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Kathy Cargill details Park Point plan and why she’s dropping it
Kathy Cargill told The Wall Street Journal she planned to “spruce up” the neighborhood of Park Point in Duluth but now won’t do anything “to benefit that community.”
DULUTH, Minnesota — An article from The Wall Street Journal over the weekend asks, “Why did a billionaire snap up homes on a sandbar in Duluth?”
It’s a question residents of the Park Point neighborhood have been asking for months with no answers. Now, the person behind it says it was to “spruce up and help modernize the neighborhood for everyone.” But after many articles, questions from residents and the Duluth mayor on her plans, Kathy Cargill tells the WSJ, “The good plans that I have down there for beautifying, updating and fixing up Park Point park or putting up that sports court, forget it. There’s another community out there with more welcoming people than that small-minded community.”
Kathy Cargill is the wife of James R. Cargill II, one of the heirs to the Minnesota-based food company, Cargill. Kathy Cargill’s North Shore LS LLC has been buying and often then demolishing homes on Park Point — the longest freshwater sandbar in the world.
It’s led to a lot of questions.
The WSJ article said, “It got worse after a local reporter got in touch with Cargill in December.”
That local reporter is Jimmy Lovrien of the Duluth News Tribune, who broke the story in December. Lovrien said they first heard rumblings of what was happening last summer. When Lovrien called Cargill, asking her plans for the properties, he said, “She really did not want to talk about that. She insisted of her own privacy and protection. She wasn’t going to share that. Then she threatened to sue the paper if anything was printed.”
According to Lovrien, Cargill currently owns 22 parcels on Park Point. Of the 13 homes, nine have been demolished and three have been permitted for demolition. One home is undergoing significant renovations as Cargill’s family vacation home.
In the DNT article, Cargill is quoted saying about the homes she bought, “The homes that we bought were pieces of crap… I couldn’t imagine living in any of them.”
Cargill addressed her comments to the WSJ, saying many of the homes were too run down to be fixed up.
“That quote kind of, I think, maybe set the tone for everything else that has happened the last three months,” Lovrien said.
Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert sent Cargill a letter, hoping they could discuss Cargill’s plans for Park Point. Meanwhile, he assured residents the beach would remain public.
Like so many, I have been following the Park Point homes being purchased by a single individual. Park Point is a unique Duluth neighborhood, and geographically a place like no other in the world. The plan for these properties is unknown, and that is concerning to many – including me. A few things:
First, about a month ago I sent a letter to Ms Cargill urging her to speak to us about her plans. I received no reply, so intend to send another. I am inviting any of our City Councilors who are interested to co-sign it with me. Communicating intent to the city and our neighbors would go a long way in easing minds.
Second, it appears that in many cases these homes are being purchased at well over market value. And while homeowners are perfectly legal to sell to whomever they want for as much as they want, they can also always choose to NOT sell their property.
Third, I’ve asked the City Attorney for other actions the community might take. We are investigating zoning and other regulations that would apply to future construction and also address future demolitions.
Lastly, PARKS will remain PARKS, and no matter who owns the adjacent properties the beach WILL REMAIN PUBLIC! As will the street end beach access points. I want to be very very clear on this point – public access to Lake Superior is not going anywhere.
Posted by Mayor Roger J. Reinert on Tuesday, March 12, 2024
KARE 11 reached out to the mayor’s office on Monday. We were told Reinert would not have further comment on the matter and that he was focused on the snow storm in Duluth.
However, two weeks ago, Reinert told KARE 11’s Jana Shortal, “My intent in trying to engage her or her team is not adversarial. It’s not aggressive in nature. It’s an open hand… as a leader of the community to indicate what some of the community’s now concerns are and also extend some opportunities to partner with us on some things.”
Reinert said the initial curiosity had led to nervousness by some residents. He said it was a combination of a lack of communication on plans, a tight housing market, and Cargill buying the homes above market value.
“If you went back to the 1980s, you couldn’t get a loan. It was a neighborhood that was not considered desirable. So many are longtime Park Point residents… have real concerns about being taxed out of their homes given the evaluation increases that we’ve seen over the last handful of years and that will certainly come following these purchases,” Reinert said.
Cargill told the WSJ she had planned to build homes for some of her relatives, make improvements to the city park, add a coffee shop and build a complex for pickleball, basketball and street hockey.
But now? She says forget it.
“There’s another community out there with more welcoming people than that small-minded community,” Cargill told the paper.
But it doesn’t answer the question of what will happen now.
Cargill said she didn’t think it was anybody’s business what she did with the properties and that she plans on continuing to enjoy her family’s vacation home.
Lovrien wonders if Cargill is done buying properties on Park Point.
“There are nine homes demolished, three are about to be demolished or permitted to be demolished,” Lovrien said. “She had said that people were approaching her… trying to get her to buy their properties. We’ll see if that keeps happening.”
