Local officials make third trip to D.C. in effort to bring attention to Voyageurs National Park and community needs
Local leaders say that their third trip to Washington, D.C. to lobby for local projects and draw attention to Minnesota’s only national park last week may have been the most effective and revealing of the trips.
International Falls Mayor Shawn Mason and Councilor Paul Eklund reported about the trip to the Falls City Council meeting in special session Monday. Councilor “Tim” Chopper McBride also attended the trip, but was absent from the meeting. On the same day, Koochiching County Board Chairman Brian McBride reviewed the trip with commissioners during a committee meeting.
The elected officials were joined by VNP Superintendent Mike Ward and representatives of Voyageurs National Park Association at a reception last Wednesday for Voyageurs National Park Day at the Capitol.
Slim chances
A proposal to establish a $100 million site and facility for a new U.S. land port of entry at the International Bridge has a “slim to nil chance” of being funded by this Congress, said Mason.
The elected officials heard that there was little chance of the project being funded when they met with Susan Britta, deputy administrator with General Service Administration, and with other GSA staff on the telephone.
“Britta said it’s essentially dead,” said Brian McBride to the board.
“We appreciated their openness with that,” said Mason of the discussion.
Both officials said Britta explained that this Congress is reluctant to fund new facilities and instead is more supportive of renovating and refurbishing existing facilities.
Under current law, U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection facilities must be owned by the federal government. However, Paul Blocher, chief of staff with Congressman Chip Cravaack, later told the group that a bill expected to be introduced would allow for public and private partnerships on such projects.
“Cravaack said public-private would be something he’d be interested in championing,” Mason reported about a later meeting with the congressman.
“Just knowing that legislation will be introduced gives us hope the project will be done,” Eklund said. “We need to emphasize that it’s a homeland security project.”
“We have to work with the city and see what we can do,” said McBride.
Local officials have discussed the inefficient existing facilities which are confusing for visitors to travel through.
The local group also met with U.S. Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar and members of their staff. Several issues were discussed with them and other members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation including visitorship and economic impact of Voyageurs National Park; the need to fund Destination Voyageurs National Park to lobby for visitorship since park staff and money may not be used to do so; local sewer projects surrounding the park; and several other projects.
The VNP Day reception had a “fantastic turnout,” said Mason. Eklund noted that the local projects and issues continued to be discussed by members of Congress, their staff and staff of other federal departments at the reception.
“The reaching out part was a good thing,” Eklund said. “Any time you sit with members of Congress it’s not a waste of time.”
