COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 32 NO. 25 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
LINE 61 TWIN PROJECT: Enbridge plans to install second oil pipeline . PAGE 5
The reinvention of County Road 4
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A still from “Miss Tibet: Beauty in Exile.”
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A photo of the existing road and sidewalk on Broadway Street east of Ostrum Trail.
High in the Indian Himalayas, in the epicenter of the exiled Tibetan world, a maverick Tibetan impresario stages an unexpected spectacle: a western-style beauty pageant. When a Tibetan-American teenager
BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
Improvements on County Road 4 have already begun, but they’re far from complete – and changes to come could be significant. Several miles of the highway west of the railroad bridge at Ostrum Trail North were recently repaved. East of the bridge, the project is a bit more complicated. At its most basic, the project would improve on pavement and drainage, said Frank Ticknor, who is leading the project’s planning team. But there is an opportunity to do much more. “If the community was only interested in pavement rehabilitation we’d do that next year,” said Ticknor, “but it’s not looking that way.” Based on conversations thus far, residents are looking for better pavement, better connectivity for bicycles and pedestrians, and would like to improve water quality. At the same time, said Ticknor, people are concerned about potential impacts to private property and Marine's charm. “There’s a historic character to the city that we want to maintain too,” he said. Seeing a more complex project in the cards, the county has pushed the anticipated construction date from 2016 to 2017. “We want to make sure we get this right,” said Ticknor, a phys-
‘Miss Tibet: Beauty in Exile’ to screen in Marine
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A rendering of reconstruction with a hybrid drainage option, which would put a curb, gutter and sidewalk on one side and a ditch on the other.
ical engineer. “The big concern is right of way and whether we need any. Depending on what we choose we could need some temporary easements or permanent acquisition for drainage. That will depend on what people living there want, which will influence whether we do pavement rehab or full reconstruct.” A preliminary design investigation is underway to gather information about how residents use the road and how they’d like to use it, said Ticknor, especially people living along the corridor. An open house held in May
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travels to India to participate in this “pageant with a difference,” she finds herself not just competing for a crown, but confronting the intersection between her SEE DOCUMENTARY, PAGE 2
What does the bond mean for Scandia Elementary? BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
sought to gather such input from residents, creating a foundation for Ticknor and his team to develop concept plans. Then, on October 1, a variety of concept plans were presented at a second open house. “We presented four options, from simply pavement rehab to a full reconstruct, and some hybrid options in between,” said Ticknor. The county has recommended basic pavement rehabilitation from the railroad bridge to Broadway Street, which would
Nov. 3, voters in the Forest Lake Area School district will decide whether to pass a bond for repairs and upgrades to school buildings, and another for arts and athletics facilities. What’s at stake for Scandia Elementary? “The first things we’re looking at are in the areas of safety and security,” said the school’s principal, Julie Greiman. “There would be a reconfiguration of the entrance to make a more secure entry that goes right into the front office.” Scandia’s elementary school was built in 1962 and times have changed, said Greiman, alluding to the rise of mass shootings in schools.
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