COOK — The old Cook school has loomed empty for more than a decade, a hulking reminder of classrooms once full and playgrounds once alive with the shouts of children. Now, city leaders say its days are numbered. The Cook City Council voted last week to pursue the purchase of the property with the intention of tearing it down, clearing two city blocks for new development.
Mayor Dan Manick told council members last Thursday that the time had come to act on a building that has sat vacant since North Woods School opened.
“We are moving forward trying to buy the old Cook school. We don’t know yet the cost to demolish that. It will be enormous. If we sit and do nothing, that school will be there another 12 years, consuming two city blocks of space, doing nothing,” Manick said.
For many residents, the school carries deep emotional weight – a place where generations of local families studied, competed, and graduated. But for city leaders, the empty building has shifted from memory to millstone. Its demolition, while certain to stir community sentiment, would free up prime land in a town that has precious little property available for development.
“Success would look like a school torn down and bare land for us to develop, whether it’s housing or commercial development.” Manick said. “The school needs to go. And I mean that’s the low hanging fruit, the school. I hear from people all the time.”

Hiring a lobbying firm
The council acknowledged the scale of the task ahead. Buying and demolishing a building that size will require a huge amount of outside funding, money the city cannot raise on its own. To make that vision possible, the council voted to hire the Costin Group, a Duluth-based lobbying and consulting firm. The city will pay the firm $2,000 a month to pursue state bonding dollars and other grants.
Councilor Jody Bixby said the group’s value lies in their ability to navigate state funding systems.
“They fight for money for us,” she said. “They know resources, they know how to get monies that are there. They represent us, they sell us at a level, they’re sort of advocates for us at that.”
Councilor Ron Bushbaum pressed for accountability.
“It would be great to have annual goals though. What are our goals this year? What are we going to chase next year? Our first objective is the school,” he said.
He also pointed out that the city could exit the deal with Costin if results fell short.
“So if we enter into this contract, we can withdraw from the contract on a 30- or 60-day notice, I think,” Bushbaum said.
Councilor Jesse Scofield questioned how long the city should stay committed.
“I guess my own question would be how long do we pursue this? Do we put ourselves on a timeline, say two years, do we play it by the year, or are we going to be in it for the long haul,” he said.
In the end, the council approved a two-year contract through August 2027.
Bushbaum also urged the city to see the move as part of a bigger vision.
“(We need) an overall comprehensive city plan that encompasses housing, economic development, development at the airport, just the overall strategy that we so desperately need,” he said.
Manick echoed that the Costin Group’s work shouldn’t be limited to the school, but the school project makes the stakes clear. The return on investment, councilors agreed, will be measured by how much funding the group can deliver.
“The return on the investment is measured by how much bonding money they can deliver and other grants that they can help us secure,” Bushbaum said.
With the contract approved, the city will now test whether outside expertise can finally turn a long-idle landmark into new opportunity.

Library recovery
The meeting also turned to another building that defines daily life in Cook – the public library. With repairs to the library from last year’s flood now underway, staff have been operating from a temporary home in Trinity Lutheran Church.
Manick commended library director Crystal Whitney for her persistence.
“Our library director has probably spent I don’t know how many hundreds of hours dealing with FEMA. You know, we with our flood. She’s here today… so she can just be a library director instead of—I don’t, I don’t know,” Manick said in sympathy.
Whitney was quick to turn the spotlight on deputy clerk Dawn Kehoe, saying that Kehoe was even more involved with FEMA than she was.
Whitney outlined the scope of the work still ahead. FEMA paperwork has dragged on for months, delaying firm timelines for restoration and leaving the library dependent on temporary quarters. She said the church has been a generous host, but the space is no substitute for the community hub the library has long been.
And the most recent news from FEMA was not promising – yet another downward revision in the funds they will provide for the restoration work, Whitney said.
Councilors acknowledged the strain on staff and patrons alike. Limited space means fewer programs and challenges for families who rely on the library for children’s activities, public computers, and meeting areas. Whitney told the council that staff continue to adapt, offering scaled-back programming and making do with fewer resources.
Despite the challenges, Whitney said the outpouring of community support has helped sustain staff morale. Volunteers have pitched in to move books, run small events, and keep services afloat. Whitney also gave credit to the library board for their ongoing encouragement and support.