free to write on an additional sheet if necessary.)
♦ better healthcare, streets, shopping
♦ railroad away from homes, move Blandin away from town, more
shopping areas, not having to go out of town to do something
♦ Side street should be kept up better. No more metal buildings. Bring
jobs to the area that pay better wages.
♦ more industry fueled by tax incentives, more good paying jobs
♦ RR tracks should be moved out of town, or under/over pass. Airport
expanded--good air travel services. Discipline in the schools.
♦ Better traffic flow, better paying jobs, tourist attractions
♦ Truck bypass. Develop business south of Home Depot. Keep all
business east of 169 and south. New Holiday Express to be built south
on 169. Water &
♦ Continued moderate growth and being able to continue to have an
affordable community
♦ We can help some of the above issues by enforcing traffic speed, slow
down in center of town,
♦ RR tracks elsewhere
♦ RR bypass, repaired sidewalks
♦ Downtown would have more businesses, and a more historical setting
♦ Hwy 2 bypass, rail road overpass, expand industry, more jobs
♦ Bypass hwy 2 and 169, copy Bemidji
♦ better bicycle trails, unique town
♦ Bypass around town, not on 7th Ave SE, Also on over or under pass for
railroad tracks. More walking trails or sidewalks. RV park close to the
river
♦ hwy bypass
♦ traffic would flow more smoothly N and S without crossings, more
opportunities for young families to become successful, schools filled
with students
♦ A city with less traffic congestion. A diversified, higher paying
employment base
♦ A bypass would be good. I think we should give Blandin a little more
leeway to expand.
♦ better roads, more affordable housing
♦ Protect and improve airport, develop new industrial park, need better
paying jobs. Underpass or overpass so ambulances can get to hospital.
♦ RR overpass, one way traffic on 5th, lots of greenery, friendly town
♦ repair streets, focus on what G.R. has and not what you should build
♦ Continue hanging and potted plants on streets, maintain streets, better
city bus service
♦ Hwy 2 and railroad go around town. Hwy 2 a 4 lane with exits into
town.
♦ pedestrian/bike neighborhood, keep lakes, rivers, green spaces, traffic
would skirt the city, make a train to get around town
♦ Like it as it is. Keep small town image. City traffic problems need to be
addressed. Fine tune what the town already has.
♦ get rid of train, no more trucks
♦ free traffic movement, move railroad
♦ Bypass to the south, just N. of Pokegama Lake) going east and west.
Need more jobs to retain youth. Develop riverfront to
businesses/restaurants.
♦ better, cheaper bus service
♦ A bypass and the addition of housing along with a mix of industrial and
commercial growth and expansion will allow G.R. to continue to be one
of MN pr
♦ traffic issues addressed, more better paying jobs
♦ Bridges across Mississippi. Need better community relations between
government officials, residents and businesses.
♦ 4th and 5th st 1 way
♦ Better roads. Taxpayers should not have to support business expansions.
♦ small town feel, less traffic congestion, job opportunities
♦ bypass around city, over or underpass for railroad
♦ A traffic jam if we don't build a by-pass
♦ Better control of traffic density, improve appearance of small businesses,
traffic by passes
♦ more car pooling, better way of travel
♦ more stores in the mall, some overpasses to free traffic up, more law
enforcement, need better parks,
Page B65
♦ Overpass over railroad, traffic lights better synchronized; more better
jobs for younger people; more industries other than Blandin; bigger
airport; be
♦ Hopefully busy but safe
♦ By-pass--sad, but probably a necessity, improved business district,
overpass over train tracks, No condos or multistory office bldg across
from library
♦ Regular transport from Mpls/St. Paul, partnership feeling with
community members, jobs for professional men and women, busy
airport, high tech industries
♦ better traffic flow on 2 and 169, need a department store, revitalize
downtown area with mini parks to sit and relax with some vendors
♦ businesses south of river, residential and parks north of river,
enforcement of laws, more youth activities, more doctors, bypass
♦ Need to bypass 169 and 2 or town traffic will be intolerable.
♦ Make town bike/pedestrian friendly. Reroute Hwys 2 and 169.
Revitalize downtown.
♦ make 7th Ave into bypass, city should grow in a more compact manner,
high density housing downtown so people can walk to work and
shopping
♦ A road bypass and railroad overpass. Do not go through the fairgrounds.
Cheaper senior housing. Downtown come alive more. Maybe bus
transportation
♦ more rustic look, industrial and business parks, more people
♦ The community should have a diversified economy, schools and services
should be a high priority, traffic congestion has to be addressed with
alternate
♦ RR thru town eliminated, bypass hwy East & West, restore business
buildings as needed
♦ Love to see community center or alternative to the YMCA, improve
shopping
♦ more green, improved public transportation, develop downtown,
aesthetic appeal
♦ S. Pokegama - large shopping district, downtown library are with
historic feels; bicycle and pedestrian friendly
♦ Would hope to retain and expand the small town atmosphere with
historical emphasis, control use of new "modern" style buildings,
Industrial areas to c
♦ more development (business) to south #169 and west #2, better road
systems a must, additional shopping (department stores)
♦ develop college programs, better plans for through traffic,
over/underpass for railroad
♦ expand downtown, reroute traffic around town
♦ Fix all the bad streets, better business supported downtown. I'm not sure
what attributes should it have.
♦ slow traffic down, quiet car noise, more enforcement at apartment
houses
♦ Bypass around town. Rethink Judy Garland tourist theme.
♦ Consumer user friendly, more affordable housing, under/overpass for
railroad, bypass for travelers around town
♦ hwy bypass, RR overpass
♦ Cleaner, more policing of teens, better traffic flow
♦ Overpass to stop the congestion, businesses downtown and going east
and west instead of on the main highway, more recreational sites, more
exercise facilities
♦ freeway to the Twin Cities, riverfront business district if Blandin is
gone, safe and clean
♦ Have new hospital, clinics, library, Reif Center, Schools. Town looks
great. I think GR will continue to be updated and great.
♦ adequate roads, sidewalks, housing, small businesses, green space along
river
♦ opportunities for cultural events and activities, free flowing and
functional, need a city bypass
♦ better jobs & pay
♦ street light replaced
♦ More on west end of town. Why should everything go south of town?
Traffic lights on Hwy 2 and 169 to move traffic better.
♦ I see families able to ride bikes or walk easily and safely around town to
enjoy the parks, shopping, eating, and clean environment. G.R. has to
offer.
♦ A welcoming, historic look. A paved walkway from the downtown area
around to the Riverfront connecting to the YMCA and Riverview park
♦ Keep to CBD as is or further developed around, the CBD has eroded
greatly in past 20 years, maintain streets, parks, fire, police, improve
recycling
♦ RR bypass, green space added
♦ keep highways adequate and up to date in all ways, take good care of
young
♦ hwy 38 improved
♦ Road to get south of town. Help Blandin in plans to grow. GR police
need to handle domestic dispute calls differently.
♦ Should have a comfortable less stress feel, lights are too long,
pedestrians have to wait to long. We need this town to be eye friendly
and "user" friendly
♦ Truck route on around GR. We need auto traffic for business
♦ Bypass for trucks and tourists so they don't have to stop at each
stoplight. Railroad overpass or underpass.
♦ Well-kept neighborhoods, better streets and sidewalks, decent
businesses, controlled residential areas
♦ better traffic safety, better sidewalks wheelchair accessible
♦ better bus service with not so much congested traffic
♦ better traffic signals and entering traffic on Powers Hill to State Bank S
♦ walking and biking trails, protect trees and water, enforce leash laws, more
green space, rest stop, restrict number of storage units in an area
♦ People would feel safe at any time of day or night. Crime reduced. Traffic
rerouted. Something done about the train going through town.
♦ Pedestrian friendly town, variety of shopping. Parks and bicycle paths
connected to Mesabi trail. Safer areas to bike and rollerblade around town.
♦ More improvements like 1st Ave. Lights and flowers
♦ more bike trails, hwy bypass, a REAL mall
♦ lots of cars can't stop on 38 & 3rd Ave X-ing
♦ left turn lanes for left turn only, right and straight in right lane
♦ Cars parked too close to roads (curbs) hinder visibility when trying to enter
from side streets--cars must pull out too far to see traffic coming
♦ Large park in middle of town. Longyear Park is great. Develop
Kremer's corner. Good work by Hawk Construction on old Miner's
bldg. Occupy the building
♦ expand Blandin, Kohls or Pennys have to come to town, increase
tourism dollars, lite industry facilities, B and N bypasses the city
♦ Vital downtown area with spruced up storefronts, large park for kids and
adults in the city limits, affordable taxes for senior so they are not forced
♦ South expansion is good, but downtown is suffering. Kremer block is a
joke. Improve E Hwy 2 area. New homes in the old hospital and middle
school a
♦ more industry, bypass around city
♦ business growth, tourist attractions, things to attract young and old
because variety of activities
♦ expansion of community, forested areas, allow new businesses in the
area, keep quality of life style, friendly people
♦ more nice big shops opening up, new hospital opening up, growing
population
♦ a little growth is good, need a department store and restaurants
♦ safe, growing community, with many job opportunities
♦ Retired community; would like to see a younger thriving economy--not
rich seniors from the cities buying and inflating our taxes and real estate
value
♦ Maintain and preserve historic feel. Become a shopping hub for north
central MN.
♦ Continue to provide educational and employment opportunities, new
schools and hospitals. continue to grow w/new businesses. Don't
become stagnant
♦ Small town community feeling that attracts visitors, but allows the
citizens to do all of their shopping here.
Page B66
♦ Keep up with the times--balance natural beauty/city infrastructure, major
dept store, fill empty business spaces. Expand curriculum at Itasca
Comm. C
♦ expand
♦ Growth and improvement but I probably won't be here.
♦ Orderly expansion, includes Blandin along the river west of present
location, riverfront by library for green space, diverse housing options.
♦ like small town feel, applebees & ground round are good, could attract a
Kohls or like store for shopping
♦ retired community, expand town east and west, not south
♦ Growing schools, downtown development, few businesses south of
town, traffic bypass town, Blandin Expansion
♦ Residential growth in harmony with business growth. People working
together looking at all aspects of thought. Have an open mind and not
be held hostage
♦ More restaurants on 169/Hwy 2 end of town
♦ Downtown should be a service district. Tourist-type or specialty stores
will survive downtown. Riverfront development is unnecessary as there
are s
♦ growing, clean, friendly town, more business & industry
♦ Expanding too fast. Businesses closing or downsizing, people lose jobs
and move away
♦ G.R. should progressively keep its young families here. There must be a
better industrial or business base to provide better paying jobs
♦ lots of people I know would like to live here
♦ city growth
♦ grow fast
♦ restore downtown, more industry, river front complete
♦ a diverse community
♦ would like river front developed, Blandin needs support
♦ Still the small town community but keep updating with time and current
trends.
♦ Town needs to grow. Need good paying jobs. Law enforcement crack
down on young kids--at three drive-ins. Lived here for 30 years. Want
the best for all
♦ power plant for Blandin that sells on the open market, retiree center with
lots of lake homes, large medical community, government is the 2nd
major employer
♦ Road accessibility, improved housing, attract tourists, attract "name
brand" businesses
♦ Attractive downtown area for locals and tourists, better traffic flow,
pedestrian friendly town. Police enforce speed limits.
♦ Economic growth
♦ gradual growth
♦ Four-way signs in traffic areas only
♦ If we work hard to keep Blandin Paper Co. in town and bring in more
big business to keep our young people here or draw them back home
after college, I
♦ Lots of business going south, lots of shopping and industrial growth to
support and keep people here
♦ Hometown theme coordinated with franchise store facades to continue
the theme as Red Wing does.
♦ A balanced community that supports both young and old
♦ Continue to be a small town with big city amenities. Encourage
volunteer organizations. Develop local services so monthly payments
are not sent out
♦ Develop small retail businesses south of US-2 on both sides of railroad
tracks
♦ quiet, safe, productive city
♦ growing community, room for growth in education, theatre, fine arts,
and sports, 4 year college needed
♦ Downtown should be a gathering place, places to walk and shop.
Flowers, a stage for music.
♦ progressive, friendly town, more businesses make a successful town
♦ Would like to see a community of young, old, middle age families with
adequate housing in all income brackets. Traffic will be bad in the future
for t
♦ increased population, with jobs and housing for young and old
♦ growing town, more shopping, expanded college degree selection
♦ expand the city to outlying areas with less congestion in the present city
limits
♦ Need to make changes. Stop cutting trees. Growth should focus on
current natural amenities. Reroute traffic. Short-sighted mistake to raze
old Kr
♦ city will expand and look like the urban sprawl in the twin cities
♦ strong community organizations
♦ more community activities & recreation, remain small
♦ Thriving community with all major shopping and food services available
in big cities now.
♦ improved riverfront, blandin expansion, better lighting, new fairground
♦ I've lived in G.R. 30+ years, what a transformation this town has made
♦ continued growth with more stores
♦ continue to grow, more retired people, lower taxes, new hospital
♦ would like to see more green by Mississippi river & lakes, property
incentives, encouraging neighborhood watches
♦ Shortly I hope it will be better, the iron range start more business's and
all the little cities around G.R. may improve and more people will be
hired
♦ big increase in traffic and growth, not small town feeling. Problem for
seniors to drive in. Need larger stores. I see problems for senior
population
♦ growing city, more jobs
♦ population growth, more jobs
♦ big cities
♦ lower property taxes, stay as a beautiful city, but still grow to survive
♦ Hi tech industry - Malls
♦ encourage industry, promote growth
♦ G.R. should focus on our beautiful area, recreation, the resorts that
people come here for as well as encouraging new business growth,
♦ stay the same, slow traffic down, new hospital good asset
♦ RR overpass, more business
♦ Vibrant, historic looking downtown; better traffic flow; Dept. store;
Improved medical services
♦ That people will be hustle and bustle more so there will be different
changes. Better community--more recreation, better communications
♦ Downtown core & corridor highways have visual theme, evergreen
foliage. Population goal f of 20,000 for 36 square miles for 2023. More
contained housing
♦ Keep as is but improve pedestrian/bicycling friendliness. Don't turn it
into a big city atmosphere. Small town is why I'm here.
♦ Growth without sprawl, diversify economy
♦ Varied but limited growth, which should be planned and regulated. Too
much growth could lead to loss of small town atmosphere. Upgrade
airport road
♦ more employment, more age variety
♦ Would like to see thriving community, wide range of ages, cultures and
beliefs. Growth of business and industries, but keep small town feel.
Protect
♦ Vital and thriving downtown. Blandin not downtown! Train not cutting
the downtown in half. Riverfront with walking and bike paths. Nice
dept. store
♦ continue to grow, keep green space, consolidate schools, clean lakes and
rivers, friendly people
♦ More like Bemidji, shopping, college
♦ progressive and growing community, welcomes development and
diversity, business and individuals coexist, most popular tourist
destination in N MN, job
♦ Revitalize downtown. Develop a theme. Improve downtown parking
♦ G.R. need to grow with a more diversified economy, we can't continue
to depend on Blandin Paper as the backbone of our community. They
should remain a
♦ Businesses have located in old downtown areas in Walker, More
industry needed.
♦ Plan new city area, don't want to become another Brainerd, i.e, lake
property over-valued, not enough residential and commercial valuation
for city to
Page B67
♦ Keep a family environment with churches, schools, hospital care,
businesses. Also good facilities, well-kept town, good emergency and
law enforcement,
♦ Small town charm; business opportunities; strong residential areas; more
community events (parades, festivals, etc.) Maintain city parks.
♦ lots of Green Areas, Plenty of competitive stores, need more dress shops
for men and women, need Best Buy, Sams Club, Menards. Save on trips
to Duluth
♦ more businesses, green space makes town look nicer, keep town clean,
like the flowers
♦ Theme for city for future, create interest for visitors and tourists.
Beautiful town needs aggressive leaders to develop tourism. City is
lackluster
♦ Riverfront development, including residential & commercial. Gazebo
with flower garden. Family picnic area. Water park @ YMCA?
Community outdoor pool
♦ county seat community with industry, enhance parks, green space,
government will be more accountable and swifter in making decisions,
stop spending
♦ Leave GR a small town. City tries to do too much with result taxes go
up. Hard to attract new businesses and people here if this keeps up.
♦ Art park where showboat landing and park is now. Industry out around
SW of airport- Parking in front of Central School like the courthouse. A
turn l
♦ Friendlier sales people. Good business development. Strong, ethical
real estate businesses.
♦ Maintain good air quality, control noise, there will be more people
♦ City will grow. The area is attractive and will bring more people here.
Need to have some controls on development: lot size, zoning issues.
We nee
♦ New development but keep hometown feel. Greater variety, more stores
for shopping
♦ welcome visitors, diverse job opportunities, respect and protect children
they are the future of GR, growing community is vital to prosperous
economy
♦ Small town, interesting place, excellent schools and medical facilities,
outstanding library---improve staff and budget, recycle city and county
office
♦ continued economic growth, more people moving to GR and retiring in
GR
♦ preserve and plant trees, riverfront that encourages biking, walking,
canoeing, healthy vital downtown, light industrial parks
♦ Our community will continue to shift toward mostly seasonal retirement
and vacation area
♦ More historis, gentrified, pedestrian & bicycle friendly town. Hwys 2 &
169 are seedy looking. Tree lined sidewalks with benches along blvd.
♦ develop downtown, clean environment, lots of trees, increase the arts
activities, friendly ways to bike and walk, railroad under of overpass
♦ Develop river front, retain trees, Highway 2 bypass, major medical
center, affordable housing, expanding business opportunities, train
through town i
♦ Vibrant downtown and riverfront areas. Resources for retired and
elderly who will support and welcome young families and local service
industries. M
♦ Fix up downtown. Make it quaint & charming. Flower baskets are
good. More retail businesses. Mall should not be a business center.
