06-22-2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

Mrs. Scherling said there was a lot of last minute confusion when County Road 17 closed. She said there have since been conversations with the county engineer, and she thinks they have come up with an alternative route that would be a shorter detour. She said the more the Diversion Authority can get out in front of these things, the better. She said it is not just road closures, also with opportunistic land sales, to let people know what is going to happen. She said many people just want to know how this will affect them personally. She said there are other road closures in the county; however, they do not get the kind of attention as anything related to the Diversion project. Terry Williams said the work near County Road 17 was scheduled for about a month. She said the Corps will strive to do a better job getting the word out on work that will be done with the southern embankment project. Major Gen. Jackson said better integration of meetings with contractors and getting the city involved so everyone knows the sequence of work in real time will give people a chance to ask questions and understand the magnitude of disruptions. Ms. Scherling said it was hoped the bypass would be completed prior to construction starting; however, that project will not be done until October. Mayor Mahoney said during a big City of Fargo project on 19th Avenue North, there were many complaints. He said this year and with new construction projects, there has been much more communication with the public and thus less complaints. He said the City can work with the team on how to best notify the public when Diversion work is being done. He said there is no such thing as over-communicating. Mr. Campbell said Clay County will need time to work with landowners and the Highway Department, much like what Mrs. Scherling said, to avoid potential road closures. He said better planning is needed as many in the County are not fond of this project and anything the Diversion Authority can do to lessen that burden is welcomed. He said it is important for local governments to have access to plans further in advance so they know how to proceed. Mrs. Scherling said as Chair of the Land Management Committee, there has been a lot of talk about land acquisitions. She said the sooner things can get rolling the better and years ahead of time is not too soon. The biggest question from everyone is “how this project is going to affect me.” She said people want to know valuations and then the committee can do some opportunistic purchases. She said people are ready to sell for whatever reason; therefore, why not move forward and make it as painless as possible. Mr. Peterson said he is pleased the validation is there. He said people in the areas Mr. Campbell referenced are convinced this is not a project and it will not be built. It was invaluable having Col. Calkins at the North Dakota State Capitol because a message from the Colonel is substantively different. When the Colonel walked into the Capitol and was told this was not a project and he said, “Sir, it is,” all of sudden, the conversation changed, the dialogue changed, the attitude changed, even the postures in the chairs changed. He said the more reinforcement given through messages from the Corps brings credibility. Mr. Paulsen said he has been engaging with many at State Legislature meetings to clarify what the project is all about. He was surprised legislators had very little knowledge about the project. He said legislators he talked to were very interested and some of his efforts led to questions about the Minnesota DNR. He will continue to advocate for the Diversion project with the Minnesota Legislature and support from Corps would dovetail with Diversion Authority efforts. Maj. Gen. Jackson said he would like to send a strong statement of solidarity and would be more than willing to obligate the Corps to participate in any engagement with the State of Minnesota.