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- 2 - <br />GRAND RAPIDS: The expansion of Blandin Paper highlights the increasing conflict <br />between logging and tourism. The aspen timber has to come down Trunk Highways 65, 6 <br />and 169 after leaving the forest. Local officials have little tax base to draw on <br />to encourage this industry and satisfy their road needs. The sunset of the MVET <br />transfer to the counties and local governments in 1991 will result in a loss of <br />$600,000 in Itasca County. The Blandin expansion is a $600 million investment in <br />the local economy and will result in twice the truck traffic. We need to think of <br />the highways as the workplace of the trucker and continue to stress the safety and <br />capacity needs of roads such as Itasca County Road 7. <br />BEMIDJI: The integration of transportation as an important part of the economic <br />picture, especially in farm products and wood products, and the necessity of an ef­ <br />fective feeder road system is critical to the area <br />. ■> <br />S <br />Alternatives to existing systems <br />need to be explored and positive <br />solutions acceptable to both <br />metro and rural areas brought <br />forward. While the trees are <br />cut in the forest, two-thirds <br />of the jobs in the timber in­ <br />dustry occur in the Twin Cities. <br />Legislatively, the sunset pro­ <br />vision in IIVET after 1990 needs <br />to be repealed and the State <br />Senate needs to be convinced <br />of the needs of the county and <br />local systems, especially in <br />increasing the percentage, of <br />10-ton roads. <br />Spring restrictions on I.H. 59 virtually isolate the City of Morris and cause solid <br />i^ste management concerns. <br />The community of Dalton and <br />its elevator sit at the end <br />of 7-ton county roads. The <br />local communities, business <br />and beet haulers have been <br />supportive of road issues. <br />The social growth of the <br />.area has been impacted re­ <br />cently and the diversion of <br />MVET funds away from trans­ <br />portation is not supported <br />locally. ^_ _ _ _ <br />(clockwise) ROSS Evjsn, B.K. Soby, Don Dean, <br />Dick Borson, Lucky Shol, Dennis BerenO