Tourist attract
♦ strong economy, economic diversification, more jobs
♦ quality of life maintained, more green, more consideration given to
small business
♦ full of lifelong residents, not city, base future on being small town,
economic growth w/o big business, maintain business and people
already here
♦ Controll growth/development to maintain current environment
♦ bigger city, bypass highway around city, more low cost housing
♦ Fill vacant stores before further expansion outside city limits. Make
downtown a priority. It's not the same friendly town we moved to 25
years ago.
♦ community and economic stability
♦ many more jobs for the unemployed, we cant keep people here with layoffs, employment that is not seasonal
♦ Create neighborhood centers--school/library/park. Lake front for public
use. Mix of business/residential/industrial downtown.
♦ maintain natural beauty, economically sustained
♦ clean & safe community with opportunity
♦ annexed residential areas
♦ Develop downtown for small businesses, shopping and green space.
Remove Hwy 2/169 traffic from downtown via a bypass. Opportunities
for work/recreation
♦ focus on attracting younger families
♦ GR should be more friendly, SW development
♦ Friendly, progressive community. We need to keep the beauty of the
lakes and river.
♦ the city needs to move forward and get out of the 70's, get rid of the
good old boy attitudes
♦ energetic community with diverse pop. Ability of big money people to
control major assists would not exist. Efficient public transportation.
♦ Town headed in the right direction for appearance. Facelift and theme
for downtown., mall is not appealing, library area should be green space
♦ Improve west end of town. A theme for the town with store fronts
unified around theme. Reroute traffic around town.
♦ continue to be a small rural community w/less dependence on
forest/paper industry. Would like to see other industries start/grow to aid
in our economy
♦ grow on Hwy 2 East
♦ Would like to see Downtown area developed into a quaint shopping
district with retail shops and restaurants. Growth on Hwy 169 to
continue also. Keep Blandin
♦ More development downtown to attract businesses and people to
downtown area
♦ more retail, better medicine, 4yr college, hwy bypass, lower taxes on
residential property
♦ small city feel, utilize vacant lots for future business
♦ Remain "small town" in downtown area, larger expansions south or
west. Develop river front area and Kremers lot, improve road in front of
mall
♦ get power plant, get no 7 machine going
♦ Develop downtown for heart and focus of town, add retail, food,
entertainment, public spaces.
♦ Good place to live if development proceeds without undue regulations or
taxation on residential and business property. Current hospital and
middle sc
♦ Commercial building expansion south of town, seniors' apt. complex,
improved traffic/road conditions, a growing city
♦ good schools, retirement community, light industry
♦ Larger population, land for residential areas, industry for job, but should
be aesthetic to the area
♦ More places to eat other than south of town
♦ Family orientation. Repair streets and sewers. Good work ethics. New
businesses. Religious values
♦ hwy 169 will be a string of businesses to the south near Hill City,
downtown will attract tourists for a short visit
♦ Enjoy taking visitors to see our town. What has been done downtown is
very attractive. Flowers in the summer are worth the money. My vision
is to s
♦ Business downtown freed up and utilized. Better roads, more sidewalks,
more mixed business residential areas.
♦ want to see mini Duluth, good shopping and better paying jobs
♦ evolving community
♦ developed riverfront, expand downtown business district
♦ continue to grow, but not get too big, keep its small town atmosphere
♦ Vibrant downtown and highway business area, clean wide streets with
trees, garden flowers, blvds. Good street lighting and traffic control.
Moderate
♦ clean, neat, progressive, green, beaches, good traffic
Page B68
♦ Business expansion, restaurants, Home Depot. Do we want big business
or remain and mom and pop community. More opportunities for young
professionals.
♦ diversified economy, steady controlled growth, maintained residential
streets
♦ growth
♦ Attract more tourism like the Brainard and Walker areas. Develop
downtown which would attract these people to downtown
♦ More industry for economic growth, 4 yr college,
♦ retain buildings and pretty look, keep green space and surrounding while
expanding
♦ healthy growth in clean, diversified business/industry would be very
helpful to our stability. overall unique town
♦ Neat, old-time look. Appeals to visitors. Expansion is necessary but
feel that I would hate to lose the small town feel.
♦ Better use of Mississippi--right now it's hard to get to. Like GR the way
it is, but we do need more jobs.
♦ G.R. needs to attract more light industry and get away from our
dependence on the timber industry and from service industries
♦ attract and retain new businesses while keeping its residential areas,
downtown needs a new look, industrial business should stay in industrial
parks
♦ Keep the "up north look", more employment opportunities, more home
owners, more affordable rental houses
♦ increase in wildlife and animal exercise area
♦ More shops in downtown Block E - tear out old buildings, a department
store
♦ It will grow southward and be improved. Northwoods feels with green
space the #1 consideration
♦ we need to preserve the wildlife
♦ Would not want GR to change to be like a metro area. Charm of small
town should be preserved, and yet provide opportunities for progress in
business
♦ continue to grow, modern parks, children’s restaurants
♦ safe neighborhoods, wide variety of quality stores, employment
opportunities, small town feel still here
♦ probably grow to the south more
♦ Attractive stores and restaurants, focus on schools/parks, industrial
growth/jobs
♦ grow
♦ City is headed in a positive direction. Would like to see downtown area
built up and thriving. Many friendly stores, and areas to sit and enjoy
the
♦ keep growing, more variety of shopping stores, improve west entrance to
city, variety of housing, senior complex
♦ community growth, more business, restaurants, local businesses stop
fighting further development
♦ Growth, keep crime rate low
♦ continue to grow
♦ continue small hometown values, encourage tourism, maintain beauty,
city sponsored activities, increase light industrial jobs
♦ Future growth will occur as in Brainerd, but 10-15 yrs behind. Cohasset,
like Baxter will be larger than G.R. Street Landscaping is important, but
not
♦ Pedestrians will be no. 1 and downtown will be filled with shops for
residents and tourists. Youth will have recreation facilities off main
street.
♦ Try to solve problem of RR crossing nuisance
♦ Keep downtown business district. Develop riverfront with business and
residential. Don't limit larger retailers because people don't want to lose
a
♦ It would be nice to see GR boom with economic growth. Need snow so
we can have a year around recreational economy
♦ Not too big or as busy as Brainerd, promote good business and small
industry
♦ A constant and consistent plan allowing all types of growth. Take
advantage of outdoors recreational attraction for visitors
♦ very tourist oriented, plenty of things to do, need new city council to do
more than pass anti noise & loitering laws, free ferry,
♦ would like minimal change, more quality stores
♦ grow from a youthful city to a more mature place
♦ More shopping places, especially clothing stores. Don't tax me out of
my house. I'm a widow on a fixed income. I want to spend my senior
years here
♦ quiet, small town, growing city south, north or west, quaint downtown
area
♦ Try to be ahead of the game. If Blandin shuts down be ready or have
other industries in place to take its place
♦ will probably be same as now, with closed building, downtown-failed
business, more city owned parking lots cluttered with soo called beauty
attempts c
♦ entice small industry and promote tourism
♦ Friendly community with diverse things to do
♦ Need to attract new businesses, tax free zones
♦ 30 years ago the population was 8252, today it is 7200. We need to do
something about that
♦ downtown growth
♦ double in population with industrial growth
♦ compact community, use existing areas to place new businesses, fill
vacant spaces along Hwy 2
♦ community that attracts both young and old
♦ a health and wellness community, more trails with mileage posted
♦ a safe small town community with cultural activities
♦ back to a main street community
♦ become a senior retirement community building improvements, keep the
trees along the major highways
♦ building updates/restoration, no metal buildings
♦ Downtown should be a quaint area with shops, industrial park expanded
to east of airport, relocate away from city
♦ edge of the wilderness town, building codes that lead to better
organization of areas, continue to develop for visitors
♦ Enhance appearance and access to lakes and river. Limit hp on lakes.
Maintain hospital and middle school areas, attractive uses rather than
industry
♦ expand while being "small town"
♦ fill all existing buildings and have the home town feel
♦ hwy bypass, huge theme park along river in west end of town, green
space, downtown back in business
♦ I see G.R. as a retirement community with people on fixed incomes.
Don’t use tax payers money to support private business. stay out of it
♦ keep and create green space
♦ Maintaining the look/feel of the core residential/business areas in/near
downtown, without the inset of urban blight.
♦ more parks with benches where people can sit and enjoy the city
♦ more venues for nightlife
♦ more youth entertainment, more stores
♦ nicer store fronts, reconditioning the old buildings
♦ no major changes, more entertainment for adults
♦ old homes repaired, cleaned up
♦ Preserve natural beauty, preserve/repair downtown homes and
businesses to keep historic feel, continue business development on 169
south, leave fairgrounds
♦ remain same size, gain department store
♦ revitalize uptown area
♦ save as many old land marks as possible
♦ skate park where old middle school is, nothing built along river, Blandin
gone
♦ south end expansion
♦ south end of town is congested during meal times, incentives to get some
fast food places in west end
♦ small city, more activities for all ages, billiard halls, dance halls, and
putt putt golf
♦ We hope that G.R. will be able to maintain its small town ambience.
Lets improve what we have instead of expanding into a metropolis
Page B69
♦ Would like to see it remain a small community that doesn't spread out
city limits. Keep business in specific areas, and leave residential areas
alone.
♦ A quiet peaceful community where you could raise your family
♦ preserve heritage
♦ better looking storefronts, no more parks
♦ Stable economy, greater concern for natural resources (save the trees),
retain flavor of small town living, not become an urban center--tourists
want
♦ green space and parks, full buildings, decent highways
♦ Keep "Up North" feel with green space. Strong outdoor activities
emphasis. Keep education a continual priority.
♦ GR improved in last few years. Hope to see more cleanup of trash,
painting buildings. I don't go into a business that looks shabby.
♦ Clean, non-profit, safe centers for youth
♦ develop and keep businesses downtown, more green space, activities for
young people, schools should make sports financially available to all
kids
♦ Clean, well-kept town. YMCA to keep direction focused on serving
GR, excellent school system, medical facilities too. Blend of
professional young people
♦ A O.K. Businesses keep their sidewalks cleaned and store fronts
looking good
♦ Parks and easy access, walking paths along lakes and river, clean, neat
looking community, increased skilled job availability
♦ stay pretty
♦ old forest, nature friendly neighborhoods, clean water, safe to eat
walleye
♦ Hope there will still be lots of trees and a connection to the old G.R.,
Hope there is still the beautiful flowers and decor. we have in downtown
G.R.
♦ increased tourism, preserve lakes, small businesses
♦ Maintain quality of life. Preserve lakes and riverfront, no heavy
industrial type businesses polluting the air, water, etc.
♦ Downtown area cleaned up, thriving shops, green spaces. Hwy 169
strip more attractive, better traffic flow. Bicycle paths and information
signs for
♦ We have missed opportunities to establish GR as a unique Northwoods
town. Adopt ordinances to protect what is left of trees and natural
resources th
♦ Cohasset will be larger than GR due to available land. Become more
business friendly--jobs needed. Make the GREDA finally do something,
secure new b
♦ Clean, green community with controlled traffic flow. Turn lanes on
Pokegama Ave. Slow the traffic down in town generally. Growth in
business and i
♦ More pine trees
♦ trees, large department store like Penny's, Sears, Herbergers
♦ clean quiet town, business on 4 main roads through town, industry in
one large area.
♦ Update unsightly (west) bldgs, more uniform residential structures,
increase water pressure, better lighting in residential areas
♦ clean air, no Blandin
♦ Small, clean town. Good jobs and a variety of services and
entertainment
♦ Keep trees and green spaces. Keep a northwoods city flavor for GR
♦ support small businesses in town, more trees and greenspace, expand in
the E and W away from residents
♦ Very clean city. Good law enforcement on city streets and Pokegama
Ave.
♦ City with quiet, serene look. Reminds me of Brainerd and their growth
problems. Built up towards Baxter area leaving the west end looking
pretty des
♦ strict enforcement to keep crime down, lower senior living costs, clean
air and water
♦ enhance natural beauty, keep small town flavor, expand, protect
fairgrounds and parks, be able to bike and walk
♦ keep trees and green space, use in town lakes as walker/biker friendly
areas, parks along river
♦ Improve downtown, Bypass around city, low home taxes
♦ greenspace, replace tall pines, more incentive for high tech businesses,
more public beaches
♦ lots of trees, safe family friendly, economically diverse workforce, clean
air and water, smoke free restaurants
♦ Clean, safe and less traffic congestion
♦ A mix of small businesses, tourism, maybe two large industries
♦ Greener, Hwy 2 and 169 bypass, no power plants or other inappropriate
industrial plants
♦ Small, quiet, with lots of green space and clean lakes
♦ buildings fixed and cleaned up
♦ clean water, clean air
♦ Maintain similar population to preserve small town reality. Continue
improvements to streets, old buildings torn down and replaced by new
ones.
♦ no industrial development on the river, industry should be in industrial
park
♦ More parks and recreation. Expand job market, increased wages. More
opportunities for single parent families through community.
♦ want friendly atmosphere down town
♦ clean air and water, industry should be outside of city, more walk ways,
bike paths, no industry on river
♦ keep the town small, lot sizes large, clean lakes, more ped and bike
paths, restrict billboards
♦ Maintain good air quality, and/or even improve
♦ increase green space, improve businesses along hwy 2, keep flowers,
improve traffic, beautify river front
♦ Resurface side roads, more colorful hanging baskets with flowers in
downtown business area
♦ Keep it clean and it will grow
♦ Lots of trees and green spaces. Don't destroy the beauty of the town. I
don't think I will be around 20 years from now.
♦ At the rate we are gong G.R. will be blue and belching smoke, noisy. It
should look more natural, industrial should be far out
♦ clean, historic, pedestrian friendly downtown shopping, green space,
affordable housing, small busses that run a on a regular schedule
♦ cleaner, nicer store fronts, more parking, a bypass for through traffic
♦ GR needs to respect its natural beauty and resources, not jeopardize
them with too much commercial development
♦ clean water & pine trees. need more diversification of employment,
more technology
♦ Try to keep northwoods community feeling. Green/park space along the
river between Pokegma and airport roads would be nice, but residents
should not
♦ Would like to see G.R. be more cautious when they cut down trees that
stay green all winter, very few communities west of here have these
beautiful trees
♦ more control of drinking and driving and drugs, clean, plenty of work
for all ages, move Blandin of town
♦ Blandin building should have face lift
♦ Replace some of those threes. Have the town look like a place up north.
Fresh air. Trees, clean lakes.
♦ Controlled growth. Local financing assistance to encourage jobs,
creative personal ideas for business supported, protect the environment.
♦ keep lakes clean, limit PUDs on lakes, keep Blandin, new manufacturing
business in area, keep crime down, control spending of taxes
♦ keep green, new business
♦ multi floor business building downtown
♦ plant more tress, better teachers especially middle schools
♦ More green space, little additional retail development
♦ need to keep the Northern MN look that makes G.R. attractive.
♦
♦
♦
♦
open friendly town, always small town
a very woodsy/green town
I hope it doesn't grow too big Keep the green spaces.
lots of nature and wildlife
Page B70
♦ More parks, activities for children, less industrial but more office
businesses
♦ peaceful, parks with swings by riverfront with fence
♦ save trees, plant new ones, don't let businesses take down trees
♦ Safe, family oriented city with jobs so people can stay here. Well
maintained parks, bike trails, etc.
♦ small town atmosphere, more industry, stabilized school populations,
low income housing
♦ more employment opportunity, more shopping selections
♦ more high paying jobs, more affordable housing
♦ GR should be a place with good-paying jobs. Retail to keep residents
shopping at home. Maintain small town living atmosphere and beauty
of lakes.
♦ Jobs so young people can come back after college; a welcoming and
comfortable place to live
♦ More young families, better paying jobs, good hospital and clinic, higher
education growth
♦ clean & groomed downtown area with more business
♦ business development, population growth
♦ more industry, more housing
♦ Job opportunities and attractions for young people and families, tourist
friendly with shops and restaurants
♦ remain small, more jobs w/ higher pay, improved traffic control,
♦ Higher paying jobs, more competition at gas pumps & food stores,
bypass around GR, better law enforcement
♦ more industry, more job opportunities
♦ downtown development, traffic not so congested
♦ more jobs, pleasant city
♦ grow with more jobs and more competitive priced services, keep G.R.
profitable during the slow winter months
♦ not enough high paying jobs,
♦ Progressive but still small town feeling, stronger job market, slow,
steady growth. Preserve trees and environment
♦ more employment, no more big city stores/restaurants,
♦ Would like to see G.R. remain the same. I feel that the community needs
to commit to the global economy, be a part of it in a proactive way
♦ more commercial business, improved law enforcement
♦ more trees, less socialists, less/no welfare
♦ more industry, develop downtown to riverfront, more small retail
businesses to attract tourists
♦ more jobs, more recreation, more of a tourist destination, combine north
and south elementary, more diverse shopping
♦ Large community center. Varied activities, esp. for winter. Focus on
people aged 20-45 and things that will make GR attractive to families.
