Lake County plans Silver Bay service changes, cartway discussion

Lake County is reshaping two of its most immediate public-facing operations at once: Silver Bay residents will soon lose a full-time county service center, and households affected by the Stewart Trail Fire now have more structured cleanup options. The June 9 board meeting also surfaced a proposed cartway linking private land to Highway 61, a sign that access and growth pressures on the North Shore are still working their way through county government.

County Administrator Matthew Huddleston told commissioners the Silver Bay Service Center, located in the Mary MacDonald Business Center, will close effective June 30. County services will still be available in Silver Bay, but only by appointment, a major shift for residents who have relied on walk-in access to Health and Human Services and Veterans’ Services. The county plans to lease office space at North Shore Area Partners, 36 Shopping Center Road, for those appointments. Monthly WIC clinics, moved to the Silver Bay Library in May 2025, will continue there.

The change matters because Lake County’s public directory still lists Health and Human Services in Silver Bay at 99 Edison Blvd., underscoring how long the county has maintained a visible local presence. Huddleston said the transition is part of the county’s broader service realignment, but for Silver Bay residents it means more scheduling, more planning, and less immediate access to county staff in town. Other service locations, including William Kelley Schools and assisted living facilities, are also expected to absorb some county activity.

Huddleston also briefly outlined a proposed cartway from private land to connect with Highway 61, describing it as the kind of access issue county leaders have considered before. The discussion points to a recurring land-use question on the North Shore, where development, shoreline access and road connections often overlap. County planning and zoning contacts publicly listed online include Blake Ross, Alexandra Campbell, Mackenzie Hogfeldt and Tanya Feldkamp, names likely to surface again if the cartway proposal advances.

The board’s discussion came as Lake County continued managing the Stewart Trail Fire cleanup. The county, working with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, has established temporary disposal sites for fire-related debris, and the MPCA approved a temporary disposal area for burned building and demolition materials from affected properties. The county landfill is taking fire-damaged scrap metal and concrete, while the recycling center is accepting damaged appliances, household hazardous waste and tires. A separate site across from the County Forestry Office is open for trees and other vegetation removed after the fire.

The cleanup effort is still tied to the scale of the fire itself: outside coverage reported the blaze burned about 356 acres, destroyed 34 structures and was caused by a power line. Highway 61 reopened on May 19 after several days of closure, and evacuation orders were lifted the same day. Lake County is now trying to separate debris streams, expand landfill hours and keep recovery moving before summer work season gives way to the next round of county decisions.