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If you compare the board members’ backgrounds, skills, knowledge and employment with those on other Ely commissions, you’ll probably notice how the Park & Recreation Board best reflects the whole community. They care about the community they were appointed to represent. They respect each other & are open to questions & different opinions.
Trailhead Building Fiasco
But Park & Recreation (P&R) is being politically punished, precisely because they see themselves as voices of the greater community. Example: “Purview” of Trailhead Building was given to Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). This was a nasty political decision, not a logical one. If you read minutes of Ely City Council, HPC and P&R over past months, a political fight was occurring. Many P&R Members resigned. Note HPC and P&R minutes are submitted to and posted in Council packets. See https://www.ely.mn.us/council-meetings
Request to Appear 1 – Margaret Egan presented an update on Trailhead Design; later Pam Turnbull joined. Both are co-chairs of the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). Excellent job. Good on-point critiques. However, their presentation could be considered a scandalous expose of EXPENSIVE INAPPROPRIATE design and EXPENSIVE INAPPROPRIATE furnishing of the Trailhead Building.
Design and furnishing were not HPC’s fault. Trailhead lobbyists, developers, designers, and installers did not get adequate input from users (building staff & public customers), because there were no commitments to occupy the building. Great opportunity for profiteers.
Who paid and is paying for the mistakes? Taxpayers, grant funders, and those who pay lodging taxes. We pointed out lack of fiscal due diligence https://elyminnesota.com/blog/city-council-dec-17-2024/. There are also several posts about the luxury Trailhead being built as if is were for billionaires in Jackson Hole Wyoming. See https://elyminnesota.com/blog/city-council-dec-16-2025-lodging-tax-trailhead-commission-appointments/
When the 12 photos are posted online at https://www.ely.mn.us/government look at them while Margaret Egan mentions problems and their recommendations. Rich resort towns like Jackson Hole, WY can finance expensive fancy digital displays that break down and software quickly becomes outdated. We’re Ely. We’re the getaway place, relaxing culture, back to simple nature. We like real maps hanging on the wall. When you hear about all the information to be displayed all over, does it sound like there’s a central theme or purpose? Or just cluttered and junky?
Does it sound like the Trailhead is to be used as a Park & Recreation site or a new Chamber of Commerce Building? What was originally presented to Ely citizens and Council? What was presented when funding was requested? And now what with all the expensive “necessary” changes proposed, what’s the REAL theme or purpose?
HPC’s recommendations mean more taxpayer $$, lodging taxes, and grant $$ pouring into the Trailhead Bldg. What’s the priority? Funnel more $$ into an underused building for the Chamber of Commerce or into actual services for people/nature.
Park & Rec’s purview to protect – Be proactive then and now
Request to Appear 2 – Frederica Musgrave asked about the role of Park & Rec in protecting bird habitats and Ojibwe culture. She and Bill Tefft had been addressing natural habitats and zoning since 2023 (Bill Tefft before). What has actually changed? There were no protections set in place after those many presentations.
Now we need them, but it’s too late. A BOA Public Hearing is set for May 20th re Sandy Point on Shagawa Lake.
Sandy Point is an important bird viewing site. Annual bird counting takes place there. The birds do not go to the parking lot, #8 on the map. It’s not just aquatic birds. Birds also go to the trees, land and bushes. Boat launches, construction, human activities and noise disturb bird habitats. One sentence from Sherry Abts’ email was read: “MN DNR and Loon researches state that DISTURBANCE of a SHORELINE is detrimental to Loon families.” What’s Park & Rec’s role to protect the bird habitat?
There was an Ojibwe village at Sandy Point. There’s nothing in Ely’s Comprehensive Plan, Tourism website, or Chamber of Commerce website about the Ojibwe at Sandy Point. Some people say there are burial grounds there. What’s Park & Rec’s role is protecting this site?
This photo from the Ely Winton Historical Society was passed around.
A paragraph from Anton Treuer’s Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask was read and two excerpts passed around.
