Petition seeks EAW on Silver Rapids project

FALL LAKE TWP- Public concerns over the potential impact of the proposed redevelopment of Silver Rapids Lodge has prompted a push for more environmental review. The nonprofit CURE, a Minnesota-focused rural advocacy group, has organized a petition seeking an environmental assessment worksheet, or EAW, on the two Silver Rapids land use applications currently before the Lake County Planning Commission.
The CURE petition, submitted to Lake County on July 30, asks the commission to require a completed EAW as a condition on the two land use applications.
“We owe it to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, other local resort owners, and the folks who live and work in the greater Ely area to get this right,” said Hudson Kingston, the legal director for CURE.
The petition argues that the project is large enough to require an EAW, as was noted in the staff report completed by the Lake County Environmental Services Department. The proposed renovation of the resort includes the renovation of the resort’s motel and the construction of a new lodge building, a Tiki bar, 68 new boat slips and 49 1,488-square-foot cabins.
The planning commission held a public hearing on July 18, when it took public testimony on the renovation of the resort. After a grueling three-hour meeting, the commissioners tabled the two applications and asked the resort developers for more information on a variety of issues. They scheduled their next meeting on the subject for Aug. 8 at 4 p.m. at the Fall Lake town hall.
CURE issued a statement following the July 18 meeting, arguing that the planning commission has little choice but to require an EAW. “Members of the Planning Commission appeared to suggest at the July 18 meeting that they would prefer to reach an outcome that avoids the need for an EAW and still protects the environment,” read the statement. “While this is a commendable goal … it is also plainly illegal to not conduct an environmental review required by law. Lake County should not shirk its duties when presented with the largest proposed resort in the Ely area.”
CURE’s website for the submitted petition is at curemn.org/silver-rapids-action-alert.