Politics and Culture in Duluth, Minnesota
Early in the afternoon of October 26, 2009, fifteen or twenty people milled about in the mud at the top of Spirit Mountain, waiting for the mayor to arrive. Spirit Mountain employees and board members made up two-thirds of the gathering; the rest were from the media. We were there to watch the mayor cut a ribbon.
On October 8, 2009, the Duluth News Tribune ran a front-page story entitled “Wild ride coming to Duluth.” Written by veteran reporter John Myers, the story was about the Alpine Coaster, a new ride being planned for Spirit Mountain.
“It’s the coolest thing ever,” Renee Mattson, executive director of Spirit Mountain, is quoted as saying. “This is going to be a great thing for us and for all of Duluth.” The project, which “already has the blessing of city officials and the Spirit Mountain board,” is expected to cost “more than $2 million.”
For a front-page story, the article was curiously short, both in length and on facts. For example, it neglected to mention where the $2 million was going to come from, merely quoting Mattson as saying that the ride “is expected to pay for itself quickly.” None of the city officials who supposedly blessed the project were quoted, or even identified. No city councilors were asked to comment on the project. Indeed, other than Mattson, no local person was asked to comment at all.
A look at the DW & PR line today
On July 16, 2009, the Spirit Mountain board of directors heard the first public presentation of a potential development to the south and west of Spirit Mountain that would be known as River Walk West. Encompassing 91 acres on both sides of Grand Avenue, River Walk West could potentially include single-family housing, apartments, villas, condominiums, a ski lodge, retail stores, townhomes, hotels, restaurants, a community interpretive center and a winery.
Developer Brad Johnson, representing the Spirit Valley Land Company, was careful to stress to the board that he and his group were not yet actively engaged in developing anything. Rather, they were focused on assembling the necessary land. Though they had been purchasing private property in the area since 1993, there were still a number of publicly owned parcels that they wanted for their plan.
Although the job of Duluth’s premier citizen journalist doesn’t provide me with a salary, benefits, perks or any possibility of advancement, at least I can take a vacation whenever I want to.
So long, everybody!
—JR