City Subscriptions

Mayor Emily Larson announces Indoor Athletics Venues Task Force members

[Duluth, MN] Mayor Emily Larson has appointed members to serve on the recently announced Indoor Athletics Venues Task Force, chaired by former City Councilor Todd Fedora.

Mayor Larson has appointed a 19-member Indoor Athletics Venues Task Force to deliver recommendations for the planning, location, financing, design, construction, and operation of parks-based indoor athletic venues to improve quality of life for residents and support sports tourism.

The Task Force will be asked to advise on effective strategies to better meet the community’s need for indoor athletic venues. Strategies to be addressed include:

• Making better use of existing indoor venues through improved inter-agency communications and cooperation
• Forging effective public-private and inter-governmental partnerships for the ownership, financing, and operation of existing and new indoor venues
• Renovating or replacing existing indoor venues
• Constructing new indoor venues

“I am thrilled that these experienced and passionate residents have answered the call to help our youth and help our community make meaningful, transformational improvements to indoor athletics facilities across the city,” said Mayor Emily Larson. “Conversations which began pre-pandemic are now full circle, and I am proud of our community for stepping up. With this task force, we are committing to finally solving our athletic facility shortage. The work of this task force is what all kids and families in Duluth deserve: a plan for long-term, sustainable, athletic investment that can bring our community together around a shared vision. A vision to keep youth sports affordable, accessible, and thriving; a vision which builds on the special places that are our parks and which are long in need of our investment and attention. Thank you to everyone who submitted an application – we received three applications for every available seat.”

“It was important that this task force was comprised of people that can take a look at this holistically. We cannot afford to have turf wars about this program versus that program; so there needs to be equal weight,” said task force Chair Todd Fedora. “Hopefully this will be one larger vision of what we need to do in Duluth, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

“I want to thank Todd Fedora for stepping up as chair of this task force and for the outpouring of interest from the community to serve on this important effort,” said Property, Parks, and Libraries Director Jim Filby Williams. “The Task Force includes robust representation from west, central, and eastern Duluth and a range of sports - from hockey and soccer to basketball and softball. The members bring to bear a wealth of diverse professional expertise – as athletic directors, attorneys, bankers, business people, teachers, recreation program leaders, public health advocates, accountants, and sports facility administrators. All members live or work primarily in the City of Duluth.”

###

The task force members:

Voting members

Todd Fedora, Chair

Kala Pedersen, Parks and Recreation Commission

Janet Kennedy, City Council President

Julien Bratek

Seth Marsolek

Barry Chastey

Bob Nygaard

Roy Christensen

Justin Perpich

Ashley D’Agostino

Sarah Pugliese

Jill Doberstein

Nicole Seibert

Kelly Eder

Heather Winesett

Scott Lyons

Andy Wheeler

Kristin Mallett

Sarah Wilmot

Ex officio members (non-voting)

Tricia Hobbs

Jeremy Rupp

Forrest Karr

Adam Burke