Jon Collins, legislative correspondent for the Mesabi Daily News, Hibbing Daily Tribune, Grand Rapids Herald-Review and other northern newspapers, has a story today about the ongoing, never-dying, omnipresent, will-outlive-us-all problem of the retired Canisteo Mine Pit by Bovey. The pit has too much water, is considered a major flood risk and is currently causing all manner of water problems in Bovey basements.
Last year, Rep. Tom Anzelc (DFL-Balsam Township)* was successful in winning $3.5 million in state bonding funds to mitigate the pit problem. The DNR was tagged as the authority in the matter and since then local officials, the Western Mesabi Mine Planning Board and the DNR have been unable to agree on a solution. This would be a cute example of bureaucratic shenanigans if not for two things: 1) This is a real problem and property, highways and possibly (though unlikely) lives are at stake; and, 2) if the DNR can’t settle on a solution that meets local needs soon the money will be lost and, in case you haven’t noticed, getting new money is going to be much, much harder.
Fix the pit, folks.
* (NOTE: I am Tom Anzelc’s campaign chair, but speak for myself here).
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