Draft Coast Guard rules may require tender
RANIER — Boaters experiencing difficulties getting the Canadian National Railway lift bridge to lift when needed may get some relief as the U.S. Coast Guard drafts new rules.
Mayor Ed Oerichbauer read preliminary statements regarding the 2011 operations of the lift bridge at the meeting Monday.
At Tuesday’s Koochiching County Board meeting, Oerichbauer called the draft rules good news for the community. In addition, county commissioners credited Oerichbauer and Voyageurs National Park Facility Manager Raoul Lufbery, who also serves as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, with the Coast Guard’s action.
According to Oerichbauer, the bridge is expected to operate on an open on demand basis during the busy boating season, May 1- Oct. 15. In addition, the draft rules said the U.S. Coast Guard will not license remote operation of the bridge, meaning a bridge tender may be required. Oerichbauer also said that southbound trains crossing the bridge will be given 30 minutes to clear.
“Specific operational rules are currently being written by the U.S. Coast Guard, but I wanted to get this preliminary information out to the public so they know that changes are happening,” Oerichbauer said.
Discussion of having the lift bridge raise when needed were raised in August when the Ranier Council met Lufbery.
Passage of larger boats between Rainy River and Rainy Lake beneath the bridge is often impossible because the bridge is left in the down position.
Oerichbauer asked people to submit letters to the Coast Guard asking that the bridge be raised if necessary. And, because the new VNP Headquarters facility is located on the river, Lufbery said he expected the 59-foot Voyageur sightseeing tour boat to begin picking up tours from that location.
“This is a big issue that took a lot of people to make it possible and we’re very thankful of them all,” Oerichbauer said Monday.
Lufbery said that he, too, appreciated all the work that lead the Coast Guard into drafting the new rules. He stressed that without letters of support, this wouldn’t have been possible. He explained that final decisions would be available to the public this spring.
Trustee Fred Woods asked about the possibility of extending open on demand operations to Nov. 1. He said that even though the buoys are gone, people still travel under the bridge frequently.
“We had quite a discussion on that,” Lufbery said. “We looked into several options and felt Oct. 15 would be the most reasonable date. We hope most people are satisfied with that.”
Oerichbauer said that if there was enough demand for extending the operations into November, modifications could be made down the road.
“This is a good starting point,” he said.
In other business, Oerichbauer welcomed the newly annexed residents into Ranier.
Following Oerichbauer’s greeting, the council voted to establish a citizens committee comprised of current Ranier residents as well as those newly annexed into city limits. Several people have already expressed interest in being involved and Oerichbauer, who will serve on the committee, said anyone interested in joining may do so and should contact him.
The purpose of the committee is to organize the process of developing the new city of Ranier.
During the open forum, Mike Wellcome asked if his address would change now that he was annexed into Ranier. City Clerk Kim Nuthak explained that his house or street number would stay the same, but he would now be within Ranier city limits and use the Ranier zip code of 56668. She said an official letter to all newly annexed residents regarding address changes and other information would be sent out shortly.
The council agreed to allow Ranier Liquor Store Manager Gretchen Cole to spend up to $2,600 on six new television sets for the bar. Cole said she heard several requests from patrons asking for upgrades.
If the given budget allows her to, Cole will purchase two 22-inch screens, three 32-inch screens and one 40-inch screen. As requested by the council, security measures will be taken to ensure that theft or vandalism is avoided.
The year-to-date net profit for the liquor store is $51,384. That number is up $8,802 from the October 2009 year-to-date net profit of $42,582.