A good land acknowledgment will be local and specific, mentioning by name the tribes who have called the land in that area home. It will also acknowledge historical injustice. And it will make a call to action for the institution or group. I support land acknowledgements because they address invisibility and marginalization of Indigenous people. But the real trick is to make sure we don’t stop there: acknowledgment is a first step, not the end of the journey. If it isn’t followed up with real action, a statement is just performative. We need to work toward equity, inclusion, and empowerment of Native people in everything we do.
Pages 241-242 from Anton Treuer’s book.
Page 252 from Anton Treuer’s book.
Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask, Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2023.
Note: Question raised after meeting, “Would Treuer consider signage and plaques as being just a different kind of performative statement?” Furthermore, a sign/plaque identifying Sandy Point as a bird viewing site would not preserve or protect the shoreline or land habitat. It would not improve the lake water quality and clarity. It would not stop human activities: noise, boat launches, tree cutting or shoreline/land excavation when BOA grants variances and Conditional Use Permits.
Youtube recording of 5/13/2026 Park & Recreation Board meeting wondering what role Park & Rec has and wants to take. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/whats-the-purview-of-park-rec-may-13-2026/
Youtube recording of 5/13/2026 Park & Recreation Board meeting wondering what role Park & Rec has and wants to take. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/whats-the-purview-of-park-rec-may-13-2026/
Check back soon for additional information and our response to the new CUP request to be decided by Board of Adjustment (BOA) on May 15, 2026: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/. This link will take you to the last post. To find other Recent Posts, scroll down the right-side of the screen. To search posts by topic or key word, use the search box on the right-hand side of screen. To search posts by category, scroll down the left-side of the screen.
Park & Rec’s purview to protect – Be alert and reactive
During Old Business, a proposed Pickleball site was discussed. Putting in the building would require cutting of trees, putting in new road, parking lot, and doing other land improvements. This is in wooded area near Shagawa Lake. (Pages 47-50.) Does all this natural land need to be disturbed? What City Hall, lobbyists, developers, and real estate investors propose is the easiest and most profitable for them. Their mission is not to preserve and protect nature.
P&R has NO current mission, recommendations or guidelines to preserve and protect natural spaces. Alternatives aren’t voiced. Short Term Goals (1-2 years) in P&R Comp Plan (Page 63): “Continue to Work with P&Z to establish City Nature Preserves, Green Spaces, & expectations for new developments.” Meaning nothing will be in place until 2027-2029? By then, many shoreline & land habitats will be destroyed/disturbed. Variances & Conditional Use Permits (CUP) are almost automatically approved, bypassing original guidelines in place for legit reasons.
Park & Recreation Board Members do not currently understand they have the power to say they want a different location option for Pickleball courts, etc. Until Park & Rec finalizes their sections of the Comp Plan with Planning & Zoning regarding green areas, Park & Rec still has the power to say they want a different location option for Pickleball or whatever development. Not every piece of open green space has to be developed. Until Park & Rec sets up a precedent and continues to insist on nature-balanced guidelines, BOA/Planning & Zoning and Council with approve almost every variance, CUP or development recommendations without giving a hoot about birds or natural areas.
If P&R was renamed Park, Health and Recreation . . . Then maybe the mental, physical & spiritual health needs of the whole community AND nature would be better addressed.
What’s the purview of Park & Rec – May 13 2026
May 13, 2026 meeting agenda & package are normally available via https://www.ely.mn.us/government or https://www.ely.mn.us/parkrecmeetings. Scroll to the bottom for the YouTube recording of this meeting.
If you compare the board members’ backgrounds, skills, knowledge and employment with those on other Ely commissions, you’ll probably notice how the Park & Recreation Board best reflects the whole community. They care about the community they were appointed to represent. They respect each other & are open to questions & different opinions.
Trailhead Building Fiasco
But Park & Recreation (P&R) is being politically punished, precisely because they see themselves as voices of the greater community. Example: “Purview” of Trailhead Building was given to Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). This was a nasty political decision, not a logical one. If you read minutes of Ely City Council, HPC and P&R over past months, a political fight was occurring. Many P&R Members resigned. Note HPC and P&R minutes are submitted to and posted in Council packets. See https://www.ely.mn.us/council-meetings
Request to Appear 1 – Margaret Egan presented an update on Trailhead Design; later Pam Turnbull joined. Both are co-chairs of the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). Excellent job. Good on-point critiques. However, their presentation could be considered a scandalous expose of EXPENSIVE INAPPROPRIATE design and EXPENSIVE INAPPROPRIATE furnishing of the Trailhead Building.
