St. Louis County
Disaster relief authorized to address storm damage
Gov. Mark Dayton last week authorized $2.1 million in relief for St. Louis County from the State Disaster Assistance Contingency Account.
The money will be used to help address damage to public property caused by a major winter storm with heavy snow and gale force winds on Oct. 27. Some of the worst damage occurred along Lake Superior's North Shore, where whopping waves battered the shoreline in and around Duluth.
The state account reimburses 75 percent of eligible costs for a county's public infrastructure repairs and clean up costs.
Mark Brunswick
Duluth
Free hour of parking in downtown ramps
Several parking ramps in downtown Duluth are now offering a free hour of parking to make it easier for holiday shoppers — and to get people accustomed to ramp parking in advance of work on Superior Street next year.
In a move orchestrated by the Greater Downtown Council, four city ramps and three private ramps are offering the free hour, council president Kristi Stokes said. Those who stay beyond an hour will be charged regular ramp rates.
Stokes said leaders are trying to get shoppers to change their habits from looking for street parking spaces directly in front of businesses to heading for ramps. Superior Street construction is scheduled to begin in the spring.
"We decided that it would be appropriate to kick it off during the holiday season because we know it takes time for people to change their habits, for people to feel comfortable going into ramps," Stokes said.