About the mayor, Cargill told the WSJ, “I think an expression that we all know—don’t pee in your Cheerios—well, he kind of peed in his Cheerios right there, and definitely I’m not going to do anything to benefit that community.”
The next day on X, Reinert posted a picture of his breakfast with the caption, “For the record… I’m more of pancakes guy. #IYKYK.”
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MnDOT and airport officials say travelers should plan ahead if traveling on Interstate 494 this weekend.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Whenever you see orange, you know road construction isn’t far away.
On Interstate 494 in Bloomington, orange cones are everywhere, warning drivers of what’s coming this weekend.
“My recommendation is to use our detour route and plan ahead,” MnDOT spokesperson Jesse Johnson says.
MnDOT says starting Friday night at 10, I-494 will be closed to eastbound traffic from Highway 100 to Highway 77.
MnDOT recommends taking the detour at Highway 100, going North to 62 and back down on Highway 77 before rejoining I-494 when the closure ends.
For westbound traffic, the closure on I-494 goes from 35W to Highway 100.
Once again, MnDOT recommends a detour of going up to 62 and then getting back on I-494 after the closure is over.
Michael Schommer with MSP says travelers who have flights this weekend should expect some delays.
He recommends getting to the airport early just in case.
“Generally, that means trying to arrive at the airport no less than two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight,” Schommer says.
A spokesperson with the Mall of America says despite the construction, they still expect to see a lot of visitors this weekend.
The Mall of America released this statement regarding the 494 closure this weekend:
Over the past three decades, we have experienced many road construction projects. We have found a little extra windshield time doesn’t stop our shopping and entertainment enthusiasts from coming to see us. There are multiple access points to the Mall from major roadways making it easy for everyone to get here. We have a lot of exciting events and activations throughout the season, and we look forward to welcoming our guests.
MnDOT says the closure this weekend is just one part of a multi-year effort to reduce congestion on 494.
In the short term yes, drivers will experience some slowdowns, but MnDOT is hoping to build a better commute that should benefit drivers in the long-term.
“It’s challenging in the moment, but certainly we will see those benefits when the project is done,” Johnson says.
MnDOT says an almost identical weekend road closure will happen two weeks from now.
The closure will begin at 10:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, and end at 5 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 28.
For more information visit 511mn.org
A local play is shedding light on the story of a family during a dark part of Minneapolis history and the good that came from a friendship.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — A local play is shedding light on the story of a family during a dark part of Minneapolis history, and the good that came from a friendship between a Black man and his Jewish friend.
It’s the final weekend for ‘Behind the Sun,” debuting professionally at the History Theatre in Saint Paul.
“The play is about my family,” said Stanley Kipper, who co-wrote the play. “We were the first black family in an all-white neighborhood.”
Kipper, a long-time Edina resident, says his family never carried hate after facing discrimination while looking for a home in South Minneapolis in 1956.
“Obie Kipper has finally found the house of his dreams, but there’s one problem: it’s 1956 and Obie’s dream for the future of his family lies outside his redlined neighborhood, in an all-white neighborhood,” the description reads.
Kipper said his father Obie had help from his Jewish friend and his wife, who posed as the Kippers since Jewish people started moving into the neighborhood.
Kipper’s long-time friend, life partner, and co-writer Laura Drake helped guide the professional musician into playwriting.
“It was important that Stan’s voice as a Black person within this play be heard,” said Drake. “It wasn’t my play as a white person, but to be able to help shape it and to give a female perspective was important.”
His director, Richard D Thompson, see’s Stan’s family’s struggles in his own.
“My hope is that they’ll see that these are just common Americans, common people in our American society, looking for that American dream that we all still seek, even to this day,” said Thompson.
If you want to see ‘Behind the Sun’ the show wraps up its run this weekend with performances at History Theatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Taylor Schultz had earlier been declared incompetent to stand for trial in the murder.
MINNEAPOLIS — The man who allegedly killed a beloved Minneapolis grocer has been deemed fit for trial after earlier being declared incompetent for the court proceedings.
Taylor Schultz is accused of beating 66-year-old Robert Skafte before impaling him with a golf club at Loring Park’s Oak Grove Grocery, where Skafte worked as a clerk, on Dec. 6, 2023.
A Hennepin County judge initially decided to rule Schultz incompetent after officials revealed details of 44-year-old Schultz’s court-ordered psychological evaluation.
Skafte was taken to the hospital for treatment but ultimately died from his injuries. After the killing, Schultz reportedly barricaded himself inside a nearby apartment for nearly six hours before he was arrested without incident. He was later charged with second-degree murder in Skafte’s death.
Schultz’s next court hearing is scheduled for Oct 15.
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on the campaign trial, gives a pep talk to the Mankato West High School Scarlets, a team he once coached.
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