Spring's quick arrival in Borderland led a group of area bartenders to provide optimistic guesses of when the ice will go out on Rainy Lake.

Bartenders, managers, and owners were selected by The Journal to answer the million-dollar question, “When do you think the ice will go out on Rainy Lake?”

The ice is considered out on the first day a boat can travel from Rainy Lake's Island View to Kettle Falls without being impeded by ice. The earliest recorded ice out day is April 6, which occurred in 2012.

Annual ice out days are recorded for Rainy and Kabetogama lakes, and records go back to 1930. The ice out day has usually occurred on Rainy Lake in the last week of April or the first week of May, and the date has occurred in April for 25 of the 83 recorded years. Factors like spring temperatures, ice thickness and the type of winter determine when the ice goes out.

Bartenders were selected for a group of guessers due to their experience and expertise in working with ice. While ice cubes aren't exactly the same as lake ice, both are still just frozen water.

Five of the six guessers this year selected April dates, with two inadvertantly picking the same date. The five April guessers all picked dates within the same week-long range, while the lone May guesser was more than two weeks later than the next guesser.

Joann Smith, owner of the Viking Bar, and Lorna Halverson, bartender at Hanson's Outpost, both selected April 28 for an ice out date.

Halverson went with her gut feeling when it came to her guess.

“It just sounded good,” Halverson said. “Just off the top of my head, I was thinking about other years, and that's pretty close. Plus it's starting to get warm, so I may be right.”

Smith, on the other hand, consulted with her husband to come up with her April 28 guess.

“I figured the ice was pretty thick, but the weather is warming up pretty fast,” Smith said. “The average date is usually in early May, so I picked a day a little bit earlier than that.”

The most optimistic guesser, Louie Grandaw, bartender at The Spot on 53, picked April 22.

“It's a good number, and we've been blessed with a good spring,” Grandaw said. “We deserve how nice it's been, especially after last year.”

Felix Ellison, bartender at the Ranier Municipal Liquor Store, picked April 23. Part of her research involved crowdsourcing patrons at the “muni,” many of whom grew up around Rainy Lake.

“With the warm days, freezing dry nights and those few windy days we had left the ice melting quickly,” Ellison said.

Following Ellison's guess in order was Maxine Tomczak, manager of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Peter Graham Post 2948, who selected April 24, because it's her sister's birthday.

Phil Hill, bartender at the Border Bar, had the most pessimistic, or realistic, guess of May 15. He based his guess off the recent trends of the ice out day occurring in early May.

“Everybody I talked to said there's still 36-40 inches of ice out there,” Hill said. “Plus with the cold snap coming back this week and bleeding into next week, it might be later than people think.”