♦ The community needs to have a better attitude about Blandin. They have
to grow. The job market is horrible here. Need more clothing selection
♦ small town atmosphere, more jobs for young people at livable wages &
security
♦ better paying jobs, fun clubs, water park, outside rec courts, improve
Blandin beach
♦ more work & recreation opportunities
♦ keep it clean, more good jobs & easier traffic
♦ Better businesses with better wages
♦ more jobs, better public transportation
♦ good paying jobs. friendly atmosphere
♦ high paying jobs, not tax free jobs
♦ more industry
♦ Annex the township and GR could become a large city with several
employment options for young adults. GR could become a tourist spot
for a larger gro
♦ more business/industry/better pay
♦ Jobs for people so they can support a family
♦ decent paying jobs to keep the young people in G.R.
♦ downtown improved, traffic, river bridge to hospital for quicker access
♦ more industries to provide good jobs, controlled sprawl, create
neighborhood so use of a car is not needed to get bread
♦ downtown development, more residential
♦ Retirement haven. We lose decent paying jobs. Current or new
businesses need support to expand. As a younger person with a family I
am discouraged
♦ mill still actively producing, downtown development, better downtown
traffic
♦ more buildings, better traffic conditions, more business instead of
relying on Blandin
♦ Ample employment for people of all ages especially the young. Better
lighting, streets and welcoming signs, upon entering our city
♦ stay the same but more jobs for young people with children
♦ Need good production industry to provide adequate paying jobs. Miss
trees and street lamps. Stop growth of Morton Building type
construction. More
♦ Need well paying jobs, work with youth, more industry, get youth
interested in their roots
♦ a big mall w/ many stores would attract people
♦ more industry and housing
♦ lots filled by business, more industry
♦ more jobs, bring back "old time look"
♦ Diversified economy and maintain small town appeal
♦ progressive, friendly business environment, four year college would be
good
♦ industry to keep young people here, unfair to assess people on busy
streets for repairs,
♦ many cars, some buses, bring Penny's back, more mall stores, more jobs
for younger people
♦ Retail shopping area on south side; new power plant for Blandin-west
side. 4 lane hwy to Mpls and state funded bypass of Hwys 169 & 2
around GR. Are
♦ More diverse, not as dependent upon 1 or 2 major industries for
employment. More jobs for young adults. Physically--an historical
charm would look g
♦ economic growth, clean safe & opportunity
♦ build the core in downtown, expand residential & industrial.
♦ better jobs for young people, common sense in city spending, more
restrictions on noise, don't grow too much bigger
♦ upgraded powerplant & industries, access to bike trails
♦ rely less on blandin, more shopping, less traffic congestion on Hwy 2 &
169
♦ trees still standing, revitalized downtown, active arts community
♦ quiet, energetic community, jobs with adequate pay, green spaces,
homes for all income levels
♦ people of GR need buy back paper mill, create Minnesota stock
exchange where old ben franklin was, worldwide investors could take
advantage of cheap l
♦ downtown improved, pleasant, blandin has another machine but not
largest employer in area, excellent schools
♦ less unemployment, better jobs, affordable medical
♦ more job opportunities, stop increasing taxes, city spends too much on
buildings that are not necessary, build another bowling alley
♦ Small town with lots of amenities, high paying jobs, affordable housing,
quality schools and plenty of recreation
♦ regional healthcare community, technologically state of the art, more
business
♦ preserve downtown buildings, stop this, thriving community, safe place
to live
♦ more better paying jobs, job diversity, promote the outdoors
♦ more downtown business, restaurants,
♦ more shopping, better jobs, less restaurants
♦ maintained buildings, better parks, better roads, more law enforcement,
more recreational things for teenagers, more employment opportunities
♦ A place to raise a family, retire, small town feel. No idustrial pollution.
more business, livable wages. less property rates
♦ need better paying jobs
♦ Jobs with adequate pay, industry out of sight, clean lakes and rivers.
Stabilize property taxes. Sales tax on luxury items to pay for future
needs.
Page B71
♦ More children and younger work force. Attracting families and able to
fill schools and keep up with more recreational opportunities
♦ more industry, more young families with children
♦ more better paying jobs
♦ Industries to keep the children here so they can raise their families here.
♦ better healthcare, more jobs better pay, senior tax break, better schools,
more stores
♦ maintain hometown look, youth stay, high quality of life, clean
environment
♦ more good paying jobs for all adults
♦ invest in businesses that create meaningful jobs with decent pay and
benefits, less focus on recreation,
♦ small town with big city perks, more business, community growth
♦ Need good paying jobs, parks and recreation for all ages.
♦ Full employment-jobs for high school grads. vibrant economic
development, four year college, integration with county/school dist
♦ more large industry or business that create good paying jobs
♦ thriving downtown, wide selection of goods & services, good law
enforcement, safe and pleasant
♦ More diverse economic base and Blandin expanded to include a new
power house and paper machine
♦ To continue to grow as it has in past 20 years. We must help in anyway
we can the paper mill to expand, we must keep trying to attract new
business in
♦ needs and industry that pays well, needs children's clothing stores
♦ at least 2 more manufacturing firms in GR, hwy bypass like Bemidji's
♦ More good paying jobs for younger families
♦ strong businesses that pay living wages, developed riverfront, develop
tourism to it's fullest
♦ make improvements as they become necessary, increasing taxes to make
improvements will drive people away, more industry and better jobs,
♦ light industrial development to provide jobs for young citizens, senior
center
♦ if laws were more friendly to light industry, more would come and more
jobs would be available
♦ close airport use that area to expand industrial park,
♦ economic growth
♦ Blandin expansion, more business, no more mining
♦ business competition is good, out with the old in with the new
♦ maximize low impact recreation of river, minimize businesses, retain
trees, promote living wage jobs
♦ develop as a regional center with development of healthcare, education,
county services
♦ Growing community with industrial parks, tech. based businesses. Jobs
at good wages, working with Community College to become a 4 year
school--engine
♦ great place to raise a family, good paying jobs
♦ population increase, paper mill making different paper products, more
industry
♦ more businesses and young people staying
♦ support business, retirement age housing, recreational opportunities,
safe, healthcare provision
♦ hopefully it won't be like communities near the cities, more better
employment opportunities, attract young families to keep the community
balanced
♦ More industry to keep young people in the area
♦ convention center built, more business
♦ keep jobs and don't grow too large
♦ More good paying jobs for young people to stay here after graduation
from college. No foreign countries to locate here.
♦ more tourist friendly, better gas prices, more diversified industrial base
♦ more industrial jobs, police protection, chance for worship
♦ Employment options for younger workers
♦ More jobs and better schools
♦ We are a new business, located here within the last 6 weeks. IT is
encouraging to see such effort in improvement. People don’t want to see
fancy letters
♦ more industries, don't depend so much on tourism
♦ economic diversity w/ livable wage
♦ G.R. should be a pleasant place to live and vacation just as 10 yrs ago,
reasonable housing, reasonable taxes,
♦ get our downtown area back, affordable rental property by lowering
taxes on non homestead property
♦ blandin expansion, downtown improvements, quality housing, more
industry
♦ sidewalks where there are none, maintain roads, more clothing stores,
affordable housing, new hospital, waterfront park, keep college updated
♦ more senior facilities (homes, apartments)
♦ improved homes, roads, stores, more low income housing, more parks
♦ adequate housing, business, discount shopping
♦ I am 88 year old man. Would want good living space and jobs for my
relatives, and the rest of the population. Do the best you can.
♦ Maintain parks and green spaces, make bicycle and pedestrian friendly
town, cluster housing to avoid sprawl, attract tech firms, diversify
economy
♦ good residential district, reasonably small business
♦ Fresh, clean modern facade for town buildings. Upgrade housing,
promote affordable housing, monitor and regulate current apartment
complexes and rental
♦ do something with vacant businesses and homes, less litter on streets and
sidewalks, affordable housing
♦ progressive, welcoming community with diverse jobs, maintained
business and industry, quality health care services, affordable housing,
high education
♦ create a program that would help to pay to remodel junky looking
houses, keep it from becoming Brainerd
♦ a place that our children want and afford to call home
♦ downtown business places filled with emphasis on green space,
developed river front park like, more affordable small houses, encourage
industry out
♦ single family houses and small apartments where Middle School is
located
♦ Affordable senior housing, better paying jobs, expand college
♦ GR a preferred city/town for high tech industry and small clean
manufacturing. Downtown a thriving business center. Well funded
schools. Population
♦ need to help Blandon get more industry ito Grand Rapids
♦ High tech industries, light industrial, a water park for tourists, push
businesses to develop indoor parking to consolidate the foot print.
♦ G.R. should develop in all areas. To offer young people better job and
educational opportunities
♦ Expanded, diversified business base without losing small town
atmosphere, controlled business sprawl. I support riverfront/downtown
development program
♦ booming city that attracts tourists all year, strong manufacturing base
and shopping center, a bypass to cut down on traffic
♦ economically diversified, livable wages, unique community with central
core, capitalize on current community assets, maintain green space, hwy
2 bypass
♦ Need industries and business so young people could stay in the area.
♦ Bicyclers have no regard for law or other traffic. Diversify economics
of city.
♦ Vital downtown, variety of shops. Quality restaurants, not just fast food,
diversity of industry, clean environment, technology systems, green
space,
♦ More businesses, beautiful, progressive downtown, housing and
recreational opportunities for seniors
♦ Several new industries to add to Blandin job base, dept. store and other
stores
♦ Need clothing stores. More grocery stores. All we have is fast food
places and liquor stores. Need places for teen activities and jobs for
teens.
Page B72
♦ Many additional businesses, increased population
♦ Major business, forest industry and tourism
♦ Diversify economy to provide employment and recreation for young
families. Need to have quality educational facilities to train workforce.
Accountability
♦ diversified economy, wonderful opportunities while maintaining the
beauty or our green spaces
♦ Growth in mfg. and industrial base--would build tax base and jobs.
Promote tourism. Expanding/vibrant regional importance.
♦ economy growth, lots of green, hwy 2 & 169 bypass, new business
downtown
♦ More fast foods, business offices, everything south of town. Major
highway around the city. Downtown should be kept with trees lining
streets, unique
♦ people getting taxed right out of their homes, shopping that the average
person can afford
♦ More businesses downtown--especially dept. stores
♦ economic diversity, home to a vibrant retired community, solid
foundation for younger families
♦ Need to attract industry. More younger families, fewer retirees.
Growth, stay clean.
♦ develop riverfront with businesses, restaurants, and green, renew
Pokegama Hotel block, upgrade hwy 2 and 169, need a retail anchor,
internet services
♦ No. 7 paper machine at Blandin, improved downtown business distl,
downtown housing units, connected walking/biking trail system
throughout the city, m
♦ More shopping, dept. store(s).
♦ Diversified community with employment opportunities, small businesses
encouraged and nurtured, traffic bypass.
♦ Strong business community, gov't willing to attract new business.
Market rate housing, home ownership and rental. Lower tax
♦ Prospering Blandin Paper Co., support businesses for Blandin, themed
downtown with specialty shops and tourist attract., Development in
riverfront area
♦ more diversified, more industry to attract people, can not be so
dependent on the mill, follow in Brainerds foot steps
♦ Growing community with major retailers, bypass highway to eliminate
downtown traffic
♦ Keep Blandin and allow to expand; orderly, planned development-unlike southside. Diversify, buy and tear down old bldgs on 5th St.,
Theme the downtown
♦ More businesses, larger growing vibrant, more pedestrian friendly, more
child friendly
♦ Diversified, environmentally friendly industry; affordable housing and
rental units, better quality rental units, maintain the "up north"
appearance.
♦ Stop trying to look like every other town in the state. We need viable
industry, besides Blandin, for decent wages, and to replace dying mines.
Tour
♦ GR needs more factories. More incentives to draw people to remain in
the community. Perhaps a four year college to hold students in the
community.
♦ diversified business climate, strong economy, tourism & retail
developments
♦ small town atmosphere with shopping options, not big chain stores,
more camping and RV friendly, KOA draw visitors
♦ Lots of strong businesses. Expand the college. Restore older homes to
make neighborhoods more appealing.
♦ Hwy 2 and 169 bypass, medium sized businesses providing jobs. We
are too focused on retail and tourism at the present.
♦ A larger mall. Expand existing mall.
♦ Menard's, Harley Davidson dealers, bridge across river to River Road in
LaPrairie
♦ More businesses
♦ retain central business district, develop river front carefully, pedestrian
friendly
♦ Business and industry for jobs, refurbished city hall, new utilities
building, good fire hall, medical facilities upgraded. Growth to be
funded by in
♦ bigger Blandin, highway bypass, better transportation system through
city, railroad overpass, diversity of businesses
♦ downtown redevelopment
♦ Need USA investment in our community, rather than foreign business
interests
♦ Larger mall south of town, more medical specialists, more senior
assisted living
♦ More economic diversity, less dependence on 2 or 3 businesses. Better
health care, esp. services for mental health clients and developmentally
disadv
♦ GR a thriving community with lifestyle that accommodates young
families and senior citizens. Strong medical community, Technology
leader. Strong educ
♦ Extend city limits. Stores move due to size & parking. City center-offices, gov't build, restaurants. Zoning needs review
♦ More businesses, larger population, progressive
♦ Small town with diverse economic base, variety of businesses, large and
small. Town will be larger but will retain nice neighborhoods and small
businesses
♦ restore downtown more of a sense of history, keep streetlights, benches
and flowers, more shops, coffee shops, antique stores, preserve older
building
♦ more economic diversity and a variety of stores
♦ Need businesses other than UPM, budget increases should not exceed
cost of living index, gravy train over for public employees
♦ 2-4 new large industries, Hwy 169 bypass using existing airport road
and going through LaPrairie, Hwy 2 bypass to north of town using
existing pipeline
♦ diversify businesses, repair streets and sidewalks, internet businesses
♦ New light industry, downtown growth, clean community, school updated
♦ Better business & industry climate. Market forces should dictate
changes, not government alone. Tourism and retirees important to local
economy. T
♦ More industries. Keep local population base stable. Promote GR as
vacation spot. Try to get more federal and state money to fix up and
build better
♦ No more mega stores. More local smaller businesses. Develop existing
space. No more sprawl.
♦ Like to see a diverse business community that reflects our area, not
Mpls. Population growth but not too big that we lose our small town
charm. Clea diversity, better education
♦ vibrant downtown with small and medium size shops, river corridor
contains green space and trail system, affordable housing in the form of
condos
♦ Broader diversity of industry & jobs; highway 2 bypass; railroad
over/underpass; more senior housing; downtown growth of business &
industry
♦ Keep all types of businesses. Teens and young adults look for variety.
Modern--keep up with the times. Adult and teen entertainment,
diversity
♦ continued diversity
♦ A growing city. New businesses, lower unemployment, Blandin
expanding
♦ Balance of industry and business to keep young people in the area. WE
need more than Blandin. Tourism, shopping, possibly expanding ICC to
include f
♦ Economic growth for jobs. Don't need elaborate new school buildings
when enrollment is dropping. RE taxes too high in Itasca Co. 500
homes now up f
♦ Professional jobs, add technology and "thought leadership" to the three
"T's". GR home to geographically dispersed medium sized corps. Sugar
Hi
♦ retirement community, more seasonal entertainment, assisted living
facility
Page B73
♦ Continuing growth, Blandin #7 & 8 with area west of Blandin to 63
containing several businesses employing hundreds. Resulting growth of
retail, medical
♦ More trees, new businesses to enhance our town. Places for young
people to go. Spend money on things town needs. City govt more
responsive to people
♦ industrial diversity, develop theatre & arts, businesses
♦ theme for downtown, continue with flowers, independent businesses
♦ Central and southern business districts, industrial dev away from main
residential area. Parks and green spaces along the river both east and
west, p
♦ Main streets all like 5th St. 4th St., 169 so from top of hill to Lutheran
Church, both sides business. Water plant should be manned 24 hours a
day.
♦ Support major companies here and work with them to allow them to
grow. Continue to serve as a regional hub. Concentrate on education.
♦ a business district with attractive store fronts, a compact walkable area
with a variety of products
♦ more unique gift shops to attract tourists, more traffic lights near schools
♦ Paper mill expanded
♦ economic diversity, good medical facility
♦ GR will develop into an economically diverse population
♦ businesses will leave because of high taxes, development of larger
industrial park
♦ Business expansion funded by businesses that want to come here, not
public funds; preserve natural beauty
♦ Mix green spaces with retail business. Need more retail clothing.
Support Blandin growth to keep plant open. Other business would come
if Blandin
♦ Better shopping
♦ more diversity in general, but still have small town style
♦ Need to let Blandin expand or the economic consequences for GR would
be devastating
♦ Innovative approach to attract businesses to downtown area, devise
approaches to attract more industries without affecting environmental
quality
♦ More small businesses
♦ More women's shops, a dept. store
♦ more pedestrian tourist friendly business/recreation centered around
riverfront, hwy 2 bypass, pedestrian corridor from riverfront to
downtown
♦ A stable, diversified economy--more work for young families so they
can live here if they choose
♦ More diverse small industry so the area doesn't have to rely on one large
one
♦ More or at least one good dept. store
♦ better shopping, good restaurants
♦ blandin expansion, power plant to produce steam for #7 machine, more
jobs
♦ blandin thriving w/ new power house and new paper machine
♦ downtown a better draw for customers, big businesses have killed
downtown
♦ Help Blandin and other business grow by staying out of the way
♦ less relying on Blandin, better trained hospitality employees, more
aggressive merchants, more retail competition
♦ more clothing stores, restaurants, upgrade schools
♦ more men’s clothing
♦ needs more clothing stores, family restaurants
♦ Use empty buildings before developing more. Stop giving UPE all they
want when UPE does not care about GR except for what they make off
us.
♦ Clean town, historic sites to attract tourists. Preserve natural resources.
Safe place for children. Accountable law enforcement. Medical
professionals
♦ Focus back downtown for small business owners to open specialty
shops. Locally owned restaurants.
