REGIONAL— The St. Louis and Lake Counties Regional Rail Authority has postponed a decision that could determine the future of the proposed Lake Vermilion bike trail. The authority board took no action at their meeting last week on a request by Lake Vermilion Trail Joint Powers Board to assume responsibility for development of the proposed 40-mile trail, extending from Tower to Cook.
The joint powers board had made that request in a letter to the rail authority last month.
“They’re receptive to it,” said Bob Manzoline, in the wake of the meeting of the rail authority board. The rail authority has overseen development of the 140-mile-long Mesabi Trail for the past two decades and is close to final completion of the trail. Manzoline has served as Mesabi Trail director since the beginning of the trail project.
While willing to explore the joint powers board’s request, Manzoline said the authority board wants to discuss the proposal in the context of several spur requests that the Mesabi Trail has received from different communities in the area. At 40 miles, the Lake Vermilion spur would be by far the longest. Most requested spurs are in the range of a few miles at most.
Manzoline said the board wants a recap of all those requests before deciding whether to add the Lake Vermilion proposal to its list. “The question was set aside until that meeting,” said Manzoline. The meeting is set for early December.