Arena lease debate includes call for fairness

The Cloquet City Council and Cloquet School Board are in the midst of a virtual faceoff over a new lease for use of the city-owned hockey arenas. Earlier this month, the school board voted unanimously to only ratify one year of a three-year lease; on Tuesday night, the council voted against approving the lease at all.

Although school board chair Ted Lammi rallies annually against what he considers the gouging of the school district, this is the first time the school board has pushed back.

Of the three leaseholders, the school district pays by far the most for its use of Northwoods and Pine Val...