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30 <br /> <br />of considerable tax revenue for government entities in North Dakota and Minnesota. It was clear <br />from FEMA’s testimony, the longer we wait, the more we are putting our economies at risk. These <br />requirements aren’t going away, they are only getting more fiscally stringent. The time to act is now. <br />More than Fargo and Moorhead <br />As a proud resident of West Fargo, I fully understand the frustrations, challenges, and the benefits <br />of living outside of Fargo or Moorhead city limits. The FM Diversion provides protection to much <br />more than just those Fargo and Moorhead. Fargo-Moorhead is a regional center for employment, <br />entertainment, healthcare, and more. Like we’ve seen during past floods, when it floods in Fargo- <br />Moorhead, every community within 100 miles feels it and pitches in to help solve it. This is how it is, <br />but what was concerning to me was during the Task Force when the focus seemed to only be on the <br />area within city limits. Fargo’s and Moorhead’s flood problems have never been dealt with solely by <br />city residents, why start now? The changes being recommended mostly come at the expense of <br />protection to the areas around Horace, West Fargo, Harwood and other rural areas that have always <br />headed the call to sandbag when needed. I urge the Minnesota DNR to place a value on those <br />homes in rural areas as those families are just as tough to displace as those in town. <br />Next Steps <br />I think it was Governor Dayton at the Task Force who said something like, don’t let the perfect get <br />in the way of good. I worry about where we left the implementation of the project. We made a lot of <br />progress on a number of items and it seemed there was a majority consensus around modifying the <br />location of the dam to option C. The DNR said option A would not be permittable and the Corps <br />said option B would lose authorization. Engineers are a godsend, but if left to deliberate, study, and <br />model scenarios, the strive towards perfect could be longer than we can afford. I urge Governor <br />Dayton and Commissioner Landwehr, who I sincerely enjoyed getting to know over the last few <br />months, to stay the course and help drive for a solution. While we have spent months meeting, the <br />public has waited far longer for leaders to decide their fate. We owe to the citizens of Fargo and <br />Moorhead, and to those in surrounding communities of West Fargo, Dilworth, Harwood and across <br />Cass and Clay Counties, a project that protects them. <br /> <br />Craig Hertsgaard- Farmer, Richland County <br />The Task Force was charged with finding flood control solutions for Fargo-Moorhead that met two <br />Key Parameters. The first was that solutions providing FEMA accredited 100 year flood protection <br />must meet Minnesota and North Dakota statutes, and the second that federal authorization and <br />associated funding tied to the Diversion Authority’s project be maintained unless a lower cost <br />method of flood control could be developed. Maintaining federal authorization, if needed, doesn’t <br />appear to be a problem. Army Corps representatives stated that the Undersecretary for Civil Works <br />has broad powers to interpret Congressional directives, and communications with unified elected <br />officials from both states would be influential in making their decision. It was also pointed out that