There's a new face in zoning office

For the first time in 11 years, the Carlton County office responsible for zoning permits, sewer treatment compliance, shoreland alterations, waste and recycling, and well-water analysis has a new face atop its leadership.

Chris Berg replaced Heather Cunningham on Monday, when he was introduced as the new zoning and environmental services coordinator at the county board meeting in Carlton.

"It's a good, natural progression," Berg said of his ascension into the role. "I'm confident I can do the work in a similar manner to Heather. I'm excited to work cooperatively with the public."

Berg spoke with the Pine Knot this week. The former deputy administrator in the office started as a zoning technician with the county in 2016, before becoming a septic system inspector. After an eight-month foray into a job for another county, Berg returned to Carlton County in 2021, becoming the deputy coordinator to Cunningham.

"I very much enjoy living and working in this area," Berg said. "There's a positive attitude that I can recognize in the people in this area and it makes it a pleasant place to be - that's county board, citizens and that's staff at the county, too."

Cunningham left last month to work in the private sector. She was a wealth of information, and someone who spoke with authority and conviction at board meetings.

"She was a great mentor and I learned a great deal from her," Berg said. "There's a lot our office is responsible for, and she was a great leader."

A University of Minnesota Duluth graduate, Berg hails from the St. Cloud area, and professes a love for hunting, fishing and canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. With a background in the sciences, he once managed a U.S. Department of Health-accredited drinking water laboratory in the Twin Cities area.

Now, he's responsible for an office that oversees the construction of all structures throughout rural Carlton County.

"We are the zoning authority for rural parts of the county," he said. "I want people to know we are always available to answer questions and educate the public on the complexity of regulations. We're here to help people get what they want within the bounds of the rules."

City jurisdictions such as Barnum, Cloquet and Cromwell conduct their own code enforcement.

And since the county office does not enforce the state building code, it does not issue building permits. Instead, it issues zoning permits which permit the location and dimensions of structures on a rural parcel, Berg explained.

According to the county website, zoning permits are required for all structures, regardless of size.

"I'm always available to people and help them figure out how to develop their property, if that's what they want to do," Berg said.

Berg enters the coordinator role at a time of rising interest rates and escalating building costs. Still, it hasn't curbed development in the county. In September, the newspaper reported 60 new homes built in rural parts of the county so far in 2023, following 77 last year and 60 the year before that - the highest totals in recent history.

"We would have expected a slowdown, but it hasn't happened, which is good," Berg said.

As a new department head, he'll join a management team that is meeting regularly to discuss ways to increase housing development within the county. The more new properties there are, the more the tax burden is shared.

"It would be great to have additional housing units in the county," Berg said. "It will increase affordability and opportunity for people. I'm happy to work with the economic development and management team on that goal."

Former youth shelter sold

The county board unanimously agreed Monday to sell on the open market the former Carlton County Youth Shelter, at 531 Slate St. in Cloquet. The six-bedroom facility is no longer a youth shelter, having closed in 2022. Services for Carlton County families are now provided at the Lutheran Social Services Bethany facility in the Morgan Park area of Duluth. The property neighbors the Churchill ice rink, tennis courts and playground, and, while untaxed as county property, had a valuation of $357,800, according to the county land records. A county building committee said it could not identify alternative uses for the facility, and county coordinator Dennis Genereau reported to the board that the facility had been proposed to the city of Cloquet and the Cloquet school district. Neither had a use for the property, Genereau said.