♦ A theme for the city, like Walker, MN has
♦ Fishing and hunting, local and tourist; limited development to preserve
small town feel.
♦ GR has grown in part as local business people invested in the
community. Expansion has been primarily big, out of town businesses
who don't invest in
♦ develop as recreational area like Brainerd
♦ Revitalize downtown, variety of shops and food service, pedestrian
friendly. Restore and upgrade Mississippi riverfront for
greenspace/walking trails
♦ Tourist friendly, Highway 2 bypass, expanded recreational options
♦ Need industry for high paying jobs. Expansion has been to the south for
the last 25 years. Soon it will expand past Pokegema Lake
♦ Exploit northwoods character and not become another pre-fabricated
business community. Active downtown--bistros and boutiques--haven
for tourists and
♦ Move fairgrounds to abandoned mining property somewhere east near
coleraine, Bovey, Taconite, Marbel, Calument or Nashwauk. Use
fairground property to
♦ Build tourism--emphasize sports, entertainment, travel and outdoors,
larger businesses are shaky
♦ focus more on tourism, downtown expansion
♦ Like Brainerd or Detroit Lakes because of water and tourism. Expand
highway to handle traffic, overall traffic control
♦ need more tourist shops, restaurants (not chains)
♦ pleasant vacation spot, everything available
♦ Need a historic look for storefronts and streets. Everyone should bear
the burden of assessments. All use the streets. Add bike and rollerblade
facilities
♦ What ever happened to the large flower garden (grand gardens) That was
going to start up. This town needs tourist money
♦ projects not about Judy Garland, nice downtown with a major
department store, less emphasis on tourists more on residents
♦ Paper mill gone, riverfront & millsite reclaimed for mixed residential &
business. Pedestrian paths to connect riverfronts east & west of Hwy
169.
♦ Vital retail and business interests downtown. Green space integrated
downtown, connect residential areas to downtown
♦ a central city for northern MN, beautiful accessible city via parks, paths,
benches, a trolley to connect all shopping districts
♦ GR should be a regional mkt, medical care and hospital area. Increase
cooperation with other Itasca County communities. The city should
operate a ma
♦ The way we are going now we will soon be connected to Hill City and
Cohassett
♦ A mall South of town would be nice. We need more industrial/business
with good paying jobs
♦ Revitalize downtown area, nice restaurants and shopping to attract
tourists. Retail stores in buildings now empty, office located there too.
♦ regional hub for services and shopping, variety of housing options, more
employment opportunities, safe
♦ village atmosphere with many shops that attract local and tourists, more
diversified businesses, retain natural beauty
♦ more green space, upscale department store
♦ would like to see downtown grow on S. Pokegama rather than the old
area where Penny's was. Parking was a problem there for shoppers.
♦ Iron Range hub for shopping and services, recreational community
♦
♦ downtown area is dead, family owned business are to high priced. The
mall is to small.
♦ Would like to see better stores
♦ beauty supply store, clothing outlet, senior housing, boys and girls club
♦ Businesses should go south, downtown congested. Lower taxes, lower
housing costs
♦ need more clothing centers/sidewalks need to be established along Hwy
38 to allow for pedestrians and cyclists
♦ Need major department stores
Page B74
♦ Give us a place where seniors have a say and are not taxed to death. We
♦
need shops for women. The men have all the hardware stores they need.
The wage
♦
♦ Convention Center
♦ diverse community, core industrial area, senior housing and care
facilities, regional hospital, expanded community college, regional retail ♦
area
♦
♦ Upgraded school system w/neighborhood friendly streets, green space
♦
on major entrance hwys. Visual improvements on existing businesses
♦
downtown & gui
♦
♦ more majors offered & 4 year degrees at college
♦ ICC would become a 4 year college, develop the west end with industry, ♦
keep flowers and benches without advertising, homey!
♦
♦ more businesses, good paying jobs, more light industry, cater for
tourists, more fine arts, more retail and medical services, nursing homes, ♦
upgrade schools
♦ Quality, adequately funded school system, diverse prospering economy,
recreation for all, traffic managed better
♦
♦ same hometown feeling, riverfront development, improve schools
♦ GR should be an educational center for teaching delivery of rural health
♦
care. Could be a national model for same. Clinic/hospital and area
colleges
♦
♦ Comm. college upgraded to 4-year college; more shopping, tourist
♦
destination, improve medical care and education
♦
♦ Support schools, keep social services intact. Clean water and healthy
forests. Preserve public lands, not a drop to harvest.
♦ friendly city with the same quality of life, good medical help, excellent
♦
schools, community involvement, don't sacrifice environment
♦
♦ Gr. Rapids would have newer schools and good extra curricular programs for
elementary kids. Traffic flow would be convenient and driving schools
♦
would
♦ remain small town, more college programs & 4 year, don't want downtown ♦
to die off
♦
♦ all old people & no paper mill
♦
♦ Appears to be moving south
♦ Basically, we like it the way it is.
♦
♦ beautiful city
♦ Better city and state government, taxing seniors out of their homes, will
bring the city down
♦
♦ better place to live
♦
♦ Blandin paper would be in a different spot, less lake development, hwy 2 ♦
and 169 bypass the city
♦
♦ changes as usual
♦
♦ Citizens leaving the area because of taxes, need zoning changes to
♦
expand businesses, and need to increase businesses to make more jobs
♦
♦ city council that listens to the residents and responds to letters and phone
calls
♦ City looks great. Don't use taxpayers' money to make it look like a
♦
showplace for the world. Improve public utilities and workers.
♦
♦ community for families and friends to live in
♦
♦ community that attracts both young and old
♦
♦ continue and there won't be much left
♦
♦ Continue to be a friendly community
♦ develop better medical care facilities with better technology and
♦
specialists
♦ Diversity of medical care
♦
♦ does GR really want to move to hill city?
♦
♦ don't like change
♦
♦ Don't like things like street lights that play annoying music--and uneven
cobblestone areas on the streets
♦
♦ Don't want this to become a Mpls/St.Paul or Duluth
♦
♦ downtown is dead, blandin left community
♦
♦ Downtown mostly gone, Pokegama Ave. has become a commercial
south to the Mississippi
♦
♦ downtown will be all boarded up, ma and pa stores instead of all the
♦
corporate giants
♦
Drug problems. Don't know why police can't seem to do anything about
this problem.
Expand cultural activities for all ages, improve health and wellness
programs. Why is billing handled out of state for gas & cable? GR
seems behind
Flying cars
friendly community city
Gas prices too high, not enough young people are staying
ghost town, people taxed out of their homes
government should not have access to discretionary spending,
government should be creating policy to support development
great place to live
great place to live and raise a family, city water and sewer with an
affordable cost, minimum lot sizes outside of city should be 2.5 acres
hospital, middle school/pool, library, fairgrounds, roads will all sit
empty, we will pay to keep heated and pretty soon they'll be trashy
looking
I don't foresee any change. Or, if it was change, it will be for rich
people and Balndin, not the working people who make this town.
I expect GR will be another Brainerd--noisy, crowded, trashy--a great
place to leave
I just moved here. Not really sure what I would like to see
I would make hardly a change, our town is now beautiful.
if leadership doesn't change Blandin will be lost within 5-10 years.
retirement community w/ no decent jobs, comprehensive plan is a waste
of time a
if no more blandin, GR becomes another range ghost town
if taxes continue, residents will be eliminated and we won't be here in
10-20 years
if you feel the need to annex an area provide sewer and water, set a max
charge
I'll probably be dead
I'll yield to the younger people
Improve police force, work on local drug problem.. Improve legal
system. Hope for alive and vibrant community.
It will be a retirement community because we can't keep the young in
the area. Most of Itasca County may be a retirement county and this is
not a bad
it will be like Calumet if businesses don't progress
It's beautiful in the summer with the benches and flowers
It's hard to say; the world has gone nuts
keep as is, don’t grow so fast!
keep doing what you are doing
keep natural beauty same, more jobs
Less is more! Fewer people and businesses will ensure security, peace
and good living standards. Maintain current population levels.
Expansion will
Little area growth due to poor business and high prices.
looks like San Antonio along river, stop cutting down pines
lower assessments
Maintain present population, stop development
mill town with one industry, show place with out and industrial
downtown
more community involvement, new businesses while maintaining
environment, more working and less on welfare
more emphasis on arts, more shopping
more family activities without a large fee, more variety of businesses
more influence from upcoming generations and eliminate the old range
influence, more hobbies and recreation for young people
more of a retirees town
most likely we wont be here then, we're old
move fairgrounds to north of city, stop trying to put everything in
downtown
My vision seems to be a waste of time.
need to cater to families
need to do things for kids, otherwise gangs will come in, we need free
facilities for kids to go to
Page B75
♦ need to help Blandin
♦ needs a RV trailer court,
♦ Nice and friendly people as it is now. Nice neighbors--clean and neat
yards and homes. Good highways. Good police work and good people
on the force
♦ no change
♦ no more growth, get traffic out of downtown
♦ No more population from other areas like Cities or Duluth. We have
enough expansion. We need to work with it as a whole.
♦ no power plant W of Blandin, library area park like, less stop lights
♦ nobody will live here because taxes are too high
♦ not much change its good as it is
♦ nothing left downtown, moving south
♦ Now it's smoke stack city. Many bare lots from bankrupt merchants.
Chain stores with inferior products with no parts/service
♦ Overcrowded. Need to consider our growth rate.
♦ paying more attention to what people say will bring GR to a more
friendly place to live. business district growing south
♦ place one would love to raise a family, worship God, and know their
neighbors
♦ Plan to move in 2 to 3 years. Can't afford my house taxes
♦ Pleasantville
♦ quality community living
♦ quiet safe place to raise a family, easily accessible for retirees and
vacationers, lots of green space
♦ quiet, small town
♦ remain small, stop spending money on things we don't need
♦ residents supportive of each other
♦ retired people won't be able to stay due to high taxes
♦ rich will be richer poor will live somewhere else, young people will be
in drugs
♦ same
♦ same as now
♦ same as now
♦ Same as now, but remodel to improve appearance
♦ same hopefully
♦ same problems but larger unless major changes are made in planning
and implementation
♦ same size, more tourism
♦ same, downtown revitalized
♦ save the small town
♦ should look like it did 10 years ago
♦ small city with tourism that supports the residents,
♦ small town
♦ small town
♦ small town atmosphere, friendly people, safe
♦ somewhat the same
♦ stay like it is
♦ stay same size town, help already established stores in town, keep our
paper mill here
♦ stay the same
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
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♦
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♦
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stay the same
stay the same
stay the same
stay the same
strong economics
tall pine trees, time to replant
Taxes increase, wildlife elimination
The downtown has already been destroyed by removal of the old land
mark buildings, and setting up the silly--to small--mall. Everything
looks patched
The Hibbing of the west range. Dead. I would like to see the small
business flourish in this town.
The river is a nice addition to town, but not pretty enough to really have
a riverfront.
there needs to be a freeze on all projects, the government is using
residents to build their pipe dream GR, leave business alone
There will be fewer small businesses. Walmart, K-Mart, Target &
Home Depot will bankrupt the small businesses. Walmart will kill the
C-store with cu
This is not my wish, but I see a community of retirees, overpriced real
estate and no good paying jobs for young people. Those who live &
work here w
Too few leaders in the community making all the decisions.
tourist friendly town, keep natural spaces
Town has grown too big. I liked it better when there was less and we
were a nice, quiet community.
town pleasing to eyes, keep up historical buildings, keep relaxed simple
life atmosphere
traffic on hwy 2 worst,
upgrade residential areas in city limits, a Red Lobster or Cattle Ranch
We don't want to be put in the city at all. In 10-20 years we will be dead
so let the young worry about it.
We want it to look like it was 20 years ago. Small town community, not
a mini-Twin Cities.
Who cares what GR looks like if there are no jobs to keep people here.
In 10-20 years this will be a retirement area and the working families
will be gone
Why do we always think bigger is better?
Will be a large retirement community, but hope there will be more
diversified business
Wish is could be the way it was 10-20 years ago. But I know that can't
be.
Wonderful place
Won't matter to me if I can't make a decent living--just getting by doesn't
do much for enjoyment.
working poor people taxed out of town, spend tax money on new
business
Would like city to revert to the tourist/small town it was in 1980. Too
many fast food places.
Would like to see it get not too much bigger.
Question 30: Please feel free to comment on any question included in this survey or
on the survey as a whole:
♦ Thank you for sending this out. Greatest priority is traffic control, esp.
on 11th Ave NE. Not safe for walkers and bikes. Cars traveling 40-50
mph
♦ the railroad needs to be away from city starting at Cohasset where all
riverfront property is.
♦ survey addresses some important issues for continued economic
viability of GR but additional taxing to help business is not the answer.
♦ Quest 25, 3rd line, not clear enough; Quest. 26, line 6 & 7--did not quite
understand
♦ We feel comfortable living/working/school system in Grand Rapids.
♦ Thanks for the opportunity to participate
♦ How does a bicycle rider cross 38N from 5th St. to the north of town?
♦ No question on fairgrounds, and nothing about whether a walkway
should be built over Hwy 2 for safety.
♦ thanks for asking for our input
♦ Survey is very eye-opening as to the pros and cons in many areas.
Thanks.
♦ Traffic into town on Hwy 38 is too fast. Drop speed limit to 30 mph at
city limits and enforce it. There are a lot of small children in our
neighbor
Page B76
♦ ISD 318 enjoys and benefits greatly from the positive relationship with
the CIty of G.R. and we look forward to a future that we can mold
together
♦ keep on file and review in 10 years
♦ Save money by sending each individual only one survey. I got 2. Don't
send payment envelopes to people who have their payments taken out of
their ban
♦ Survey won't do much good. Community leaders do what they want,
regardless of what the taxpayers want.
♦ sad to see city council & planning commission bend over backwards
with street closures.
♦ I don't think my income should be a part of this survey
♦ Electrical system south of Grand Rapids should be upgraded
♦ I believe these surveys are inportant to the community, its good to hear
everyone’s opinion
♦ no more need for senior housing, but for younger professionals instead.
A new hospital with more specialties. More shopping
♦ Good survey. Hope it yields som valuable info. We seem to have
become so disjointed in our city planning--let new business in at the
expense of the
♦ down town is outdated for norht of river, the real down town is south of
river. too much non-taxed land use on desirable land
♦ Questions re format of survey
♦ the real reason GR plans to annex GR township is the additional
revenue, which the city will fritter away on studies for the business
district
♦ Poor upkeep of homes and property by some people on east side, also
some on 5th Street.
♦ The survey is a great idea, Good things happen from ideas. Action must
follow soon or ideas die
♦ city needs to build their infa-structure and slow down in city sponsored
bldgs (ball field, arena, library, streets cape project, etc.)
♦ Please do not address any more letters to Lawrence Kotaska. He passed
away Aug. 20, 2002.
♦ good place to live
♦ Riverfront project is unnecessary, fix up what we have. Streets and
sewer system need work. Survey as a whole o.k Tourists liked GR as it
was. The
♦ hwy traffic bypass
♦ GR has worst, careless drivers. Need safer roads.
♦ I pay way too high property taxes, if they stay the same I will not be
able to afford it, find a different way please!
♦ Survey is important. Easy way to give honest input.
♦ make this town functional, free flowing, friendly, get rid of traffic that
doesn't want to be in town, user friendly and affordable
♦ The stop lights @ HW Z crossings in Downtown do not allow enough
time for Pedestrians to cross with ease
♦ It was a very good survey.
♦ Why was Blandin the only industry that was mentioned?
♦ survey is a great idea, just follow through on people's opinions and
ideas.
♦ enough sporting facilities in GR, taxing senior citizens out of their
homes
♦ Survey is a good idea. Last proposed solution to the fairgrounds road is
good---to just cut off at MIdway. There could be problems for traffic at
ne
♦ GR has to be careful not to tax itself out of existence. We built a middle
school and hospital. Can't take anymore tax hits. People will move.
♦ we must be open minded about jobs and tourists, it is a great
community, low crime, a lot of good paying jobs, we need to expand
and diversify
♦ please bring Kohl's to G.R. and another popular fast food restaurant
♦ I love GR. Lived in many places but this is the most satisfying, prettiest
place I've lived.
♦ Born, went to school in GR. College at UND, got job upon graduation
and returned to GR. Fortunate to raise my children here in a great
community.
♦ Business expansion is important, but keep the small town feeling. Must
improve shopping options to keep us here. No more discount shopping
stores!!
♦ Born and raised in GR. Husband and I returned here after college,
raised family here and now some of them are returning to the area. We
all love the
♦ I know there is a lot of emphasis on economic development, it needs to
continue, more diversity, thanks for the opportunity to participate.
♦ GR has excessive police coverage. City and County should cooperate to
reduce spending in this area and others. Run city more efficiently to pay
for
♦ I hope the look alike homes in the SW area stop. This design shows no
community interest just bottom line profits for the builders
♦ cost of air travel to cities is prohibitive, don't compromise aesthetics
with advertising on benches, no more liquor licenses
local stores are losing respect for local citizens
♦ thanks for asking our opinions
♦ race track should be moved before its too late
♦ Thank you for this survey.
♦ G.R. future is tied to forest products, with Blandin being the key. No
new power plant, no Blandin, we have to dance with the partner we
came with.
♦ Some questions are ambiguous and redundant, but I think it is a great
survey and hope the results are used to improve the city of GR.
♦ Law enforcement needs to do a better job enforcing speed limits, esp. on
Pokegama. Fines could increase city income! Ten years ago a digital
signs i
♦ Any plan for future of GR should be done by local elected officials who
can be held responsible for their decisions.
