Mayor Roger J. Reinert

A new playground is now open at the Gary New Duluth Rec Center! And, it’s an example of what can happen when residents lead and the City partners to make good ideas happen.

Gary-New Duluth residents identified a need for a play space near Stowe Elementary and the other already existing recreation amenities. Rather than waiting for someone else to take action, neighborhood leaders organized and secured $200,000 in private contributions.

City staff then worked to “get to yes” in real time; helping remove barriers, align requirements, and keep the project moving.
The result is one of the most impressive recreational spaces in all of Duluth, and a model to replicate in places like the Heights, Park Point, and Lakeside.

Special thanks to Mr. Jeff Widness for his generosity in helping make this project possible.

This morning I joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and staff from the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center to officially reopen the shoreline between the North Pier and the Lakewalk.

This area was closed for the past year while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a $3.15 million shoreline protection project. The work strengthens the waterfront against erosion, wave action, and increasingly severe Lake Superior storms that caused roughly $30 million in damage to the Lakewalk and Brighton Beach in recent years.

This federally funded project protects critical infrastructure, strengthen shoreline resilience, and ensure continued public access for residents and the more than 1 million annual visitors to the Maritime Museum and this section of Duluth’s waterfront.

Thank you to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, engineers, contractors, and construction trade crews who delivered this project. Partnerships like this are essential to protecting public assets, supporting the tourism economy, and preserving access to Lake Superior.

I got out earlier today for an “inspection ride” on the North Shore Railroad!

The railroad offers some of the most breathtaking views of our region while also preserving an important piece of Duluth’s history. It gives both residents and visitors a unique opportunity to experience the beauty of Lake Superior’s shoreline while connecting with the legacy of rail travel that helped shape our city.

Railroads have long been central to Duluth’s story and remain an important piece of our
infrastructure. For generations, they have connected our community to industrial hubs across the region and supported our economic growth.

Maintaining this historic railroad is important to preserving that legacy for future generations. Thanks to Ken Buehler, Josh Miller, and their dedicated team for their work to keep this piece of Duluth history rolling down the tracks!

The month of June is dedicated to raising awareness for safe and responsible gun ownership. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 130 lives are lost daily to gun violence.

Today I joined St. Louis County Commissioners to declare Gun Violence Awareness Day in the City of Duluth and across St. Louis County. To help increase awareness we will also light Enger Tower Orange this evening.

The event was organized by Moms Demand Action. This group is committed to promoting
responsible gun ownership, ensuring fi****ms are safely stored, and checking in on friends or loved ones who may be struggling with mental health.

On Saturday there will also be a community event at the Hillside Community Center from 10 AM to Noon. There will be a bell ringing ceremony to honor those lost to gun violence. Free gun locks will be available. Coffee, donuts, orange juice and oranges will be served.

This PAST weekend was all about our youngest residents!

I started on Friday by visiting kindergartners on my lunch break. We held an impromptu
election to pick a book to read.

“The Day the Crayons Quit” was the winner! This new-to-me book was an excellent choice! As always, these kids had some great questions about the city and being mayor.

Saturday morning, I put on a Gorilla suit to support Project Joy Northland (projectjoynorthland.com) at the Going Bananas Run in Lincoln Park. Project Joy is a local organization that helps provide food for at risk kids. It was great to see over 900 people dressed like bananas through Lincoln Park to help our kids access nutritious food.

The weekend fun wrapped up with the Boat Club’s production of “Go Do Go”. It was a blast to open the show by reading to the audience.

I am so grateful to represent a community that values our youngest citizens and finds fun and unique ways to support their education, health and interest in the performing arts!

Duluth Huskies Baseball season is officially underway! Fans were at The Wade last night to welcome the Huskies back to town. I had a great time throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

This historic Duluth landmark was built in 1941 with over 380,000 recycled street bricks from Grand Avenue as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. It was renamed Wade Stadium in 1954 to honor Duluth Duke’s minor league owner Frank Wade.

The City of Duluth and the Duluth Huskies operate under a partnership where the city owns historic Wade Stadium, and the Huskies act as the primary tenants. They manage baseball operations while collaborating with the city on facility maintenance, renovations, and community programming. The Wade also hosts more than 140 games per season for the Denfeld Hunters and the St. Scholastica Saints and others

It was an honor to attend today’s Treatment Court graduation celebration.

Treatment Courts have served more than 1.5 million people and are widely recognized as one of the most successful justice system interventions. This program improves education, employment opportunities, housing and financial stability, promotes family reunification, reduces foster care placements, and increases the rate of addicted mothers delivering babies who are fully drug free.

Treatment Court consists of multidisciplinary teams; led by a Judge and include probation
officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement, treatment professionals, social
workers, peer recovery specialists, psychologists, and medical doctors. The Sixth Judicial District is home to eight different Treatment Courts who have been serving and supporting our communities for nearly 25 years.