| Subject: About developing the waterfront property From: Greg Meier To: online@duluth.infi.net
We visit Duluth at least 10 times a year even though it is a two and a half hour trip for us. We have a family dairy farm in Bruce, in northwest WI and find Duluth the ideal place to get away for the day. Our favorite places to stop at are Canal Park, the Lakewalk, Enger Tower, the Lake Superior Zoo, the Park Point beach, the Garfield Ave fishing pier (for boatwatching) the new Omnimax (every time there's a new movie and it's raining) and walking the Skywalk (mostly when it's raining) checking out new stores. We are looking forward to the new Lake Superior Center as an important educational and entertaining feature. I am familiar with the undeveloped waterfront property nearby, having explored the area where that interesting looking tugboat, Essayons (sp) was moored. When we first drove through this area, I wondered why this area was so desolete when it had such terrific potential. As you are asking for opinions on what to do with the waterfront property, here is mine. Duluth is the same distance from us as the Twin Cities. We used to go to the Twin Cities until we "discovered" Duluth five years ago. Now Duluth is our favorite destination, mainly because of all the family oriented activites we can enjoy, (train rides along the shore, walks on the beach, shipwatching, harbor tours, Omnimax movies, tours of the ore boat Irvin, climbing Enger Tower, visiting the rose garden, carriage rides, etc.) all within view of the main feature...LAKE SUPERIOR! This area MUST BE used for something DIRECTLY RELATED to MAGNIFICENT Lake Superior, it's beauty, and importance to the area.(this means NO SHOPPING MALLS!). Whatever is done with this unique piece of land MUST take advantage of it's WATERFRONT location. It would be a horrible MISTAKE to do otherwise. The area (or at least the greater part of it) MUST BE accessable to the GENERAL PUBLIC, especially if Duluth wishes to continue attracting the same kind of visitors who have come to enjoy the LakeWalk/Canal Park improvements. With these things in mind, I offer several suggestions... 1. Anchored Historic ship displays, including... a. Another ore boat of a different design. b. A saltie. c. A Coast Guard vessel.(Icebreaker, Buoytender, etc.) d. A destroyer or other military ship. e. Tugboats. f. Any combination of these in any quantity.(A sort of ship park.) 2. Active ship activities. a. A ferry where for a nominal fee you could take a ride, with your vehicle, to somewhere up the north shore or over to Wisconsin, just for the fun of it. 3. An ore boat converted into an indoor heated, tropical water park with gardens etc. You get two attractions in one! These are just a few ideas I've come up with on the spur of the moment. Greg Meier, The Original Blue Hills Beast. Deep in the Wisconsin NorthWoods http://members.aol.com/gregmeier/private/3ONLINE.html
|