♦ slow down traffic on back streets
♦ it is comprehensive, there is room for growth and expansion
♦ Moved here two years ago, glad you did not support expansion of
Blandin in downtown area. Build on beauty of the river.
♦ I am not for raising taxes, hard enough to make ends meet
♦ nervous about Blandin expansion
♦ interesting questions, enjoyed filling out
♦ recreational activities for teenagers. do not destroy fairgrounds by
making roadways or green belt
♦ we are blessed with lakes and River, recent layoffs at Blandin first big
setback, look forward so our young people can stay in the area
♦ reevaluate the head staff in the rec dept.-showing lack of interest, bad
organization of current programs
♦ 24- appears that you weren't thinking about retired persons
♦ very good survey
♦ I don't like filling them out
♦ More responsive city government.
♦ I was unable to get this done. Work the night shift. Now completed and
will mail Sat. Survey is a good idea.
♦ More data upon which to base answers. Opportunity to indicate
ignorance on an issue to guide your decisions as to how many people
are expressing educated opinions
♦ Including township residents in survey is good, since we will probably
be annexed. We do not favor annexation however.
♦ Look at other towns. Batavia, IL is a good example, and Walker, MN
♦ Survey is good effort. Hope results in a good plan for the city.
Continue to work on traffic laws.
♦ Hope you didn't spend a lot of money on this survey.
♦ airport is important, education and public awareness is needed, if
runways close it would impact GR
♦ I think this survey is probably a waste of money because you will do
what you want anyway.
♦ Need more time to complete questionnaire. Received 5-1-03. You will
not get a fair response. You wanted this to be mailed late--so no one
will respond
♦ Taxes went up twice since July of 2002. Could not recommend that
anyone move to this area. We may have to move. Cannot afford to live
here.
♦ Improve conditions for pedestrians. Revive Sugar Hills ski area.
Page B77
♦ lots of good ideas presented, keep affording additional opportunities for
discussion, it educates all of us and allows for compromise
♦ Thanks for asking for our opinions
♦ Thanks for letting me put in my two cents.
♦ Blandin has been good for GR, but find other businesses for city too.
♦ concerned about mixing business with residential
♦ survey time short
♦ May want to obtain some verbal surveys form volunteers to make
certain that the answers listed are better understood
♦ good idea
♦ for comment on question 10
♦ We did not comment on may questions because we only have lived here
three years. We think is is beautiful here
♦ Consider new approach to zoning. See Duany/Plater-Zyberk/Speck in
Suburban Nation
♦ question 16 has been decided on already, what happened to fire truck
being housed at the old SS Liquor Store
♦ Timeliness of survey delivery is poor. I have one day to complete it
after reception. Advertisement of planning process is poor--people need
to be i
♦ if we don't change we die
♦ Big money people influence the local politics, gov't, and major assets. I
feel ashamed to live in a community that allows that
♦ keep taxes down
♦ Live in Cohasset area, but have Grand Rapids address
♦ GR suffers because businessmen killed the by-pass in the 1970s. Major
highway traffic through the business district creates a major problem
and will
♦ Need bicycle friendly routes, and more pedestrian walkways, sidewalks,
etc. GR also has problems with speeding cars and teens dragging on
Fri/Sat nig
♦ What about the downtown mall. Where is it going? What can be done
to make it survive?
♦ do not want to see property tax go up any higher, officials are taxing
people right out of the city
♦ Need a noise ordinance--too many red neck pickups with no mufflers.
Moved here three years ago. This is a great place to live and run a
business.
♦ we are concerned about traffic congestion and safety on the Golf Course
Road after the Hospital opens
♦ Thank you for your efforts to try to make our community better
♦ We need more affordable housing the average job here pays $6.00 to
$8.00 per hour & the rent for decent 3 bedroom is $700.00 per month
♦ continuation of question 27
♦ Current economic climate and crunch on gov't financing will influence
this survey. Three years ago many of my responses would have been
more optimist
♦ I think if you take the comments seriously and act on the findings, this is
a good idea.
♦ I don't know if the over or underpass for hwy 2 would work, emergency
vehicles are needed on south side, hopefully there will not be a power
plant
♦ Good survey!
♦ We need a Department store please
♦ Block 17 needs to be included in the River Front. It si no foregone
conclusion that block 17 wil all belong to the Mill. Blk 17 & the center
parking a
♦ No comment
♦ This survey is too long
♦ Be careful GF doesn't become like Brainerd
♦ GR does not need to expand, plenty of room downtown to expand
♦ too much focus on green space & recreation, taxes too high already,
♦ I am encouraged to see there could be change in traffic enforcement and
pedestrian enforcement. I feel the drivers are terrible and don't stop at
sign
♦ You goofed up in sending this survey, receiving it on 04-30-03 and
expecting it sent back in 2 days, 2 wks would have been more sensible. I
doubt if y
♦ The people of this city should try to eliminate the jobs of any
government employee that runs for office and that is the only thing that
will turn this
♦ Correct question 20?
♦ we need enforcement on home and lawn upkeep
♦ Info to call or contact
♦ Did not feel qualified to answer some questions.
♦ I liked the survey and hope a lot of people participated, and that their
opinions will be taken very seriously.
♦ Quality of life is most important
♦ Just moved to the area because of nice environment. A lot of questions
we couldn't answer and marked neutral. Should have been an option to
mark "don
♦ Twice in 20 years GR has benefited by experts' plans, but no action
resulted. Need ordinances to prevent urban sprawl and environmental
degradation.
♦ Some questions were used to evoke set responses, but it is very difficult
to write a totally unbiased survey.
♦ Its good to see you asking questions of our town residents and
businesses. It's great to have a voice
♦ I like the idea of a survey. At least I know you are trying to get our
opinions. Thank you.
♦ hope our public can find out results of the survey
♦ you don't have an easy job
♦ add benches in places where people would like to be, around town,
lakes, fairgrounds, high traffic areas downtown
♦ In the last 10 years the city taxes have increased more than state, county
or school district. City government needs to be more efficient
♦ thank you for asking my opinion. this town has a lot going on for it. we
need to really back tourism and recreation up here.
♦ Noise from power plant is excessive. City should work with paper mill
to reduce noise levels. Traffic speed limits should be enforced.
♦ survey time not adequate
♦ a shopping restaurant, park, bike area by the river would be nice
♦ need to carefully look at taxes
♦ good idea
♦ keep G.R. a rural city, don't make it into a cities atmosphere, slowly
losing the peacefulness
♦ Control traffic speed. Better enforcement of traffic laws. Middle
school project was not needed. Leave streets at the fairground as they
are.
♦ promote metro business to expand tho this area, don't advertise GR in
GR,
♦ Surveys are good to get an overall view. I think the city planners have
their minds made up what is going to be done. Not interested in what
surveys say
♦ the flower pots and cascading flower and Christmas decorations are nice
♦ Cohasset has less restrictions and regulations against expanding
businesses. Encourage local employers and new employers to expand in
GR.
♦ question 15, would it be feasible to use old hospital as a veterans
hospital
♦ concentrate on amenities that attract new industry
♦ i appreciate the opportunity to participate
♦ survey skewed to positive business not general remarks
♦ Zoning and assessments are a major concern. Seems there must be a
better way to assess people than we now have.
♦ town will do what it wants to do anyway
♦ Its like the community caters to the older people. There needs to be
more activities and breaks for young adults. Like cheaper rates for
young golfers
♦ Water pressure in NE GR is inadequate, need new water tower & HS
♦ why would Blandin expand when they laid people off?1
♦ biggest problem is how to attract/retain young professionals.
♦ great survey
♦ not sure what street utility is, heard people lost their homes because of it
♦ no time to complete this survey
Page B78
♦ Traffic-no parking on Hwy 2-put a center through lane through town.
Also, a center turn lane on Pokegama from River Rd all the way south
of town. City
♦ Hope this survey isn't a waste of time; that it will receive serious
consideration. Seems like city is run by a few people. There are a lot of
other
♦ money going to waste on unnecessary things, survey due too soon
♦ Businesses along 4th St. need to clean up/improve their appearance.
Create a community environment that welcomes visitors and makes
them want to stay
♦ Now let's take public's action
♦ how can you gauge the results of a survey with so many open ended
questions
♦ flowers and banners are beautiful, xmas decorations are great, education
and sports are super!
♦ GR should also lobby at state capitol to become a govt center in No
MN. We should try and get any new state person in Grand Rapids.
♦ community needs to stop bowing to narrow corporate interests.
♦ bypass 169 from HD north, bypass hwy 38, bypass hwy2
♦ the root of G.R. needs to be focused on there is wasted space N. or the
River
♦ Please expand library hours. Thank You
♦ please consider low income housing, find jobs with decent incomes for
all, take care of people who can not take care of themselves.
♦ survey will do nothing more than steal thoughts and ideas from the
genius of the people
♦ too much emphasis on social services & welfare.
♦ poor survey construction
♦ if the hospital and middle school are not good enough for kids and
others why try to fill those bldgs or remodel them. Taxes are too high
♦ no frontage road business
♦ I appreciate the opportunity to voice my opinion, it is nice to see we
have a had in the decisions of the future here.
♦ Why not have all people pay on street improvements, we all drive on
them. No more additional sales tax.
♦ Less administration in government and schools. Keep our people here.
Blandin is not the only industry out there!
♦ food and beverage tax should be applied to whole population
♦ I believe the county board, city council and school board have done a
good job getting G.R. where it is today. We are attracting many retired
people t
♦ speed laws are not being enforced
♦ Rather than an occasional survey like this one why not set up something
that people can send in comments at any time with utility payments.
These com
♦ any attempt to solicit citizen input is commendable, congratulations!
♦ no U turn on road near post office, control speeds,
♦ no spending increase
♦ The city council and planners need to talk to the existing business's and
get there input before they try to force changes on them as they are the
one
♦ good start towards attracting young families will be how the middle
school and hospital properties will be handled, will affordable housing
be built t
♦ major business should retain employees and increase wages
♦ no heavy industry within city limits, competitive property taxes,
reasonable country living
♦ well thought out
♦ G.R. needs to appreciate itself for what it is, A prosperous, simple,
beautiful small town. Too many big plan and business lead to big heads,
♦ we need to elect officials that can decide what to do without having to
hire consultants
♦ I would like to see good businesses, large size, with decent wages and
good benefit. Thank God for Home Depot and Blandin
♦ don't see where this is benefiting the low income people
♦ we need better roads, RR bypass, street lighting
♦ Do not create a "street utility" Just another bureaucratic money pit.
Move one with what we have. No more taxes.
♦ Ideas have high price tags, taxes are too high.
♦ thank you for seeking citizen input, concerned about visible impact of
industry
♦ You should have a question concerning improvement/development of
public transportation to reduce/eliminate pollution. Increase bike paths.
Have a ca
♦ Focus on job development that can bring young families. Older people
will move here anyway because of the lakes, and business will naturally
cater to t
♦ This survey is great. I hope the community leaders will use resident feed
back for improving G.R.
♦ Look at communities 50-100 miles from the metro area to see how
development actually works.
♦ I think it is imperative that we retain a clean environment. This is the
most important asset we have in our area. Stop focusing on Blandin
♦ Thank you.
♦ Seniors and others have limited, fixed incomes. Taxes and utility bills
keep going up.
♦ There are more medical facilities here, could we get a manufacturer of
medical supplies? How about an expanded nursing program at ICC?
What about a
♦ Need to retain large employers we currently have and bring in new
employees to diversify the economy.
♦ Business should have been surveyed separately with more meaty
questions in order to get deeper results and direction for master
planning.
♦ ground round & furniture store in old Miners store
♦ Good survey--hope we find out final results--it will be very interesting.
Have to keep this alive.
♦ the city needs to tighten its purse strings, everything is at the expense of
the homeowners
♦ #7 is very important to GR
♦ GR does not need any more public/affordable housing. Decrease city
spending. Privatize services.
♦ Small businesses drive economies. Our new comp plan and ordinances
spawned by it need to reflect a business-friendly government.
♦ too many hard working people are being forced out of their homes due
to inflated market value, trains come through at 8 and 5 rush hour is
ridiculous
♦ City has to provide a better solution to infrastructure improvement than
the assessment program presently in place.
♦ Completing this as a local pastor. I live outside city limits. Would be
glad to discuss concerns with anyone. Charles Nelson
♦ GR has been a good place to live, but it is losing ground rapidly. We
need to elect thinking people to run our city. It's been business as usual.
N
♦ Thanks for letting citizens give input. Now I hope our ideas are used
and not over-ridden by politicians with their own agenda.
♦ Economy is down. Do not tax people to death. Save money. Don't
spend too much gov. money right now
♦ I hope opinions will be shared with the public
♦ Need to upgrade ICC, create jobs. Population cannot survive on
minimum wage jobs, even with both parents working. Nothing
attractive for ages 18-40
♦ Flowers, lights, bricks are all beautiful, but it's just raising our taxes too
high. Changing our streets (fairgrounds to school) not necessary!
♦ Riverfront development will only benefit downtown. Need a skateboard
park for kids. New proposed one will require a drive to get there.
♦ Bicycle friendly could be enhanced by repainting bike lanes, by the
River Road Market for example) and by sweeping the streets mid
summer and by enforcing the law
♦ Have public vote on where to put new roads. Please stop allowing new
businesses to cut down all trees for parking lots.
♦ I am pleased you are taking the survey and offering residents the
opportunity to express their ideas, hope something develops from
responses
Page B79
♦ Zone to let businesses fill west side of 169 south. Large fences between
highway and businesses so private home could be built. Present
consultant a
♦ there is a lack of enthusiasm and customer service, put someone in the
chamber that knows something about Itasca County
♦ I have a power company in Georgia that will build if they can use coal
♦ airport not necessary since one is in Hibbing
♦ stop wasting money on research & plans, offer businesses incentive to
locate here
♦ you shouldn't waste tax payers money on us because all the money
people are listened to and who influence the decisions.
♦ Survey is a waste of money because gov't will do what it wants to
anyway.
♦ great idea as long as people's opinions are heard
♦ New businesses will keep young people in the area.
♦ Improve law enforcement for safety for residents
This was an excellent idea. People get a chance to be heard
anonymously and feel free to voice their opinions.
♦ Kind of long!
♦ over ambitious expansion/development can cause the city to deteriorate,
higher cost of living
♦ More community representation for each quadrant and areas to be
annexed. Should be up to 5 from each quad, not just a retired doctor
with a lake home
♦ Need attention to roads. Property owners shouldn't be assessed for
roads with high levels of public and commercial travel. Should be paid
by all the
♦ Survey is a good idea.
♦ Live next to middle school, concerned about use of land after building is
torn down. We were told there would be no low income apts. This is a
quiet
♦ would like survey results mailed to citizens
if city plows one sidewalk, they should plow them all
♦ Thanks for finally asking
♦ The river is our biggest asset and the river front committee is proposing
apartment buildings & offices. That will bring no money to town and
use the v
♦ new animal shelter is needed, it is a disgrace, we show no compassion
for animals
♦ Grand Rapids has a hole in the center (downtown) with no
consumer/industrial. To get anywhere you have to drive, community
cohesiveness disappearing
♦ Help for people who need medical, physical, etc. is very good. I would
dearly love to see a hospital with more specialist.
♦ too many people on the system. makes it harder to work when there
getting money for free. They should do community work to earn that
money
♦ This was a good survey
♦ prices go up pay checks don't, people are not finding out about
programs, if we don't use them we loose them.
♦ Other places love seniors, we volunteer and do not increase crime.
Other communities want us and provide tax breaks on homes
♦ If you would only listen to the seniors!!!! Help us
♦ We need to help businesses succeed and expand. I want an opportunity
for my kids to live here when they grow up!
♦ great questions, hope all have some input, need more restaurants-Olive
Garden or Red Lobster and more motels
♦ Thanks for asking!
♦ This is a good way to gain insight into community opinion
♦ Harvesting forests has short term gains. Nurturing our forests and
valuing the life they support will bring us long-term gains in health and
economic
♦ GR has stifled itself in recent years. Schools are at far corners.
Churches & shopping are moving out. New library is in ridiculous
location. Old GR
♦ it is sad we need industry, but we do and we should support them
♦ was cigarette tax for roads, where did that go? cost of living getting
outrageous.
♦ Blandin is out for Blandin, doesn't care about GR. GR is out to make
money not to service its community and the people in it
♦ its ok
♦ stop taxing people, worked at potlatch for 21 years, taxes are too high,
insurance is too high, I don't drink or smoke, no bad habits, we home
school,
♦ vague questions, some good questions
♦ I will continue to fight injustice. I foresee a pleasant place to live if we
can bring our legal system here at least up to 20th century standards!
♦ It amounts to a certain group taking over and building the next Elk
River, while those of us who like small town atmosphere--less crime-less traffic,
♦ Why no questions about tourism?
♦ quit wasting city tax payers money, too many zoning ordinances
already, also why all the annexing? nothing will be done because of
survey. You will
♦ pedestrian traffic-good except traffic lights and careless drivers
♦ I think they should fill the empty spaces downtown before expanding
elsewhere.
♦ I attended one of those meetings already and if you can pack all that in-you're probably a magician, and living with it may require something
special
♦ 8th ave ne & hwy 169 E needs left turn assistance
♦ Many questions were very ambiguous
♦ need a bypass around town, less taxes, need to have more tourists
♦ I really enjoyed the questions. If I had a problem I have a chance to say
how I feel, and what to do about it.
