Dental clinic construction approved for biz park

If all goes as planned, construction on a new dental clinic will start this fall or in the spring in the city’s Business Park, after Cloquet city councilors approved the sale of a 1.3-acre lot just off Highway 33, behind the business park sign.

Dentist Wendy Peterson attended Tuesday’s meeting. Peterson plans to build a $2.3 million dental facility called Woods & Water Family Dental with space for up to seven operatories, starting with four.

Peterson started her career as a dental hygienist in 2006, then went back to school, graduating from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry in 2018. She and her husband moved back to Minnesota after graduation, settling in Esko. Peterson currently works in the Carlton office of Lake Superior Community Health Center, where she provides an array of services. A professional interest of hers in implant dentistry, which she plans to offer.

Ward 2 city councilor Sheila Lamb asked if Peterson would be accepting MA, Minnesota’s Medical Assistance program for low-income, stressing the need.

Peterson said they haven’t decided on credentialing yet.

The council unanimously approved both the purchase and development agreement and the site plan for the proposed clinic, as recommended by the city’s Planning Commission.

In a related note, an existing dental office in Cloquet, Hupp Family Dentistry, has plans to expand its office at 1419 Cloquet Ave.

New officer hired

Councilors unanimously approved the probationary appointment of Larry Sherk to police officer during Tuesday’s meeting. Sherk previously worked for the Cloquet Police Department from 2017 to July 2022 as a patrol officer and school resource officer, but left to take care of his ailing mother in International Falls.

After she died, police chief Derek Randall said, Sherk moved back to Cloquet but decided to try other careers, working as a general manager at the West Duluth Dominos and then as a security officer for Essentia Health.

“He used his law enforcement experience and tools such as de-escalating dynamic situations and working with patients in mental health crises. After approximately five months of working in security, he knew he wanted to work as a police officer again and wanted to work in the community he lived in,” Randall wrote in his staff report.

Sherk’s hire will bring police staffing to 23 of 24 approved officers and staff. However, according to the staff report, the department is planning for the departure of two sergeants and two officers in mid-August, as they are in the hiring process elsewhere.

“A lot of agencies are looking, and he chose to come back to Cloquet,” Chief Randall said, recommending the hire, contingent on passing all aspects of background and fitness exams.

Councilors also accepted the 2025 Safe Rides grant from the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety. The $2,330 grant helps pay for the Project Joyride certificates, which pay for up to $10 of any ride home from a drinking establishment in Cloquet. Chief Randall said Cloquet was previously highlighted for being the only city that had every single establishment participating in Joyride.

In other matters Tuesday, councilors:

• Approved the appointment of 52 named election judges for the primary and general elections on Aug. 13 and Nov. 5 at an hourly rate of $12 per hour for election judges and $14 per hour for head judges.

• Approved the probationary appointment of Bruce Bodin to part-time parks maintenance worker.

• Approved the street closure request for the Carlton County Labor Day parade down Cloquet Avenue starting at 11 a.m. Sept. 2. Lineup starts at 10:30 a.m. on Avenue B, starting at the intersection with 18th Street. There will be vendors and food trucks in the parking lot at Cloquet Avenue and 11th Street again. Questions? Contact organizer Chad Tuura at 218-590-0238 or [email protected].

• Approved the use of Pine Valley for the Queen of Peace Color Run race on Sept. 21.