LETTER: Is it a trail to nowhere in Scanlon?

At the June and July city council meetings in Scanlon, Mayor Annette Bryant talked for 45 minutes about getting a trail, which will cost more than $400,000. She had Carlton County engineer JinYeene Neumann at the July and August meetings trying to persuade the council to give the go-ahead on this trail.

At the first two meetings, three of the council members were against spending another $15,000. Neumann said if they don’t agree to this grant, Scanlon may not get any grant applied for in the future. (We have never been able to get any before, as we are too small.)

At the August meeting, the mayor went on for 30 minutes about this trail. I voiced my opinion and did not cause a disturbance and they threatened to throw me out. You can hear the tapes of meeting at the city office.

One council member was absent but had previously voiced his opinion against this trail. The council member who asked for the vote works for the county and admitted he may have a conflict of interest as he will probably be working on the trail. One council member voted “no” and the other one — who was opposed to this at the first two meetings — changed his mind.

The one council member who voted “no” asked where the city was going to get the $15,000, as it wasn’t in the budget. Bryant said she will take it out of the playground equipment fund — if and when the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources gives back $12,000 spent earlier, which is supposed to be repaid.

This trail is from the park-and-ride to the stop lights in Scanlon along County Highway 45, which has heavy traffic, including logging and semi-trucks and cars trying to enter and exit a gas station.

The citizens need to start coming to the meetings and see where their tax money is going, such as $24,000 for a lawn mower/snowblower for what little property Scanlon has to take care of.

Mary Johnson,

Scanlon

Editor’s note: According to city meeting notes, Scott Boedigheimer voted “no,” James Pratt was absent, and Bryant, along with councilors Ron Stigers and Mike Berthiaume, voted “yes.” According to July meeting minutes, the city of Scanlon was awarded a $375,000 federal and state grant for the bike trail, but some matching funds are required.