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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

My only agenda is wise use of public resources

Posted

I and many others greatly appreciate the Timberjay’s on-going coverage of the actions of the Crane Lake Water and Sewage District (CLWSD). This letter is in response to the most recent article “Sewer Officials Unhappy with News Report” (July 17, 2015). The article quoted a board member as saying: “The opposition to the project is led by Brent Bystrom, who doesn’t live in Crane Lake.” This same board member suggested that the outhouse was “just a decoy” and that the project opponents have a hidden agenda.

I may not live in Crane Lake, but my parents have owned property there since the early 1970’s. My parents were schoolteachers which gave me the privilege of spending most of my summers in Crane Lake. I worked odd jobs for residents, was a dock boy and eventually a fishing guide for what used to be Bowser’s Resort. Crane Lake is “home” to me.

I have no agenda other than ensuring that Minnesota taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely. I have stated this “agenda” at every CLWSD meeting that I attended.

This particular project commenced without a needs assessment being done and against the recommendation of the University of Minnesota Onsite Sewage Treatment Program consultant whom the district hired to advise the District on wastewater management issues. We don’t even know if the septic systems on the Handberg Road are in need of replacing. The cost of extending the wastewater treatment facility collection system to the $300,000 “Porka Potty” and the Handberg Road properties will be north of $3,000,000 based on District’s estimates. This equates to more than $100,000 per property served with more than half (14 of 24) of those properties being seasonal and used for just a few months each year. According to the District’s engineering firm, SEH, the average cost of an individual sewage treatment system (ISTS) is about $20,000. If the District feels that all of the ISTS’s are failing, replacing these with new ISTS’s would be less than $500,000 total which is less than 20 percent of the current estimated cost of extending the waste water treatment facility collection system and requiring folks to hook onto it. Not only is this project a solution looking for a problem, but it’s the wrong solution even if a problem exists.

If this project actually benefitted the environment and was a cost-effective solution (which it is not), I and others would support it. As an individual who works hard and pays taxes, I expect our elected officials to spend our tax dollars responsibly - regardless of where they reside.

Brent Bystrom

St. Paul, Minn.