Dear Neighbor,
We are working through the recent deluge of rain! As we go forward in repairing washed out roads we still have water in places where it does not belong, the flooding will be with us for several more days.
We anticipate the Mississippi to crest at about 17 feet tonight or early tomorrow. Thirteen feet is flood stage, so we will be dealing with a lot of extra water. Unfortunately the river in the Aitkin-Cedar Brook area has a history of quickly rising, but taking its time receding back to less than flood stage.
I will be meeting later today with Lt. Gov. Tina Smith and local officials to provide her with a perspective on how we have been impacted by the heavy rains and flooding.
This past Saturday I attended the Iron Riders ATV Club annual meeting at the Ironton American Legion Post and their annual picnic at the Miller Black Bear ATV trail just outside Crosby-Ironton. The Iron Riders annual meeting included a presentation by the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Crew members on planned expansion to the mountain bike trail system.
The discussion that took place was very positive and an excellent example of working together to ensure that both ATV and mountain bike activities can take place without interfering with each other, and where ever possible complement each other. They also discussed a common issue that both groups work hard to fix. That is dealing with that 1 percent of individuals that litter and can’t follow the rules that ensure everyone’s safety and protect our environment.
Yesterday morning found me at the Mille Lacs Band Community Center attending the swearing in ceremony for reelected Band Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin and reelected District 1 Rep. Sandra Blake. The reelected officials were sworn in by Band Chief Justice Rayna Churchill. The tribal government includes a judicial branch, an executive branch and agencies lead by Chief Executive Benjamin. The Bands legislative branch consists of Rep. Sandra Blake (Vineland area), District 2 Rep. David Aubid (East Lake area) and District 3 Rep. Harry Davis (Hinckley area).
More to follow as we work through our flood situation, please be safe around this extra water.
Sincerely,
Dale