Design and furnishing were not HPC’s fault. Trailhead lobbyists, developers, designers, and installers did not get adequate input from users (building staff & public customers), because there were no commitments to occupy the building. Great opportunity for profiteers.
Who paid and is paying for the mistakes? Taxpayers, grant funders, and those who pay lodging taxes. We pointed out lack of fiscal due diligence https://elyminnesota.com/blog/city-council-dec-17-2024/. There are also several posts about the luxury Trailhead being built as if is were for billionaires in Jackson Hole Wyoming. See https://elyminnesota.com/blog/city-council-dec-16-2025-lodging-tax-trailhead-commission-appointments/
When the 12 photos are posted online at https://www.ely.mn.us/government look at them while Margaret Egan mentions problems and their recommendations. Rich resort towns like Jackson Hole, WY can finance expensive fancy digital displays that break down and software quickly becomes outdated. We’re Ely. We’re the getaway place, relaxing culture, back to simple nature. We like real maps hanging on the wall. When you hear about all the information to be displayed all over, does it sound like there’s a central theme or purpose? Or just cluttered and junky?
Does it sound like the Trailhead is to be used as a Park & Recreation site or a new Chamber of Commerce Building? What was originally presented to Ely citizens and Council? What was presented when funding was requested? And now what with all the expensive “necessary” changes proposed, what’s the REAL theme or purpose?
HPC’s recommendations mean more taxpayer $$, lodging taxes, and grant $$ pouring into the Trailhead Bldg. What’s the priority? Funnel more $$ into an underused building for the Chamber of Commerce or into actual services for people/nature.
Park & Rec’s purview to protect – Be proactive then and now
Request to Appear 2 – Frederica Musgrave asked about the role of Park & Rec in protecting bird habitats and Ojibwe culture. She and Bill Tefft had been addressing natural habitats and zoning since 2023 (Bill Tefft before). What has actually changed? There were no protections set in place after those many presentations.
Now we need them, but it’s too late. A BOA Public Hearing is set for May 20th re Sandy Point on Shagawa Lake.
Sandy Point is an important bird viewing site. Annual bird counting takes place there. The birds do not go to the parking lot, #8 on the map. It’s not just aquatic birds. Birds also go to the trees, land and bushes. Boat launches, construction, human activities and noise disturb bird habitats. One sentence from Sherry Abts’ email was read: “MN DNR and Loon researches state that DISTURBANCE of a SHORELINE is detrimental to Loon families.” What’s Park & Rec’s role to protect the bird habitat?
There was an Ojibwe village at Sandy Point. There’s nothing in Ely’s Comprehensive Plan, Tourism website, or Chamber of Commerce website about the Ojibwe at Sandy Point. Some people say there are burial grounds there. What’s Park & Rec’s role is protecting this site?
This photo from the Ely Winton Historical Society was passed around.
A paragraph from Anton Treuer’s Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask was read and two excerpts passed around.
A good land acknowledgment will be local and specific, mentioning by name the tribes who have called the land in that area home. It will also acknowledge historical injustice. And it will make a call to action for the institution or group. I support land acknowledgements because they address invisibility and marginalization of Indigenous people. But the real trick is to make sure we don’t stop there: acknowledgment is a first step, not the end of the journey. If it isn’t followed up with real action, a statement is just performative. We need to work toward equity, inclusion, and empowerment of Native people in everything we do.
Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask, Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2023.
Check Bois Forte Heritage Center, Ely library or local bookstore for copies. Also Treuer’s book Ojibwe in Minnesota.
Note: Question raised after meeting, “Would Treuer consider signage and plaques as being just a different kind of performative statement?” Furthermore, a sign/plaque identifying Sandy Point as a bird viewing site would not preserve or protect the shoreline or land habitat. It would not improve the lake water quality and clarity. It would not stop human activities: noise, boat launches, tree cutting or shoreline/land excavation when BOA grants variances and Conditional Use Permits.