Rainy Lake ice out

1930 May 3

1931 May 5

1932 May 7

1933 May 6

1934 May 6

1935 May 8

1936 May 13

1937 May 7

1938 May 3

1939 May 5

1940 May 10

1941 April 25

1942 April 25

1943 May 4

1944 May 11

1945 April 23

1946 April 22

1947 May 11

1948 May 6

1949 April 28

1950 May 22

1951 May 9

1952 May 4

1953 May 4

1954 May 14

1955 April 23

1956 May 11

1957 May 7

1958 April 22

1959 May 6

1960 May 16

1961 May 8

1962 May 7

1963 April 30

1964 May 6

1965 May 7

1966 May 15

1967 May 5

1968 May 6

1969 April 28

1970 May 9

1971 May 2

1972 May 16

1973 April 23

1974 May 11

1975 May 10

1976 April 18

1977 May 3

1978 May 10

1979 May 12

1980 May 2

1981 April 29

1982 May 7

1983 May 1

1984 April 28

1985 April 30

1986 April 23

1987 April 18

1988 May 6

1989 May 6

1990 April 29

1991 April 27

1992 May 7

1993 April 30

1994 May 8

1995 May 2

1996 May 18

1997 May 5

1998 April 13

1999 May 1

2000 April 22

2001 May 1

2002 May 4

2003 May 5

2004 May 1

2005 April 23

2006 April 16

2007 May 4

2008 May 14

2009 April 29

2010 April 10

2011 May 3

*2012 April 6

2013 May 16

2014 May 20

Kabetogama Lake ice out

1952 April 28

1953 April 30

1954 May 4

1955 April 20

1956 May 9

1957 May 2

1958 April 17

1959 April 30

1960 May 10

1961 May 6

1962 May 4

1963 April 28

1964 May 3

1965 May 5

1966 May 14

1967 April 25

1968 April 29

1969 April 25

1970 May 6

1971 April 30

1972 May 12

1973 April 21

1974 May 9

1975 May 8

1976 April 18

1977 May 1

1978 May 5

1979 May 10

1980 April 28

1981 April 18

1982 May 5

1983 April 26

1984 April 24

1985 April 28

1986 April 18

1987 April 17

1988 May 2

1989 May 6

1990 April 26

1991 April 25

1992 May 5

1993 April 29

1994 April 25

1995 April 27

1996 May 18

1997 April 29

1998 April 13

1999 April 30

2000 April 20

2001 May 1

2002 April 30

2003 May 1

2004 April 28

2005 April 20

2006 April 16

2007 April 30

2008 May 9

2009 April 29

2010 April 4

2011 April 30

*2012 March 31

2013 May 14

2014 May 13

*Earliest ice-out dates for the lakes.

The International Falls Economic Development Authority Monday approved a motion to proceed with making a local dock more fishing-friendly.

The EDA will seek a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources outdoor recreation grant, which will help cover the costs of altering the current dock at the Voyageurs National Park headquarters.

The Falls EDA owns the land on which the headquarters is located, and the federal government leases it from the EDA.

The currrent dock at the VNP headquarters is designed to accommodate the park's 60-foot-long tour boat, which has only docked there three times, VNP Superintendent Mike Ward said. It rarely goes there because of issues with the boat getting under the lift bridge in Ranier, he said.

“We've had two discussions with CN (Canadian National Railway) since then, we've been told the lift bridge will open all the way,” Ward said. “And we've gone down there and called them and the lift bridge hasn't opened all the way.”

Since the boat is rarely occupying the dock, many anglers use it as a fishing pier, despite its lack of a guardrail. The estimated cost of adding a guardrail to the current dock would be $10,000, EDA Director Shawn Mason said.

The $10,000 cost will be covered by a $5,000 donation from Boise Paper, a Packaging Corporation of America company and a $5,000 grant from the DNR, Mason said. The grant application deadline is the end of March, she said, and the initial $5,000 donation from Boise serves as the local match portion of the grant.

The project cost estimate breaks down as such:

• $6,000 for materials
• $2,000 for labor
• $1,500 for a sign
• $500 for professional services if necessary

Background

When the current dock was put in at the VNP headquarters site, an existing Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club dock was removed to accommodate it, Mason said.

“When we did that, we did make a promise that eventually we would find a place for the fishing pier,” Mason said.

After discussions with the RLSC and VNP staff, Mason said they decided the current dock would work well as a multi-use dock.

“It's large, it's sturdy, it's safe,” Mason said. “And it will be even more safe with the railings on it.”

The old fishing pier was also dedicated to long-time RLSC member Ray Jans, Mason said, so that added extra incentive for the club to want to find a way to accommodate a new fishing pier.

“We want to make sure that pier is rededicated to Ray Jans, that's the RLSC's wish,” Mason said.

To honor the dedication to Jans, Mason said a sign will be made and installed at the pier acknowledging Jans, as well as the donation from Boise and the DNR grant.

Other business

A motion to approve paying the EDA's bills, which included membership dues to three economic development networking organizations, prompted discussion on the necessity of membership in the groups.

EDA member Bob Anderson asked the dues payments be taken in a seperate motion from the other bills. The motion to approve paying the dues passed on a 4-1 vote, with Anderson voting no.

“We are spending a lot of money on memberships, that I don't know that they're returning any value to the EDA or the citizens,” Anderson said.

The dues payments were:

• An annual membership of $250 to the Economic Development Association of Minnesota.
• A $2,000 payment for membership in the Community Venture Network, which carries a $4,000 annual cost.
• An annual membership of $50 to the Minnesota Council of Non-Profits.

EDA member Cynthia Jaksa said each group does bring value to the EDA in terms of keeping it informed on grant cycles, connecting with businesses looking to expand and other various networking opportunities.

The EDA approved membership in the CVN previously, Mason said, and it's the EDA's first year as a member. Other members have told her the importance of patiencewhen it comes to seeing membership benefits, she said.

“What we hear from other member communities is you need to be patient and consistent in your attendance and participation,” Mason said. “We've only been to two meetings.”

EDA member Brian Briggs said he plans to attend the next CVN conference with EDA President Harley Droba, which will be his first.

