Esko examined under comp plan study

About a dozen people gathered at Thomson Town Hall Thursday evening for a brainstorming session on both the present and the future. On Tuesday, at the National Night Out celebration in Esko, community members of all ages were standing in line to voice their opinions on the place where they live, go to school, play and maybe even work.

It’s all a part of developing the township’s next Comprehensive Plan, an effort that last happened in 1999.

A lot of things have changed since then. The township is now the second-largest community in Carlton County, after Cloquet. Its business park didn’t exist 20 years ago, and is now two-thirds full. Many of the residential subdivision lots are sold out. Cell phones and WiFi were not ubiquitous then, and good broadband service was certainly not a priority for most communities.

A good Comprehensive Plan becomes the guiding policy for community development, and the zoning and subdivision ordinances — and other land use regulations — must be based on this plan. A comprehensive plan can affect public policies on everything from land use and housing, utilities and internet access, to transportation and recreation.

On Thursday night, residents at the community input meeting specifically discussed current strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats in Thomson Township in different categories, including development, mobility and beautification.

MSA consultants Kate Goodman Eilynk and Claire Michelson stuck answers on a white board as different groups spoke out.

Weaknesses included broadband internet, roads and a lack of money. Others pointed to issues with utilities such as water and sewer because the township is so spread out.

Opportunities included the St. Louis River, motorized recreation, a growing population and more paved trails.

Strengths included the river and park, the rural nature of the community and good community participation in athletic events, concerts, and more. Other common strengths identified by other groups included the school, the lot sizes and the proximity of Thomson Township to both Cloquet and Duluth and the amenities they offer.

Some people’s concerns were other people’s opportunities or strengths: an increased population creates more opportunities and tax money, but it can also affect the rural nature of the township.

“Will we be able to hunt in our backyards anymore?” asked one resident, worrying at the same time about the threats to wildlife by increased population. “I kind of liked seeing that coyote cross the road as I drove in tonight.”

Aaron Vigliaturo was there as a member of the Carlton County ATV Club. He said it’s “exploding” as a sport, especially with warmer winters cutting into the snowmobile season. Planning for more trails would be a good thing in Thomson Township, he said.

There were no wrong answers to the survey or the brainstorming session, Eiynck stressed to the participants Thursday.

Housing offers opportunities and challenges too. Someone talked about an apartment building, another person cautioned that people might not be receptive to something like the low-income buildings now going up in Cloquet.

Susan Stokes, who has lived in Esko for 45 years, said finding smaller, single-level homes is difficult for older residents who want to downsize and remain in Esko. She and her husband looked three years before they found a lot that they could buy and build on, she said.

Following the survey and various input sessions, the next step will be developing a draft Comprehensive Plan — which they hope community members and planning and zoning commissioners will pull apart and make their own at another community open house in October.

“We don’t want just a piece of paper,” Michelson said. “We want everything to be usable for your community.”

More meetings will be scheduled in November and December, with January the goal for a final plan and map data to be considered by the township board in January 2020.

“We are very encouraged,” Thomson Township board chair Terry Hill told the Pine Knot News. “We’re getting very good public feedback.”

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Get involved

Residents who were unable to participate in the Thomson Township Comprehensive Plan pop-up meetings, stakeholder interviews or the community input meeting during Esko Fun Days last week can still make their opinions known.

The easiest way to find out more about the process is to visit the website at thomsonesko2040.wordpress.com; get up to date, and take the survey there.

Paper copies of the survey are available at Thomson Town Hall and people are invited to put their thoughts on paper and put them in new green suggestion boxes around town.