Thanks to Ken Bradley for his acknowledgement of the hard work of many who have been there to protect the Coldwater Springs. I have just returned from a day at the Capitol spent educating legislators about the continuing need to hold fast on the law that is in place which protects the flow. I must also mention Representative Mark Gleason who carried the House companion to the Senate bill and his hard work on behalf of the Spring.
This has been debated many times before but from my perspective in the Coldwater trenches, Wade Russell did not get it quite right. I want to make sure the record is straight because I personally have witnessed the following over the last couple of years: Commissioner Peter McLaughlin: arranged for a meeting with himself, MNDoT Commissioner Tinklenberg, and the MCWD (which I attended) to advocate with Council Member Sandy Colvin Roy to get MNDoT to follow our watershed standards and rules. State Representative Wes Skoglund: arranged for at least three meetings between himself, Representative Dennis Ozment, MNDoT Commissioner Tinklenberg, and the MCWD to bring MNDot to the table to work out a solution to complete the project without endangering the Spring and to advocate for preserving the current Coldwater protection law. Council Member Sandy Colvin Roy: See McLaughlin note above. Developed and passed a resolution by the Mpls. City Council to support MCWD's petition to add the area of the Spring and the Interchange to be included in our boundaries. Personally advocated at permit hearings. Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton: Called to advocate with Commissioner Tinklenberg for a project which would not jeopardize the Spring. Wrote letters on behalf of the City in support of Spring preservation. Pam Blixt Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and Nokomis East Neighborhood _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