“I will vote in favor at this go-round,” Briggs said. “But once I get down there, I'll get a better feel of whether it's worth $4,000 to belong to it or not.”

Economic development is about cultivating relationships, Jaksa said, and these organizations allow the EDA to network effectively.

“If we don't afford our director the opportunity to network, we're not affording her a chance to succeed,” Jaksa said. “I think it's folly to not allow her to network with other professional organizations in the state.”

The Koochiching Economic Development Authority's director initially belonged to many of the same organizations, Anderson said, but found they “were not worthwhile and no longer attends those meetings.”

Editor’s note: Inside today’s Journal is a special edition revisiting the events of the 2014 flood and the response to it from the Borderland community. Rob Ecklund, who served as Koochiching County board chairman during that time, discussed his impressions with The Journal.

Rob Ecklund is proud to be a member of the Borderland community.

Following the response to rising waters in June, many others are likely proud as they saw firsthand what can happen when people come together for a common good.

“This community is amazing,” he said recalling the 2014 flood and all that came with the rising waters.

“We’ve always banded together when we’ve needed to,” the Koochiching County commissioner said. “It makes you proud to be a member of the community. Residents come through; businesses are always there.”

Ecklund served as county board chairman during the flood. When asked about his role, he downplays it, pointing instead to the roles others played, including Loman Fire Chief Adam Claybundy.

“Those people that keep those kinds of operations running, you don’t even know about until something like this happens,” Ecklund said. “They are taking care of their part of the community and we have Adam Claybundys all over this county.”

Sandbagging brought people together who may not have ever met otherwise, Ecklund said.

“It made our community stronger,” he said. “And in the long run it will make us better prepared when the next thing happens. And something will.”

A critique of the response to the 2014 flood is now in the county’s books for referral, he said.

Ecklund said he was proud when a state response team left after two days, telling officials they weren’t needed because all was running so well. The National Guard came when they were needed.

“Our volunteers, bless their hearts, were wearing out,” Ecklund said.

Ecklund said he’d been in Duluth the week prior to the early June downpour.

“It had been raining there the whole time and when I came home, the ditches were full up to the edge of the road,” he said. “It let up a few days, and then I walked the dog one morning and told (my wife) Joan I had to call the sheriff. I could have canoed the trail I was walking the dog down — it had rained all night.”

He said he finished the sentence as the telephone rang, with a call from fellow county Commissioner Brian McBride concerned about the rising water.

Former Sheriff Brian Jespersen was called about 7 a.m. that morning and at 10 a.m. an emergency county board meeting put the full-on flood response in motion.

Ecklund said few county departments were not involved in some sort of quick response, ranging from Highway and Land and Forestry department staff checking roads to the Information Technology staff setting up the command center in the basement of the Koochiching County Law Enforcement Center.

“They did what they had to do,” Ecklund said of county staff. “It’s reassuring. You’ve got to rely on the people that are experts.”

Training for emergencies helped staff and officials respond, he said. Several people attended emergency preparedness training last year and in years past.

“Without training you can’t do it,” he said. “It was money well spent.”

Adjacent counties offered help, including St. Louis and Carlton counties, which experienced flooding in 2012, Ecklund said. Roseau County lent a sandbag filling machine, thanks to connections made earlier by Koochiching County officials, he said.

Federal and state officials also assisted by visiting the county to support and encourage volunteers and community leaders, as well as witness the damage in order to seek financial assistance, Ecklund said.

The total federal and state assistance to various entities in Koochiching County is nearly $1 million, according to county Administration Director Teresa Briggs.

Briggs recently reported to the county board about 20 awards for the county include money for the East Koochiching Sanitary Sewer District and Loman Fire Department that total $831,338.

In addition, she said a couple county state aid highway projects considered major traffic collectors qualified for $165,934 from another federal funding source.

That makes the total to Koochiching County $997,272, she said.

Meanwhile, Briggs tracked 2,500 volunteers registered at the sandbag operation after it was moved to Kerry Park. However, volunteers at City Beach, Loman and other areas where members of the community volunteered time and equipment to build dikes and transport sandbags to properties were not counted.

“So the number is huge in actuality – 2,500 does not do it justice,” she recently reported to the county board.

Much of the federal and state assistance will be used to restore and improve roads

“We’re not going to come out ahead on this,” he said. “We will basically be made whole. We will get some work done around bridges and culverts that would maybe be a concern and the fast rise of the water exacerbated the concern.”