Cragun's golf expansion OK'd
EAST GULL LAKE -- The Legacy at Cragun's passed its final hurdle Tuesday as the East Gull Lake City Council unanimously voted to allow expansion of the golf course.
The new course may be open as early as late fall of 2001. Construction will likely begin yet this fall, said Rick Skogen of Cragun's Resort.
The city authorized the rezoning of land from residential to recreational, parcels that are expected to become the 29th, 33rd, 34th, 35th and 36th fairways. Cragun's Resort owns the remaining parcels that will make up the 9-hole addition to the Legacy at Cragun's golf course.
The course currently has 27 holes, not including the Legacy Walk Reversible 9-hole golf course. The addition will create two 18-hole championship golf courses.
Last month the East Gull Lake Planning and Zoning Commission was split 2-2 on whether to rezone the 5-acre parcel of land that will become the 29th fairway because of objections raised by a nearby homeowner that the family's property would be completely surrounded by the golf course.
Since that meeting, the family reached an agreement with Cragun's Resort owner Merrill "Dutch" Cragun. Skogen declined today to disclose what agreement had been reached between both parties. Other neighbors had received golf packages that could be sold with their homes.
The city council also approved the environmental assessment worksheet for the expansion project and granted the resort a variance for the grading and vegetation removal within the shore impact zone on Stephens Lake and a conditional use permit for the expansion of the golf course.
Cragun's, the DNR, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cass County, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Rardin Construction, Audubon International, the city of East Gull Lake and Alan Cibuzar of AW Research worked together on the list of 42 conditions for the proposed golf course, which address environmental concerns. Cragun and his representatives proposed 36 conditions themselves. The golf course will continue to monitor ground and water quality, among other environmental measures.
"It's probably going to be the showpiece of environmental golf in the upper Midwest, in my opinion," said Skogen.
In other action, the city approved a variance for Vincent Hren on Floan Point to build an addition within a bluff restriction zone with four conditions.
The city approved a lot split for Conrad Voels, against the recommendation made by interim city planning administrator Chuck Marohn. Marohn objected to the lot split because such action went against the city's comprehensive plan and the split may create traffic flow problems on a sharp corner on Gull River Road if both parcels were developed. In addition, the lot split created access problems for one of the two parcels. Council members said that by approving the lot split it doesn't automatically mean they'd approve the preliminary plat for the separate 23-acre and 17-acre lots.
A gambling request made by the Garrison Lions to hold a raffle at the Lions State Convention at Cragun's Resort in June was approved.
A wage increase for City Clerk Wendy Brusseau was approved. Her wage was increased from $10.50 an hour to $12.46 an hour to comply with state pay equity requirements.
A truth in taxation meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 5.
The East Gull Lake City Council meeting in January was changed from Jan. 2 to Jan. 9. A reception will be held at that meeting to swear in new Mayor Chris Robinson and new council members Jim Erickson and Nadine Wittkopp and to say goodbye to retiring Mayor Dan Collins and retiring council members Steve Engel and John Hunter.