♦ medical care needs improvement
♦ plow snow 11:00-6:00, fix streets, widen Ridgewood to control
congestion, improve street lighting around fairground and schools
♦ get a handle on taxes, business & people are leaving
♦ We fail to see what difference it makes what we the GR people want, as
the planners usually do what a chosen few want. When consultants are
paid thou
♦ it's nice to be asked, no one usually seems to care how the public feels
♦ have lived here nearly 4 years this is the first small community we have
lived in. We very much like the lack of congestion and simple lifestyle.
♦ blandin should pay for improvements made on riverfront
♦ the city should listen to the people who reside there
♦ district 318 and hospital should develop their old properties for best use,
no more tax dollars to support poor business decisions
♦ We badly need rental for elderly, children free. We need a place for
skateboards so they don’t use parking lots
♦ survey is geared towards the city to care for peoples needs not home
owner or store owner making his or her own choices, city is an
economic leech,
♦ deal with water pressure before any new projects, against storm sewer
♦ We have gone over board on upgrading our sports complexes and also
the middle school. We have parking lots by Gordy's that are not used
♦ Question validity of survey. We know tat what the people of GR want
is ignored. This survey will probably be similar to bond issues. Just
falsely g
♦ in the last 3 years GR has irresponsibly spent themselves into a huge
hole, forcing residents to pay the price. I plan on taking my business out
in 2y
♦ good luck!!
♦ stop raising taxes on low income seniors who are being taxed out of
their homes
♦ question 3 needs more room
♦ keep showboat viable in GR, keep site as it is, make it an arts in the park
area
♦ south 169 is dangerous at night due to bars and kids drag racing
♦ well thought out survey and well presented
♦ GR does not seem to support business
♦ Maintain natural beauty, but grow with technology. City sewer and
water seem quite expensive compared to other NW MN communities.
Page B80
♦ I like to know why our city and county police can do anything they like
and not pay the price. Why do this county paid big enough of money
for wasn't.
♦ Short time to respond from received date. Concerns about assessments
for those on fixed incomes
♦ I think your going in the right direction
♦ better transportation, SW & SE growth
♦ Surveys now and in the past have been useless. City and county fathers
need to change attitudes
♦ you're going to run th small home owners right out of town, taxes are
too high for average household, put a theater back downtown.
♦ more taxes are not needed, greater tourism would help, but bigger
industry would be better
♦ one way hwy 2 on 4th - 5th street, widen Pokegama ave from river to
Golf Course Road
♦ All in all, while trying to keep taxes down, the city does a dam(n) good
job.
♦ I am appalled that business development is allowed in wooded areas and
trees are all destroyed, clean lake access sites
♦ stop bowing to the paper mill. why no questions asked about the fair
grounds road
♦ I'm sure this survey won't matter at all. What will be done is what the
little elite group who run the town want with no regard for the rest of us.
♦ please try to preserve some of why we like it here so much
♦ I like the Christmas decorations, flowers, downtown music, street lights
♦ Excellent Idea
♦ gas prices are high
♦ Please let H. Review know results so we can know.
♦ in the last 20 years, you have managed to destroy what was once good
around here
♦ this is an exercise in stupidity no one will read it
♦ Taxes are very high compared to other areas. Stop raising taxes and
start to tighten your belts like everyone else has to.
♦ waste of money, elected officials will do what they want anyway
♦ Because of my age I'm sure my opinions won't matter much and neither
will my income! Good Luck!
♦ Does not apply personally, but we're glad you are thinking and planning
ahead. Can any town be all things to all people? Small towns have
built-in b
♦ GR is getting too large, enough conveniences, more businesses will
invite a lot of riff raff and will lose small town quality
♦ stop raising property taxes every year
♦ We need to inspire ICC and HS tech students with entrepreneurial spirit
to turn ideas into businesses. They want to live here, they need to know
how t
♦ Good luck!
♦ rent is too high, young people cannot afford rent on wages that are paid
in this area
♦ Progressive community, diverse economic growth and employment
opportunities, strong educational system, love of nature and the arts,
variety of housing
♦ go to ely and see it's charm, I want to see the results, who is the steering
committee
♦ Business should be kept downtown & Hwy 2 (4th St.) We are losing
the beauty of town to businesses, especially south of town, that we and
tourists use
♦ need better traffic enforcement
♦ if this comprehensive plan is a means to increase taxes, forget it!
♦ Reroute or bridge railroad crossings. A train going through town during
high traffic times is ridiculous.
♦ something has to be done about traffic on Hwy 169 from Hwy 2, traffic
is very congested
♦ Too much money spent on plowing sidewalks, washing streets and
taking care of ball fields.
♦ Survey is a waste of money. Leadership of city accommodate special
interests.
♦ traffic control is out of hand, no tickets are given
♦ Sr. Citizen apt nearer/walking distance to shopping doctors, pharmacies,
etc. Apt. bldg could be built across from Gordy' s on 5th?
,
the city engineer and council make their decisions, then asks the public
input and then tell them "sorry its already decide
♦ Local government is narrow minded and only does things for certain
people. The hospital moving is not needed but a few thought it was and
it was done
♦ do not need as many liquor off sales
♦ people need to support manufacturing facilities
♦ Quit catering to Blandin. They have no interest in the community or its
workers. Encourage new business by offering them less restrictions.
♦ Please consider people on a fixed income who are hurt by increased
property taxes. Airport and golf course should be self supported, not
publicly financed
♦ buildings should be paid for before starting the riverfront project. it is
getting to be too much
♦ GR favors financially able persons. mid class and poor are constantly
put out
♦ Money has been wasted on city/school studies. Admin act anyway.
Save money--eliminate city admin/excess school admin.
♦ any major deviation (natural resources) will likely result in reduced
tourism, natural resources, and quality of life
♦ anybody ever thought about elevating the RR tracks by Hwy2?
♦ retain what is left of nice northern MN town, don't cut trees, fill existing
buildings, no good shopping in mall
♦ local gas stations are ripping of the locals
♦ Just retired six weeks ago
♦ education system awesome in this community
♦ Focus on the people that live here, not the ones that visit. We need better
leadership!
♦ need a left turn signal at 169 and 8th Ave NE
♦ How many surveys do you need to get it right? I have had 3 this year
and several years ago. Someone is making a living on these things.
♦ do not tax us to the point we will relocate to another community
♦ overall nice city to live in
♦ Why hire expensive outside companies to recommend dept. heads for
city. They don't usually stay or work out. We have qualified people to
do the job.
♦ the bus service is something to be desired
♦ Everyone is sorry where the library was built, im sure where the new
hospital is being built will be the same, why not leave it where it is, its
empty
♦ roads are the worst
♦ 13th St SW needs upgrading for seniors, no response from city when
called
♦ received on May 1
♦ Expand transportation system to more commercial sales, attract people
to move to town
♦ Establish a local sales tax
♦ No more low end Rental's, thus attracts the wrong kind of people to
town. Look at highend condo's along river, to increase tax base
♦ Some questions on the survey need clarification.
♦ Through & Truck traffic should be routed around town, not through it.
There is no place for trucks to stop, they congest traffic. Need
department store
♦ traffic on pokegama is terrible, police department should be more
visible
♦ the city should get rid of those dorky speakers and muzak. Im certain the
cost for the service, yearly maintenance and manpower to amintain
would pay
♦ some questions not clear
♦ the burden of high speed internet should not be put on the people, there
are private companies for this. GR should guide development of the
town.
♦ Would like local law enforcement to be more visible during the business
hours. There are flagrant traffic violations during these hours, encounter
imp
Page B81
♦ assessments are killing the residents, city council spends too much
♦ not enough time given to respond
♦ Was this a last minute idea? Survey arrived Wed, you asked for ti to be
mailed on Friday. Helped create an urgency, but also it was a rush job to
fill
♦ bike/ped ways are good, motorists are not accommodating, driving
excessive speeds on Hwy 2, parking on 4th E of downtown should not
be allowed
♦ Good survey. We need not do any more big expensive property--we are
taxed to death--and large debt
♦ don't raise property taxes for the cities dream project, you will just force
people out
♦ survey deadline unrealistic
♦ Sorry to see all the trees cut down on Hwy 169 So. That was the beauty
of driving into G.R.
♦ This is a very unfriendly city, with groups of people who stick together
and won't let a new person in.
♦ allow longer deadline
♦ We don't need more businesses places in town. Takes away privacy.
Would rather see trees and homes.
♦ Good job
♦ Each local gov't official should take a 15% cut in pay, rather than raise
taxes. My wages are the same they were 20 years ago. Yearly COL
increases
♦ Questions are orientated to what you want.
♦ We need to educate bicycle riders--especially the young-- that they must
follow the same laws as motorists.
♦ GR is a nice place to live. Keep the small town atmosphere.
♦ I love G.R
♦ Taxes too high for seniors who bought and paid for homes over many
years. They have pride in their home and maintain it so it's an asset to
the community
♦ affordable housing with 3 bdrms or more
♦ Being a senior citizen its hard to cross intersections. Traffic is bad
♦ G.R. is a good place to live, people are friendly and helpful, town is
clean and growing
♦ Electric power must be expanded, do not agree with rerouting Hwy 38
around Crystal Lake area
♦ Very well put together
♦ I don't have enough information to answer questions. I moved back in
2002 after living in Cloquet for 3 years, more senior complexes.
♦ I feel this is a waste of my time. Decisions made before input received.
♦ I have not lived here long enough to be able to answer some of the
questions
♦ I just moved here so my input not needed perhaps but I want to see G.R.
do well, I like it so far
♦ Young people (teens) have very little to do here, beyond school,
churches, and "hanging out" Some youth clubs would help.
♦ Bull shit city government does what it dam well pleases
♦ educate the community of the laws of people with disabilities
♦ questions do not apply to businesses
♦ questions very ambiguous
♦ Too much nepotism in government offices, reduce government spending
♦ Excellent survey. Spent 8 years on the Owatonna, MN city council 20 +
years ago.
Page B82
Page B83
Page B84
8)
Grand Rapids Comprehensive Plan Community Survey
Instructions: To complete this survey, please fill in your response to each question. Unless indicated otherwise, please only
check one answer per question. Responses to this survey are completely anonymous and cannot be matched to any individual
or address. Your responses to this survey will be used only to gather information regarding community needs. ARDC
reserves the right to edit or omit any slanderous or inappropriate survey responses. Please return this survey by using the
enclosed postage prepaid business reply envelope postmarked no later than Friday, May 2, 2003.
PLEASE NOTE – This survey is an important opportunity for you to provide input into the comprehensive planning
process and influence the future of Grand Rapids! Because Grand Rapids Township will become a part of The City of
Grand Rapids in the future, it is important that residents of both the Township and the City participate in this important
survey. Please think about what you would like Grand Rapids to look like in the future while you answer the questions.
Your honest responses will help ensure that the comprehensive plan accurately reflects community desires.
Residential
Residential/Business Mix
Very good
Average
Ambulance service
City government
Condition of community roads as a whole
Fire department service
Law enforcement (police) service
Storm sewer service
Zoning ordinances
Seasonal Resident
Residential/home based business
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Very
Satisfied
Neutral
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
12) What would you like to see on Highway 169, South of Home Depot? (Mark all that apply.)
Residential development
Residential/business mix
4) Do you rent or own your property?
Rent
Disagree
Transit service (e.g., bus) within Grand Rapids is adequate
The City needs an overpass/underpass of the railroad track
1
1
1
1
1
1
Neutral
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
Agree
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
6) a. Please list two reasons why you like living in Grand Rapids:
#1
#2
b. Please list two things that should be improved or changed in Grand Rapids?
7) Would you support rezoning the area west of the current Blandin Mill for a possible future expansion of
Blandin Paper Company and related industries?
Strongly
Support
Neutral
4
5
Light Industrial/Business
Industrial
Business
Green Space
13) How should the area on the west side of Pokegama Avenue between McDonald's and the Sawmill Inn be used?
Own
5) Please rate your attitude toward the following transportation issues in Grand Rapids on a scale of 1 to 5, with one being
Strongly
Strongly
“strongly disagree” and five being “strongly agree”:
3
Very
Unsatisfied
An East/West bypass of the City
One-way traffic on Highway 2 and 5th Street North
Manage traffic growth on the existing Highway 2 Corridor
b. What should be improved or changed with regard to your neighborhood:
2
No opinion
11) What is the most appropriate way to address traffic congestion and safety concerns on Highway 2 in Grand Rapids?
3) a. If you are a resident, please describe what you like about your neighborhood:
1
Park/Green Space
Poor
10) Please rate your level of satisfaction with the following services.
2) How do you use your property:
Fervently
Against
Business
9) What is your opinion of the overall appearance of housing in Grand Rapids?
1) Please refer to the map on the back of the cover letter that accompanied this survey and mark your location in the
appropriate box:
NE Quadrant
NW Quadrant
SE Quadrant
SW Quadrant
Year round resident
Business
Other:
What type of development should there be in the area around the new library?
Residential
14)
Business along a frontage road
Strongly
Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
Please rate your opinions of the following statements:
The Forest History Center is a community asset.
Access to affordable high speed Internet service is important to my home/business.
The City should be more active in promoting development of vacant property in the downtown business district.
The economy of this area needs more diversity.
Development of new industrial parks should be a priority to prepare for business growth.
Development of the downtown riverfront should include a park or green space or other recreational access point.
The community would benefit by having a more historic, themed appearance to the storefronts in the riverfront
business district.
The City should work with other organizations to help Blandin Paper Company expand and grow.
Increasing taxes to provide funds for economic development in the downtown district would be a good investment
decision for the City.
More good paying jobs are needed to attract young people to this area.
We need additional parking in the downtown business area.
Tax incentives should be used to attract businesses and promote business growth.
Grand Rapids should provide amenities and services to attract and retain a youthful population.
Grand Rapids should provide amenities and services to attract and retain retirees.
15) What should there be on the land where the current hospital is located?
Industrial
Business
Green Space
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
26) Please rate your attitude about using the following methods to enable pedestrian and bicycle travel within Grand Rapids:
16) What should there be on the land where the old Middle School is currently located?
Industrial
Strongly
Disagree
Business
Green Space
17) Do you feel there is an adequate amount of affordable housing in Grand Rapids?
Yes
No
Don’t know
18) What type of housing is needed in Grand Rapids (check all that apply)?
Single-family rental
Multi-family rental
No new housing is needed
Single-family owner-occupied
Senior Housing
Other:
19) If you are a business owner, what factors limit your ability to expand in Grand Rapids? (Check all that apply.)
Market opportunities
transportation
energy
taxes
Access to capital
availability/cost of skilled labor
availability/cost of raw materials
availability/cost of suitable land/facilities
government regulation
Other:
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
27) Please describe your vision of Grand Rapids 10 to 20 years from now. What would you like Grand Rapids to look like and
what attributes should it have? (Feel free to write on an additional sheet if necessary.)
20) a. If you are a business owner, please describe your solution for the primary limiting factor noted in question 18 above:
b. If you are a business owner, what are the existing factors that allow your business to be successful today?
The following demographic questions are for statistical purposes only. Although these questions are optional, you are
encouraged to answer them. There is no way any individual or household can be identified from the responses.
21) a.
b.
What one or more services do you regularly seek from outside the greater Grand Rapids area?
28) How many people live in your household, including yourself (please fill in the number in each group)?
0- 5yrs.
Why?
6-10 yr.s
11-19 yrs.
20-44 yrs.
45-64 yrs.
65 years and over
29) What is your current before tax yearly household income?
22) a.
What one or more products do you consistently purchase outside of the greater Grand Rapids area?
b. Why?
Less than $10,850
$37,201 - $41,350
$51,301 - $54,600
$10,850 - $28,950
$41,351 - $44,650
$54,601 - $75,000
$28,950 - $33,100
$44,651 - $48,000
$75,001 - $100,000
$33,101 - $37,200
$48,001 - $51,300
Over $100,000
30) Please feel free to comment on any question included in this survey or on the survey as a whole:
23) Should the downtown business district expand, even if it means expanding north into what is currently a residential area?
Yes
No
24) How many people in your household typically use each of the following means of transportation to work/school?
Car
Car pool
Bus
Bicycle
Walk
Other:
25) Would you support the following as ways to pay for local roadway improvements if assessments were eliminated? If you
support more than one, please rank them in order of preference, 1 being the most preferred and 3 being the least preferred:
Rank
A local food and beverage tax to pay for local improvements
An increase of property taxes to pay for local improvements
Establishment of a street utility to pay for local improvements
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
Thank you for completing this important survey. Should you have any
questions about this survey or about the comprehensive planning process:
See our Web Page at:
http://www.ardc.org/projects/grandrapidscomp/
Or contact:
Toll free phone:
E-mail:
Chris Johnston
(800) 232-0707
cjohnston@ardc.org
APPENDIX C: INITIAL MEETING REPORT
C
OMMUNITY MEETING REPORT: FIRST COMMUNITY MEETING
INTRODUCTION
Community meetings are central to a public comprehensive planning process because
they provide an important opportunity for citizens to articulate the issues and concerns
they would like to see addressed in the Comprehensive Plan. Additionally, community
meetings represent a useful mechanism to solicit significant citizen input concerning
important community values and vision for the future of Grand Rapids. To this end,
four simultaneous community meetings were held on February 18, 2003 in the four
quadrants of Grand Rapids. The community meetings were facilitated by planners
from the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC) and represent a
crucial element in the overall comprehensive planning process.
The community meetings also provided an opportunity for community members to
discuss issues and concerns about their specific neighborhood quadrant. A set of
“Neighborhood” Concept maps will be developed from information received during
the community meetings. These maps will graphically and textually present the land
use vision of the residents of those neighborhoods. The neighborhood concept maps
will be included in the land use and zoning element of the Comprehensive Plan
document.
