East Grand Forks City Council looks ahead to summer

(KNOX) – The East Grand Forks City Council is thinking about “summer” events.
500 runners are anticipated for the 10-mile Grand Forks Marathon, which will start at the Sorlie Bridge at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, August 23. The city must receive approval from MNDOT to close the Sorlie Bridge for about a half-hour.
The Scheels Boundary Battle Catfish Tournament on Saturday, June 28 requires liability insurance for the event. Fifty teams and one hundred participants are expected to fish the Red River at LaFave Park.

The council moved to renew the lease for written and road tests on Fifth Avenue Northeast. The board renewed the agreement with the State of Minnesota for two years at an annual rent of 13-hundred dollars.

The council also approved a plan to spend more than $14 million in local sales-and-use tax funding for the Civic Center Arena, VFW Arena and ball field. The sales-and-use tax approved in the November election goes into effect July 1.

A week ago, five employees of East Grand Forks journeyed to Saint Paul to visit Senator Mark Johnson and Representative Steve Gander.
For Councilman Dale Helms, it was his first trip to the Capitol.

“I learned a few things, but I have to say I didn’t come back real hopeful on a lot of stuff because the state pretty much is– I think a mess! I’ll put it that way,” Helms told the council.

City Administrator Reid Huttenen said it was a “good, valuable trip,” though he admitted that asking for an appropriation was tough with a potential budget deficit on the horizon.