Former Maple Grove Council Member Irene Koski, Who Helped Plan City’s Rapid Growth, Dies at 83

Irene Koski, a former Maple Grove City Council member who served during a time of rapid growth in the city, has died.

Koski was 83.

The longtime council member served Maple Grove from 1993 to 2007. She later served as county administrator in Itasca County before retiring in 2011.

Koski died on Saturday, June 13, after an extended battle with Parkinson’s disease and dementia, according to her obituary.

Overseeing City’s Rapid Growth

In a 2007 CCX News report, Koski talked about the rapid change she saw after announcing her retirement from the council.

She said when she first moved to Maple Grove, there were 20,000 people, three gas stations and two grocery stores.

There were also gravel pits from which a vibrant downtown emerged. Koski was in on the planning from the start.

“I think we really did create a downtown and not very many suburbs get to do that,” said Koski in the 2007 interview.

At the time, Koski said her biggest accomplishment was working on the Maple Grove Community Center, which was built in 1997. 

Voters had rejected a bond issue to pay for it. But the city found a way to build it.

“People on occasion have asked me why we did that and we did it for one very important reason: the kids of this community,” Koski said in the 2007 interview.

A memorial service for Koski will be held at a later date yet to be announced, according to the obituary. A private inurnment will be held at St. Patrick’s cemetery in Maple Grove.

Irene Koski during a 2007 interview with CCX News.

Maple Grove