The purpose of the four community meetings can be summarized as follows:
♦ Provide an opportunity for community members to provide input about issues
and concerns they would like to see addressed in the comprehensive plan,
thereby informing the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee about the specific
topics that should be addressed during focus group meeting scheduled for later in
the comprehensive planning process.
♦ Provide an opportunity for the community members to identify issues and
concerns specific to their neighborhood quadrant.
♦ Provide information and direction to the Steering Committee concerning the
development of a meaningful survey instrument that will gauge community
feelings about important issues and provide additional input concerning
community values and vision.
♦ Allow community members to identify the values that are held by the Grand
Rapids Community and help to define it. An understanding of Grand Rapids
community values will help inform the Steering Committee throughout the
remainder of the planning process.
Page C1
♦ Allow community members an opportunity to articulate a vision for the future of
Grand Rapids. Input concerning vision obtained during the community
♦ Meetings, along with that provided by the forthcoming survey, will provide the
Steering Committee with the raw material it needs to distil a meaningful
statement of vision that is reflective of the Grand Rapids community and that will
help inform the Steering committee throughout the remainder of the
comprehensive planning process.
MEETING PROCESS
The four community meetings were held simultaneously in the four neighborhood
quadrants of Grand Rapids and lasted about two hours. The meetings followed a
format that allowed each participant the opportunity to express his or her own view
and minimized the tendency for discussion to be dominated by one or several
individuals or perspectives. The neighborhood quadrant meetings did the following:
♦ Offered an opportunity to explain the planning process to Grand Rapids
residents.
♦ Allowed residents to identify issues they would like to see addressed in the plan.
These issues will be a starting point to focus data collection and discussion for the
comprehensive plan and will be treated as talking points during subsequent focus
group meetings.
♦ Allowed residents to identify commonly held community values and create a
vision of what they would like the plan to do for their community once it is
completed. The Steering Committee will approach the community input from
these meetings, along with input from the community-wide survey, as raw
material from which to distill or tease out a set of community values, a statement
of community vision, and a set of guiding principles.
The agenda items and associated activities, materials, and facilitator roles are described
as follows:
1. Welcome and Introductions
The facilitator welcomed participants, introduced him- or herself and the assistant,
provided a quick overview of the agenda, and went over some basic ground rules, such
as respect each-other’s opinions, no speeches, turn off beepers and cell-phones, no side
conversations when someone is speaking.
2. Grand Rapids’ Special Places
Activity
Participants were asked to identify what they like about Grand Rapids or a place or
characteristic of Grand Rapids that they especially like. This is an abbreviated version
of an exercise that identifies a community’s special places (features of the community
Page C2
that help define the community) that can work as an information gathering icebreaker
to set a positive tone.
Items needed:
♦ Pens and index cards.
Facilitator Role:
♦ The facilitator introduced the exercise, and made sure every participant had an
index card and a pen, pencil, or marker.
♦ The facilitator introduced the Special Places exercise and asked the participants to
take a few minutes to write down one or two items they like about Grand Rapids;
this can be a place, people, or a cultural feature. Each participant was then asked
to say their name and identify what they wrote on their index cards. This
icebreaker was intended to get people prepped for the remaining exercises, in
addition to collecting important information about what features of Grand Rapids
residents find especially important. At the end of the exercise, participants were
asked to return the index cards to the facilitator.
3. Comprehensive Plan Overview
Activity
The facilitator gave a brief overview of the planning process and how the plan will
guide Grand Rapids’ future development.
♦ Two handouts were distributed to participants that provided information about
the planning process. Facilitators answered any questions people had. It was
stressed that this meeting is imperative for the identification of a community
vision, community values, and important issues, and that the items identified
tonight will be incorporated in the community survey and focus group
discussions. Participants were also given the URL for the Grand Rapids
Comprehensive Plan Web site, which has more detailed information about the
planning process.
4. Issue identification exercise.
Activity
Participants were asked to share issues that they are concerned about and would like to
see addressed in the plan. The issues were then grouped into broad categories, such as
land use and transportation. Participants were then given five votes each to vote for the
issue or issues they feel are the most important or key issues facing Grand Rapids.
Items needed:
♦ Writing materials and sticky notes, flip-chart
Page C3
Facilitator Role:
♦ Facilitators asked the participants to write down three issues that they are concerned
about and that they would like to see addressed in the plan. These concerns were
listed on a flip chart and numbered.
♦ Each participant was asked to share his or her top concern. If top concerns have been
mentioned, participants were asked to share their next most important concern. If all
their concerns are mentioned on the chart, they can pass. This process will be
repeated one or two times, depending on whether the group is generating any new
issues.
♦ The facilitator’s assistant listed the issues on flip chart paper, giving each issue a
separate number. Once all the issues were listed and written on the flipchart, the
participants were asked to number off until all the numbers on the flipchart were
covered. Participants were then asked to write the issue that their number or
numbers represent on a separate index card-sized sticky note (so each issue is written
on a separate sticky note).
♦ If time permitted participants helped the facilitator group the issues into the broad
themes.
♦ Participants was then provided with five ‘dot’ stickers and asked to rank the issues
by placing the stickers under the issues they feel are the most important. Participants
were able to place their sticky dots anywhere they wished; all five under one issue, or
distributed with weight given to specific issues, or evenly among five issues. This
exercise will provide a means by which to quantify the importance placed upon
community-identified issues, broad themes, and issues within each theme.
5. Community Values and Vision
Activity
Participants were asked to share the values that, in their view, are held in common
among Grand Rapids residents that help define Grand Rapids as a community. They
were then asked their share their vision for the future of Grand Rapids.
Items needed:
Flip-chart or index paper
Facilitator Role:
♦ Facilitators asked each participant what values are important to Grand Rapids and
help define it as a community. Responses were either recorded in flip chart paper by
the facilitator’s assistant or they were written on index cards by participants and
handed-in to the facilitator at the end of the exercise.
♦ Facilitators asked each participant to share his or her vision for the future of Grand
Rapids. Responses were either recorded in flip chart paper by the facilitator’s
assistant or they were written on index cards by participants and handed-in to the
facilitator at the end of the exercise.
Page C4
6. Meeting Wrap Up
Facilitators wrapped up the meeting, thanked participants, and reiterating the
importance of the meeting to the remainder of the planning process.
MEETING RESULTS
The Community Meetings were held simultaneously in four locations in Grand Rapids,
one in each of the four neighborhood quadrants. Senior Planners from ARDC’s
Regional Planning Division facilitated each of the four meetings, all of which followed
the same meeting format. It should be noted that the process varied slightly from
meeting to meeting due to the individual dynamics of each group and the particular
response to those group dynamics by the individual facilitators. Having said that, the
individual meeting outcomes yielded a great deal of material that are clearly
comparable to one another and can be meaningfully aggregated. The results of each
meeting are summarized below, followed by a discussion of the overall results.
SE QUADRANT NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING
♦ Location: Grand Rapids Public Works/Public Utilities Building
♦ Facilitator: Lynn Goerdt, with assistance from Brandon Kohlts
Participants
♦ 15 Participants
♦ 9 residents
♦ 3 Business owners
♦ 4 did not indicate their interest
Special Places/Community Assets
Special Places are features of the community that help define the community. They are
things that, were they to no longer exist, the community would be changed. Results of
the Special Places exercise have been grouped into broad categories for organizational
purposes.
Places and Environment
♦ Local airport
♦ Lakes
♦ Woods
♦ Restaurants
Social/Historical Legacies
♦ Hunting and fishing
Business/Economy
♦ Tourism
♦ Quality of life
♦ Airport
People/Community
♦ Great place to raise a family
♦ Good education system
♦ Recreational facilities
Page C5
Community Values
Values are the fundamental principles and beliefs that guide a community-driven
process. They are enduring beliefs about what is right, good and desirable and provide
the foundation for making Grand Rapids a positive place to live. They constitute the
community's assumptions about the ends worth striving for and the appropriate means
to be employed to reach those ends. Community Values identified during the meeting
are provided below:
♦ The community has a spirit of cooperation with a ‘can do’ attitude that is stronger
than most communities
♦ People are concerned about each other and share values
♦ Proactive community
Issue Identification
Issues were identified and grouped into general themes. Participants were given five
votes that they could give to any single or combination of issues, based upon their
importance to them. The categories, their number of votes, and the issues and their
numbers of votes are below:
Economic Development (21)
♦ Blandin expansion (7)
♦ More funding for airport from Itasca County and Grand Rapids (6)
♦ Industrial park – cooperative agreement with Cohasset (5)
♦ Protect the airport as an economic asset (1)
♦ Create competitive shipping for industry – specifically short line rail road (1)
♦ Snowmobiles (1)
♦ Expand job market (0)
♦ Protect Economic Base (0)
♦ Encourage Industry to locate in Grand Rapids (0)
♦ Diversity – encourage non-natural resource based industries (0)
Transportation (18)
♦ Bikeway/parkway connections from the Home Depot area to the south (5)
♦ South portion of 2nd Avenue needs to connect to TH 169 (4)
♦ Reliever routes – by pass (3)
♦ Airport (2)
♦ Trains disrupting traffic flow (2)
♦ Traffic flow and access (1)
♦ Extend 21st or 25th to River Road (1)
♦ School bus provisions at school (0)
♦ Connect 2nd Avenue to 10th Street (0)
♦ Golf cCourse Road – hospital impact on traffic (0)
Page C6
Land Use (23)
♦ No more infringement of airport property (13)
♦ Develop wisely (3)
♦ Lot sizes – middle school and hospital (3)
♦ Rezone highway from residential to commercial south of McDonald’s (2)
♦ How do we deal with existing zoning of annexed land? (1)
♦ Zoning to prepare for industry location (1)
♦ Preserve fairgrounds (0)
♦ Incremental zoning (0)
♦ Highway commercial development (0)
♦ Limited natural resources (0)
♦ Zoning on vacated properties (0)
♦ Bridge gap between CBD and south development (extend CBD development) (0)
Public Facilities and Services (13)
♦ Airport crosswind runway (8)
♦ Motorized trails through town (2)
♦ Push for cable/fiber optic infrastructure (2)
♦ Improved pedestrian connectivity (1)
♦ Lack of sidewalks – no planning (0)
Community Vision
A community vision expresses an ideal future state that the community wishes to
maintain. It describes where you would like the community to be in key quality of life
areas 10, 20, 30 years from now. It provides the basis from which the community
determines priorities and establishes targets for performance. It provides an identity
with a direction for reaching goals set forth in a comprehensive plan. It sets the stage
for what is desired in the broadest sense; where the community wants to go as a whole.
Finally, it serves as a foundation for underlying goals, plans, and policies than can
direct future action by the various sectors. Statement of vision made by participants
during the meeting are as follow:
♦ Preservation of the smaller quaint community that I like (or at one time liked)
♦ A great general and commercial airport within the city – that makes Grand Rapids a
unique and accessible Minnesota community
♦ A growing community
♦ Development of the airport to better serve the city and county – or maybe more
effectively serve the city and county.
SW QUADRANT NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING
♦ Location: Southwest Elementary School, 601 SW 7th Avenue
♦ Facilitator: Patty Beech, with assistance from Bryan Anderson
Page C7
Participants
♦ 20 Participants
♦ 17 residents
♦ 1 of the Residents is also a Business Owner
purposes.
♦ Trees and green space
♦ Clean lakes nearby
♦ Beautiful lakes
♦ Clean air (usually)
♦ A rather unique city with all the stately white pine still remaining
♦ Abundance of natural resources
♦ Water, clean air, green spaces
♦ Wild life – deer, birds, fox, etc.
♦ Four seasons
♦ Close to north woods
♦ Proximity to lakes and public land for fishing and hunting with convenient access to
life’s necessities
Business/Economy
♦ Excellent quality of life
♦ good standard of living
♦ No traffic – 5 minutes to work
Organizations as Assets
♦ Good healthcare system
People/Community
♦ Great school district
♦ Low crime rate
♦ Many friendly people
♦ Great people
♦ Grand Rapids has great community services, both governmental and private
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Safe place to live and work
Good educational opportunities
Safe and peaceful place to raise children
Access to government representatives
Cultural resources
Safe neighborhoods
Responsive City and County services
Lack of ‘urban’ problems such as violent crime, etc.
Living in a small town setting and not having to deal with urban congestion
Community Values
Community Values are the fundamental principles and beliefs that guide a communitydriven process. They are enduring beliefs about what is right, good and desirable and
provide the foundation for making Grand Rapids a positive place to live. They
constitute the community's assumptions about the ends worth striving for and the
appropriate means to be employed to reach those ends. Community Values identified
during the meeting are provided below:
♦ Can do attitude!
♦ Good ethics
♦ Progressive
♦ We respond to the challenge to create something more than the expected
♦ People value learning
♦ Strong sense of community
♦ Family
♦ People care about the community
♦ Positive attitudes and ideas
♦ Small town
♦ Progressive atmosphere
♦ Small town feel; you know your neighbors – when you go to the store, a community
event, etc. – you know the people there
♦ Good community and culture for children and grand children to be raised
♦ Grand Rapids area is progressive in spite of itself (feels like the Twin Cities without
the hassles) – City government needs to catch-up
votes that they could give to any single or combination of issues, based upon its
♦ Quality of Jobs – higher-paying (7)
♦ Blandin expansion (7)
Page C9
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Industrial park space (4)
Redevelopment of CDBG – less spread to south (4)
Tourism (4)
Airport importance – development due to ‘A’ and ‘B’ zones (1)
Plan to relieve tax issues for developers and property owners (1)
North woods destination (0)
Clean sustainable development (0)
Communication Infrastructure (0)
Housing Issues (16)
♦ Housing affordability (6)
♦ Rezoning to allow for housing (4)
♦ Redevelopment of middle school and hospital for housing (3)
♦ Senior citizen taxes – can seniors afford taxes on houses (2)
♦ Annexation/planning for new neighborhoods (1)
♦ Access to safe housing (0)
♦ Business/residential transition zones (0)
Transportation (18)
♦ Transportation as a general issue (6)
♦ Frontage roads (3)
♦ Airport Road – 4-lane needed, build it right (3)
♦ Golf course road (2)
♦ Public transportation – help cut down on traffic (2)
♦ Industrial park access roads (1)
♦ 7th Avenue bridge over railroad (1)
♦ Need for another bridge (0)
♦ Bike trail (0)
♦ Bypass on 25 (0)
♦ Access Management (0)
♦ Parking issues (0)
♦ 4th Street traffic (0)
♦ Rail road (0)
♦ Sprawl on 169 south (0)
Aesthetics (1)
♦ Aesthetics as a general category (1)
♦ Entrance (0)
♦ Trees (0)
♦ Sprawl (0)
♦ Architectural Value (0)
Page C10
Environmental Issues (18)
♦ Environment as a general issue that includes trees along streets, noise pollution, light
pollution, clean air, lakes, a focus on the river for trails/park space, park
development, green corridor, long term physical health of the community, and
motorized use within the city (10)
♦ Trees along streets (5)
♦ Focus on river for trails/park space (2)
♦ Noise pollution – consider when developing (1)
♦ Motorized use within the city (0)
♦ Light pollution – how to prevent (0)
♦ Clean air (0)
♦ Park development (0)
♦ Golf course Road – green corridor (0)
♦ Long term physical health of community –clean jobs/low pollution (0)
♦ Lakes (0)
Public facilities and services (17)
♦ General infrastructure issues – roads/streets, airport, expansion of water and sewer,
power, gas, fiber optics (14)
♦ Cost of services (3)
♦ Communication (0)
♦ Power grid (0)
♦ Underground power lines (0)
♦ Healthcare (0)
Governance (0)
♦ Governmental entity consolidation (0)
♦ Public policy (0)
♦ Communication with other government entities during comprehensive planning
process (0)
Community Vision
during the meeting are as follow:
♦ An open community willing to accept people from diverse backgrounds.
♦ A focus on the quality of the workforce.
Page C11
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Opportunities for young people to come back and live in Grand Rapids
A balance for people of all walks of life concerning job and housing opportunities
We will be family friendly for young families
We will have and maintain clean air and clean water so people will remain physically
healthy
♦ Grand Rapids will be the best place in the US to raise a family
♦ A great place to live for people of all ages (seniors too)
NE QUADRANT NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING
♦ Location: Grand Rapids City Hall, 420 North Pokegama Avenue
♦ Facilitator: Chris Johnston, with assistance from Dave Tunell
Participants
♦ 26 Participants
♦ 21 Residents
♦ 5 of the business owners were residents and one was not
purposes.
♦ Natural Setting
♦ Trees
♦ Lakes
♦ Library
♦ Churches
♦ Fairgrounds
♦ Golf course
♦ The landscape – river, lakes hills, and trees
♦ The red and whit pines
♦ River
♦ Forests
♦ Restaurants
♦ Central School
♦ Downtown
♦ Riverfront
♦ Green space
♦ The tree and sidewalk lined streets, residential and uptown
Page C12
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Ice Lake
Fairgrounds
Middle school
Murphy elementary
Sledding hill
Churches
Large pine trees
♦ Unique Northwoods setting
♦ Summer and winter recreational opportunities
♦ Access to clean undeveloped land
♦ Forest History Center
Art/Events
♦ Plays
♦ Reif Center
♦ McRostie Art Center
♦ The importance placed on all forms of art
Business/Economy
♦ The retail center
♦ Stable economy
♦ Community is open to planned economic development
♦ Good variety of services – stores, banks, medical, golf course
♦ Both ‘big box’ and small town stores
♦ There is still some downtown shopping (small town flavor)
♦ Defined central business community
♦ YMCA
♦ Community College
♦ Hospital
♦ Blandin Foundation
People/Community
♦ Friendly community with extremely diverse groups of people and interests.
