INFORMATION #1 03-21-1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

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APB - 1 199J e BASED ON SPEECH GIVEN AT THE MARCH 21 ST CITY COUNCIL MEETING IN REGARD TO GRAVEL MINING IN THE CITY OF ELK RIVER As a long time resident of Elk River, I am becoming increasingly concerned about what is happening to our city. When I moved herein 1966, people spoke of what a lovely charming town Elk River was. They spoke of the rivers that wind through our city, of Lake Orono, and the beautiful woods that framed our city. Real estate agents often referred to Elk River as being the ideal location - only a short drive to downtown Minneapolis and still maintaining the charm and beauty of a small tOwn. e Well, a lot has happened since 1966. The river still winds through the city, but we have done nothing to make that a focal point or drawing card for our town. Our back is still to it. Lake Orono is still there for now; how long will it be before it is only a silt-filled marsh? And the woods; what are we doing to preserve what we have? We're here tonight to hear about expanding gravel mining in the city of Elk River. How many of you want our city to look like the eye sore that exists at County Road 33 and Highway 169? I get the impression that gravel mining expansion in our city is a foregone conclusion and only the amount of buffer is being considered. We don't want any more eyesores. Our city is on the road to being aesthetically bankrupt. e After speaking to Mr. Rohlf, I was told about the gravel mining company's plan to reforest their abandoned pits. It took over 50 years to grow the trees in the area north of Ridgewood. Do you want to look at the remains of an abandoned pit for 50 years in hopes that we will get back what we already have? Many of us is this room have added a little weight. How did it get there? One mouthful at a time. When we look at our city a few years from now, are we going to ask how it lost its charm? Is the answer going to be one acre of gravel at a time?