OUR VIEW: Cheers & Jeers

Cheers to multi-use pathways. The concrete pathway along the south side of Washington Avenue will help encourage kids to walk, and ride bikes and skateboards to both the Cloquet middle and high schools. The pathway along Big Lake Road connecting the tribal center to Fond du Lac Gas and Grocery will also encourage people to walk or bike rather than drive for short errands and simply for exercise. Most of us need to walk more, and walking on the roadway is not safe, especially on busy roadways like the two mentioned. (By the way, these trails are not for ATVs or other motorized travel — motorized vehicles must stay on the road or their own trails.)

These pathways mean something in the big picture too, as personal vehicles are a major cause of global warming. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, cars and trucks collectively account for nearly one-fifth of all U.S. emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases for every gallon of gas. About 5 pounds of those gases come from the extraction, production and delivery of the fuel, but the bulk of heat-trapping emissions — more than 19 pounds per gallon — comes out of a car’s tailpipe. Every trip counts.

Cheers to outreach by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. While recent efforts to install the tribal flag in public places such as the Cloquet school district, City Hall and Carlton County courtrooms could be seen as window dressing, the meaning behind the gesture is important. As stated, more than once, local governments should always remember that the reservation and tribal members live here and are part of the community. Equally important is the fact that we are all stronger when we work together, and that’s especially true of local government. Communication is key, and we would love to see more frequent intergovernmental meetings between all local levels of local government.

On the subject of communicating, jeers to governmental plans that seem to be marching down separate paths only to eventually collide on local property tax bills. The list keeps growing: a brand-new jail in Carlton ($25-$30 million), a new fire district facility in Cloquet ($10-$12 million), a new public works facility in Cloquet ($10 million), a county garage in Barnum ($10 million) and a library renovation ($1.5-$2 million) in Cloquet. Add that to existing debt in nearly every school district and the result could add up very quickly into a huge tax bill.

Happily, nothing is set in stone yet.

Our point is that local governments need to acknowledge each other’s plans and the overall impact to taxpayers — not just the effect of their own projects. Spend wisely. We know there are needs, but those who can choose to modify instead of building new, should do so. And everyone should be talking to each other, finding ways to work together, and applying for state and federal programs if they qualify for any kind of assistance to lighten the load.

Cheers to the Cloquet police department. When one of the Pine Knot News windows was shot at (at 9:15 one Tuesday night while we were working in the office), Cloquet police responded quickly. Although it was not immediately evident what destroyed the window (a hole and a spiderweb of cracks), the two responding officers kept searching with flashlights until they found a tiny BB in the street. They were professional and efficient and kind. And they even have a suspect — pretty amazing police work. The police department has been in the news for lots of reasons that have little to do with the jobs they do every day: responding to citizens in need. They’ve never stopped doing that job and we say “thanks.”