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STEPHANIE HEMPHILL: The heart of Grand Marais is its harbor. The 10-acre bowl of clear, cold water is just steps away from the tiny downtown. Jean Roberts was born by the harbor 82 years ago.

JEAN ROBERTS: My great-grandparents were here, and they used to throw rocks in the lake. And my grandmother used to take us down to throw rocks in the lake, and my mother did, and I did, and my children did. And my great-grandchildren are throwing rocks in the lake now. I just think it would be a sin to do anything to that harbor.

STEPHANIE HEMPHILL: The harbor hasn't changed much in the last 50 years, at least. On one side, rocky Artist's Point juts into Lake Superior. There's the Coast Guard station. And then way out at the end of the breakwater, the city's signature lighthouse spills a warm glow on the waves. On the other side, the city campground is tucked in between the harbor and the highway. Chuck Carbert manages the campground and marina. He says he's lived in a lot of nice places, but this is the best. He says, lots of the people who camp here come back year-after-year, and many of the people who use the marina are regulars too.

CHUCK CARBERT: We've got kayakers that use it. Every now and then, we'll get a floatplane that'll come in, but it's basically just used for recreational, powerboating and sail boating. There is the sailing school. And for safe refuge when the storms come up and stuff, you can't forget that. Yeah, it's a place to come in and get off of Lake Superior for your safety.

STEPHANIE HEMPHILL: But during a storm, the waves can kick up pretty high, even in this little harbor. The Minnesota DNR has been trying for years to build safe harbors every 30 miles up and down the shore of Lake Superior. The weather on the big lake can change suddenly, and the DNR says the harbors would make it safer for boaters.

The DNR would like to build a safe harbor and a bigger marina in Grand Marais, and the agency says, to make economic sense, a marina should have room for at least a hundred boats. Molly Hoffman lives near town. She doesn't like the proposal. She says it would require a structure too massive for the tiny harbor.

MOLLY HOFFMAN: Our little breakwater over there now that you see is six feet. That's not very tall. And so you can see the water in the harbor. You can see the wall beyond and Lake Superior beyond. But you have to remember in your mind that this harbor isn't that big. You move an eight-foot breakwater into this harbor, and you can't see the water.

STEPHANIE HEMPHILL: Hoffman says, having more boats in the harbor would also get in the way of existing activities, like sailboat lessons and a dragon boat festival. And she says a bigger marina could crowd out the easy access to the beach for campers and walkers. Molly Hoffman and Jean Roberts are part of a group advocating for a new marina, but not much bigger than the existing one. It can handle 70 or 80 boats. That doesn't make sense to Mayor Mark Sandbo.

MARK SANDBO: The one that was built now, the year after they built it, they said it was too small. Well, let's not do that same thing again. If we can get somebody to pay for it and build it, let's build it the right size, but I don't want to destroy our harbor.

STEPHANIE HEMPHILL: The city and the DNR have hired a consultant to come up with designs for a new marina. The design work will cost about $100,000. The DNR says a new safe harbor and marina will probably cost more than $8 million. The agency has been asking the legislature for money for safe harbors for several years. Reporting from Grand Marais, I'm Stephanie Hemphill, Minnesota Public Radio News.