Our website posts about Sandy Point
First post about CUP request sent to Planning & Zoning Commission for simple review on 4/15/2026: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/shagawa-beach-club-planned-nothing-for-birds/
Second post with YouTube recording after Planning & Zoning Commission tabled request until May: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/youtube-4-15-26-pz-private-beach-club-permit/
Third post about P&Z summary of Frederica’s speech and follow up discussion regarding Sandy Point., The P&Z draft of minutes was filtered. Minutes were posted within packet for City Council meeting on 4/21/2026. Scroll down to yellow highlight information. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/city-council-14-04-26-drafts-4-day-sch-wk/
Special new philosophical webpage Sacred – What guides us to decide? Are we using a moral gyroscope or moral compass to guide our decisions? https://elyminnesota.com/blog/sacred-what-guides-us-to-decide/
Youtube recording of 5/13/2026 Park & Recreation Board meeting wondering what role Park & Rec has and wants to take. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/whats-the-purview-of-park-rec-may-13-2026/
First post about CUP request sent to Planning & Zoning Commission for simple review on 4/15/2026: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/shagawa-beach-club-planned-nothing-for-birds/
Second post with YouTube recording after Planning & Zoning Commission tabled request until May: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/youtube-4-15-26-pz-private-beach-club-permit/
Third post about P&Z summary of Frederica’s speech and follow up discussion regarding Sandy Point., The P&Z draft of minutes was filtered. Minutes were posted within packet for City Council meeting on 4/21/2026. Scroll down to yellow highlight information. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/city-council-14-04-26-drafts-4-day-sch-wk/
Special new philosophical webpage Sacred – What guides us to decide? Are we using a moral gyroscope or moral compass to guide our decisions? https://elyminnesota.com/blog/sacred-what-guides-us-to-decide/
Youtube recording of 5/13/2026 Park & Recreation Board meeting wondering what role Park & Rec has and wants to take. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/whats-the-purview-of-park-rec-may-13-2026/
Check back soon for additional information and our response to the new CUP request to be decided by Board of Adjustment (BOA) on May 15, 2026: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/. This link will take you to the last post. To find other Recent Posts, scroll down the right-side of the screen. To search posts by topic or key word, use the search box on the right-hand side of screen. To search posts by category, scroll down the left-side of the screen.
Park & Rec’s purview to protect – Be alert and reactive
During Old Business, a proposed Pickleball site was discussed. Putting in the building would require cutting of trees, putting in new road, parking lot, and doing other land improvements. This is in wooded area near Shagawa Lake. (Pages 47-50.) Does all this natural land need to be disturbed? What City Hall, lobbyists, developers, and real estate investors propose is the easiest and most profitable for them. Their mission is not to preserve and protect nature.
P&R has NO current mission, recommendations or guidelines to preserve and protect natural spaces. Alternatives aren’t voiced. Short Term Goals (1-2 years) in P&R Comp Plan (Page 63): “Continue to Work with P&Z to establish City Nature Preserves, Green Spaces, & expectations for new developments.” Meaning nothing will be in place until 2027-2029? By then, many shoreline & land habitats will be destroyed/disturbed. Variances & Conditional Use Permits (CUP) are almost automatically approved, bypassing original guidelines in place for legit reasons.
Park & Recreation Board Members do not currently understand they have the power to say they want a different location option for Pickleball courts, etc. Until Park & Rec finalizes their sections of the Comp Plan with Planning & Zoning regarding green areas, Park & Rec still has the power to say they want a different location option for Pickleball or whatever development. Not every piece of open green space has to be developed. Until Park & Rec sets up a precedent and continues to insist on nature-balanced guidelines, BOA/Planning & Zoning and Council with approve almost every variance, CUP or development recommendations without giving a hoot about birds or natural areas.
If P&R was renamed Park, Health and Recreation . . . Then maybe the mental, physical & spiritual health needs of the whole community AND nature would be better addressed.