♦ Educational system
♦ Always seeing a recognizable face when walking down the street
♦ Small town feel with big city amenities
♦ Strong volunteer base
♦ Grand Rapids is a great place to raise a family
Page C13
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People are very close to each other
Vital and creative people
Forward looking government
ICTV
We do not give up on our problems
Adult educational opportunities
Quality of life infrastructure – public access to lakes, Forest History Center, art
centers, good schools, YMCA, library, etc.
Kid and family friendly
Safe
Safe neighborhood
Grand Rapids is the Itasca County seat
Grand Rapids is the MDNR District 2 headquarters
Residents know and genuinely care about each other
Grand Rapids is very contemporary and progressive in what it has to offer
Grand Rapids has hardworking, dedicated people who are willing to pull together
for the purpose of overcoming adversity (i.e., this meeting, jobs 2020, jobs 2003)
Key leaders have a willingness to listen to the public’s opinions, wants, and needs
No ‘rich’ or ‘poor’ sections of town
Grand Rapids is good to walk in
Many human services for a rural town – CD [chemical dependency] resources, for
example
COMMUNITY VALUES
♦ Pride in Community
♦ Grand Rapids values its past but is progressive in planning its future
♦ Small town feel/atmosphere
♦ Progressive
♦ Quality of life entrenched in natural resources
♦ Robust and growing economy
♦ Equal opportunity to a good quality of life
♦ Commitment to a strong educational system
♦ Commitment to arts and culture
♦ Importance of personal relationships
♦ Access to good medical care
♦ Spiritual values
Page C14
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Sense of history
Caring for the young and old
Physical fitness
Sense of neighborhood
Citizen input is encouraged and listened to
Sensitivity to social issues
♦ Diversification of the economy (17)
♦ What is the role of the City EDA and/or its development authority as it relates to
other agencies and initiatives – e.g., tax free zones, concern for duplication of services
(13)
♦ Stable economy and decent jobs (4)
♦ More retail in downtown area (2)
♦ Maintain current jobs and future growth at Blandin/UPM (2)
♦ Reduce dependency on Blandin Foundation for setting policy within Grand Rapids
through its funding (1)
Transportation (31)
♦ Roads to middle school (how they are assessed), and the 14th & Ridgewood
connection (11)
♦ East/west traffic (6)
♦ Airport zoning and its impact on business and encourage commercial air service (6)
♦ Maintain a relatively low level of traffic congestion with future development (5)
♦ Establishment of a trail network for pedestrians – recreation and transportation (3)
♦ Central School and the 2 / 169 intersection in general as an attraction for upscale arts
and crafts (0)
Land Use (41)
♦ Plans for old middle school and tennis courts (11)
♦ A good housing plan tat addresses current and future needs – diverse, efficient, and
affordable (7)
♦ Planning as it relates to the preservation of natural resources (7)
♦ Maintain and increase green space (6)
♦ Riverfront development (6)
♦ Make sure annexation is done properly with regard to zoning (3)
♦ Best use of land north of city limits (1)
Page C15
♦ Focus attention on industrial zoning (0)
♦ Protection of neighborhoods and a balance of single-family, multifamily, and
commercial development within neighborhoods (0)
Public Facilities and Services (4)
♦ Capital improvement planning (4)
Social/Community (1)
♦ Traditional values vs. progress (1)
♦ Breakdown barriers between ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ – recognize the needs of lower
income (0)
Community Vision
during the meeting are divided into categories for organizational purposes, no
quantitative value is associated with any category of vision.
Economic Development
♦ I would like to see the community grow in technologically-based business – this will
help allow the young people to stay
♦ I would like to see Grand Rapids become the center of rural northern Minnesota
♦ I would like to see Grand Rapids maintain its AAA bond rating, have a robust
economy, have a 2% rate of unemployment, increase its tax base, and institute a fair
assessment policy
♦ Shop Grand Rapids first [instead of going to other communities to shop before
shopping in Grand Rapids goods/services]
Community Facilities and Services
♦ Develop human services as an industry
Sense of community/Community Development
♦ I would like to see homes in town that the people can afford and be proud of
♦ I would like to see Grand Rapids continue to be progressive, dynamic, and
economically strong, yet maintain its small town values
♦ I would like to see planned sustainable development that respects natural resources
♦ I would like Grand Rapids to view the young generation as an asset to keep in the
community and create educational opportunities for them within the community
Page C16
♦ I want Grand Rapids to continue to have a positive attitude
Governance
♦ Decrease State and Federal land ownership to increase the tax base
NW QUADRANT NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING
♦ Location: Forest Lake Elementary School, 715 NW 7th Avenue
♦ Facilitator: Rudy Schoolderman
Participants
♦ 22 PARTICIPANTS
♦ 13 residents
♦ 1 of the Residents is also a Business Owner
♦ 2 others (did not sigh in)
purposes.
♦ Mississippi River
♦ Lakes
♦ Pokegama Lake
♦ Natural resources/landscape (trees, water, etc.)
♦ Downtown
♦ Mall
♦ Parks
♦ Legion Park
♦ Itasca County Fairgrounds
♦ Fairgrounds as it is!!!!
♦ Showboat site (place)
♦ Central School
♦ Mine pit lakes
♦ Trees
♦ Clean environment
♦ The four seasons
Page C17
♦ Part of the ‘Northland’
♦ The combination of city and rural
♦ Recreation opportunities
Art/Events
♦ Reif Center
♦ The arts community (performance and visual)
♦ Active cultural community
♦ Showboat (event)
♦ County fair
♦ Tall Timber Days
♦ Judy Garland Festival
♦ Minnesota Outdoor Sports Show
♦ Vintage Car Show
Business/Economy
♦ Blandin Paper Company
♦ A strong, slow but steady growing community, based upon the anchor of a strong
paper mill – has created a vibrant friendly community
♦ UPM-Blandin paper mill has been an economic mainstay within our community and
its economy
♦ Vitality for potential growth
♦ Unique combination of natural resources on the doorstep of a vibrant and somewhat
stable economic base.
♦ Convenience to shopping
♦ Blandin Foundation
♦ YMCA
♦ KAXE
♦ Excellent medical community
People/Community
♦ Welcoming of outsiders
♦ The people of Grand Rapids
♦ The interconnectedness of the people, their willingness to work for improvement,
and their sense of pride in their community
♦ Strong community involvement in many varied activities
♦ Good school system
♦ Good volunteer system
Page C18
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People are friendly and open
Vibrant/alive feel about the town
Peaceful/safe
Friendliness
Neighborhoods
Community Values
♦ Strong sense of community
♦ Safety and security
♦ Encouraging of participation and involvement
♦ Welcoming to outsiders
♦ Private sector involvement in decision-making
♦ Neighbors look out for on another
♦ Forestry heritage
♦ Natural resources – environment
♦ Families
♦ The intergenerational community spirit keeps our community well-rounded so it
doesn’t have a single focus identity
♦ Value to be emphasized: less self interested and more desire to serve the greater
whole
♦ It is important to upgrade our environment, forests, and lakes, and be creative and
imaginative in our planning, land use, etc. – “out of the box” thinking
♦ Know the people you live near
♦ Helping others in time of need
♦ Generally a spirit of cooperation for a common goal of economic stability and a
willingness to accept expansion, while at the same time retaining the character and
heritage of Grand Rapids.
♦ Recreation and lakes preserved but used!
♦ Good place to raise a family.
♦ Culturally diverse and educated population.
Page C19
♦ Vision for economic development; retaining existing and attracting new businesses
(10)
♦ Living wage jobs (6)
♦ Affordable housing; is there a need and where should it be located (4)
♦ Better shopping for women ages 25-years and up (3)
♦ Place non-taxable property back on the tax rolls (2)
♦ Upkeep of downtown; absentee landlords (1)
♦ Retain/expand younger population (1)
♦ Need manufacturing jobs (0)
♦ Consider the needs of the younger members of our aging population (0)
Transportation (23)
♦ Highway 2 bypass – connected to 17 (11)
♦ Maintain safe walking and biking trails (4)
♦ Airport – what can and should be done (5)
♦ Train traffic safety (3)
♦ Access to new neighborhood in NW Quadrant – fire access hazard – bypass 38 at
McKinney to Rangeline Rd. and tie in to US 2 (0)
Land Use (28)
♦ Planning for growth of Blandin; impact on adjacent land use (19)
♦ Planning for growth around the Mississippi River – both residential and industrial
(3)
♦ What is the plan to expand the borders of the city (2)
♦ Manage development of 169 south corridor (2)
♦ Land use in NW neighborhood – potential residential home sites where middle
school is demolished is (2)
♦ Is our current land use plan suitable for the future of Grand Rapids? (0)
Environmental Issues (16)
♦ Maintain green spaces/forest areas in annexed land (6)
♦ Pollution of lakes; protection of lakes/habitat (5)
♦ Upgrade environment in and around Mississippi River (5)
City Management/Community Facilities and Services (16)
♦ How can we accommodate visitors with campgrounds/RV park on Pokegama Lake
and Mississippi River (6)
♦ Waste water disposal (4)
♦ Cost of public services – more streamlined and efficient (2)
♦ High cost of cable (2)
♦ Telecommunications/broadband (1)
♦ Identify tax base and whether it is adequate to maintain level of services (1)
Page C20
♦ Maintain green space – rest stop at West End (0)
♦ Maintain park green space (0)
♦ Concern over preserving the community (0)
Community Vision
direct future action by the various sectors. Statements of vision made by participants
during the meeting are divided into categories for organizational purposes, no
quantitative value is associated with any category of vision.
Economic Development
♦ Diversified economy.
♦ Good quality jobs.
♦ Vitality in downtown central business district with consistent theme.
♦ Create a work environment where young people are able to raise their families with
jobs that pay a good living and have the benefits families need.
♦ Grand Rapids is economically vibrant with high-paying manufacturing jobs and the
benefits that go with continuously increasing prosperity; better education, clean
environment, no poverty, shopping and entertainment choices, etc.
♦ Upgrade our retail downtown area with unique shops and businesses and create
pedestrian friendly modules of activity. ‘Community’.
♦ Growth for the old and the young as some will need to work during their entire
lifetime.
♦ Preparation for a variety of jobs; not just for Blandin, which is UPM now.
♦ I would like to see Grand Rapids become a major tourist target for art-inclined
tourists with major summer-long music festivals.
♦ I would like to use the ‘senior’ talent to help develop senior enterprises that would
help support their activities beyond government taxes.
♦ A vibrant caring community with a diverse economy anchored by a strong modern
paper company with first class recreational/cultural activities/facilities for all ages
and incomes; with affordable housing for service sector employees; and fast trans.
♦ Sound and environmentally friendly economic development.
♦ Economic development that provides jobs.
♦ Economic growth.
♦ More women’s clothing shops – for women of all ages.
♦ Vibrant economic base that welcomes young families.
Page C21
♦ To achieve a consensus among our residents that recognizes the need to accept
managed development and growth as necessary to the economic and social welfare
of our town – even if it means a smokestack or two.
♦ Maintain and preserve older structures to create a sense of the history and
uniqueness of the downtown area, which could become a new site for businesses.
♦ Clean the lakes and river to attract tourists.
♦ Good paying jobs to attract younger people.
Land Use
♦ Public access and use of the river.
♦ Planned growth (economic, infrastructure, natural resources, industrial).
♦ Recreational utilization of all natural resources.
♦ Reduce sprawl, which would take care of almost all 32 issues [identified during the
NW Quadrant meeting]. Like Portland, OR, we need to set a boundary and live
within it. This, with good public transportation, will reduce future roads, high taxes,
congestion, and reduced public health (sic).
♦ Leave fairgrounds as it is.
♦ Respect for natural resources and responsible use of them for growth and recreation.
♦ Maintain green spaces and forestland and keep them connected.
♦ Reduce sprawl (what is the cost of sprawl)..
♦ Commonsense development of our river frontage that retains its beauty.
♦ Maintain trees and green space before putting in huge parking lots and other empty
lots (parking lots could be in rear of buildings in order to preserve beauty).
Transportation
♦ Pedestrian-friendly downtown business district.
♦ By pass.
♦ Expansion of airport.
♦ Elimination of frustration concerning traffic/transportation movement.
♦ Provide designated and safe non-motorized transportation routes.
♦ An attractive entrance to Grand Rapids that is welcoming to visitors.
Community Facilities and Services
♦ Healthcare – regional.
♦ Educational expansion.
♦ Expansion of ICC.
♦ Clean lakes, parks, and more recreational opportunities.
♦ To have efficient and affordable communication vehicles (e.g., cable, broadband, etc.).
♦ Affordable healthcare locally.
♦ Develop activities for kids – especially aerobic.
♦ Enforce speed limits in town.
Page C22
Sense of community/Community Development
♦ An environment/community that attracts and welcomes young people.
♦ Continue to be a great place to raise children.
♦ Develop community support for diversity of ages, interests, and economic
opportunities.
♦ A community that is open to new ideas, welcoming, and offers clear guidelines so as
to promote growth that enhances our community and allows for people to be able to
afford to work and live here.
♦ Maintain our small town atmosphere with growth and industry, while keeping
Grand Rapids a safe place to raise children.
♦ Keep the historic up to par and continue it.
♦ A community with good paying jobs, a clean environment, good transportation, and
accountability by the citizens for a safe community and good schools.
♦ A community in which everyone feels safe.
Governance
♦ Consolidation of governments to be more efficient – combine townships and City
into (under) County control as is the case ‘out east’.
♦ More fiscal accountability from elected officials.
DISCUSSION
In addition to the specific features identified during the community meetings as
delineated above, the Special Places exercise yielded the following dominant
community themes.
♦ The degree to which natural features such as lakes, rivers, trees, and green space
define Grand Rapids’ sense of place
♦ The importance of outdoor recreational opportunities such as hunting and fishing
♦ The value of local institutions such as the hospital and school district
♦ The strong sense of community as exemplified by the spirit of cooperation, mutual
concern for each other, and proactive attitude among community members
♦ The small town feel and big city amenities
Judging from responses to the Special Places exercise and the themes that emerged from
it, there appears to be a great deal of consensus among meeting participants about the
attributes that they value in the community. Grand Rapids unique mix of small town
character and urban amenities, quality institutions, natural beauty, access to outdoor
recreational pursuits, safe neighborhoods, and positive cooperative spirit expressed by
its people provide a distinct community identity that sets it apart. It is this distinctive
mix of cultural, physical, and social characteristics that contribute to the valued sense of
place and quality of life that Grand Rapids offers its residents.
Page C23
Community Values
The community values identified by participants should be considered in their entirety
by the Steering Committee, along with the results of the forthcoming community
survey. However, several themes did emerge from the community meetings that can
be reported here. The following statements are intended to illustrate those themes:
♦ The people have a strong sense of community and a great deal of pride in it
♦ The people are progressive as they look to the future, but possess a strong regard for
local history and traditions
♦ The people poses a positive, ‘can do’ attitude with which they respond to a challenge
♦ The people care deeply about family and value safe, friendly, and caring
neighborhoods in which to raise them
♦ The people possess a strong commitment to the integrity of the natural environment
♦ The people value and promote education
The Issue Identification exercise allowed for the quantification of issues in terms of their
importance to meeting participants. Land use was identified as the most important
category of issues for three of the four groups. Although the fourth group did not
identify a land use category, a number of issues identified in the environment, housing,
and transportation categories can be reclassified as fundamentally land use issues.
Specific issues identified by participants as the most important land use issues include
the following:
♦ Infringement upon and zoning around the airport
♦ Planning for the growth of UPM/Blandin for growth and the impact on adjacent
land use
♦ Planing for the old middle school and tennis court property
♦ The development of diverse and affordable housing
♦ Planning related to the preservation of the city’s natural resources
Economic development was clearly the second most important category of issues
overall. Three of the groups identified economic development as the second most
important category of issues and the fourth group identified it as the most important.
Specific issues identified by participants as the most important economic development
issues include the following:
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Diversification of the economy
The expansion of UPM/Blandin
Retaining and attracting businesses/good quality jobs
The role of the City’s EDA and/or its development authority as it relates to other
agencies and initiatives
Page C24
Transportation was the third most important category of issues overall. Three of the
groups identified transportation as the third most important category of issues and the
fourth group identified it as tied for the second most important category, along with
natural resource. Specific issues identified by participants as the most important
Transportation issues include the following:
♦ A Grand Rapids bypass
♦ Roads to the middle school (how they are assessed) and the 14th & Ridgewood
connection
♦ Airport issues
♦ Pedestrian and bike connections
Public facilities and services was viewed as the least most important category of issues
overall. Specific issues identified by participants as the most important public facilities
and services issues include the following:
♦ General infrastructure issues – roads/streets, airport, expansion of water and sewer,
power, gas, fiber optics
♦ Airport crosswind runway
♦ Campgrounds and RV parks to accommodate visitors
♦ Capital improvement planning
♦ Cost of services
Community Vision
Individual visions for the future of Grand Rapids identified by community meeting
participants are quite varied. The visions identified during the community meetings,
along with those that will be collected during the forthcoming community survey, will
be the raw material from which the Steering Committee will distill a community vision
to guide the planning process. The visions are grouped by category where appropriate
and reported in the quadrant neighborhood summaries above. In order to refrain from
unduly influencing the direction or emphasis of the visioning process, any further
refinement of categories or identification of themes will be done only with the direction
and assistance of the Steering Committee.
Page C25

Grand Rapids Comprehensive Plan Appendix

Transcription

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