Good morning from the Mayor’s Office. It’s been another busy few weeks, so let’s go.
Early last week, several members of the F-M Diversion Authority Board traveled to Saint Paul to attend the legal proceedings to be heard by U.S. District Court Judge John Tunheim. The motions involved the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Richland/Wilkin Joint Powers Association. The Minnesota DNR and the JPA are attempting to halt ongoing project construction through a request for a preliminary project injunction, while the Corps of Engineers is requesting that all claims be dismissed against them. The Court is expected to take the action on the motions sometime in the near future.
I feel that each parties articulated their positions well during these proceedings. As we have seen in the past, Congress and the President have made it clear that the continued construction of the FM Area Diversion Project is a national priority. As my friend from Moorhead, Mayor Del Rae Williams, has stated, “The Diversion Project is important to both Minnesota and to North Dakota. The threat of flooding cannot be fixed with legal action.”
Throughout the past several weeks, we have been meeting with each of our department heads to create the preliminary draft of the City of Fargo’s 2018 budget, which will be presented to the full City Commission for review and comment. Throughout this process, I have been committed to providing the high quality of services that our residents have come to expect, while also continuing our commitment to being fiscally conservative with your money. You will see in the 2018 budget that our utility strategies are not only helping other communities in the metro by providing excellent drinking water and wastewater solutions; in addition, our expanded utility service partnerships helping Fargo residents in a substantial way by providing for increased and reliable revenue streams.
Speaking of water, we continue to receive updates on the Fargo Water Treatment Plant Expansion project, which is designed to increase our daily treatment capabilities from 30 million gallons per day to 45 million gallons per day. It also will allow for the addition of membrane treatment technology to purify Fargo’s water. I just drove past this project the other day and the progress is amazing.
A recent topic of conversation has been the potential for allowing fireworks within Fargo city limits. Commissioner Tony Gehrig asked the City Commission to consider this possibility and, at our last meeting, we heard the thoughts of our Police and Fire Chiefs. Commissioner Gehrig will be organizing public meetings on this topic in the near future. I would encourage you to contact myself and the Commissioners with your thoughts. We’re already hearing many comments from citizens on this topic and I expect that there will be many more.
Horse racing has returned again to Fargo as the 2017 season was kicked off with races being held at the North Dakota Horse Park last weekend. You can catch the next set of races beginning on Friday, July 28 and continuing through July 30. Last year, the Horse Park saw record attendance numbers. Let’s put a smile on the face of General Manager Mike Schmitz by getting more people to the races during the 2017 season.
We had great news from the Fire Department during the past few weeks as Chief Steve Dirksen was just appointed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs as their representative to the Commission for Fire Accreditation International. The 11-member commission represents a cross-section of the fire service industry and meets biennially to review all of the agencies applying for accredited status.
Also, Fire Inspector and Investigator Dawn Stollenwerk achieved the status of Certified Fire Marshal through the International Code Council. Dawn is the second member of the department to achieve this certification and only the third person in the state of North Dakota to be certified to this level.
The Fargo Firefighters IAFF Local 642 were out in force at local Hornbachers’ Grocery Stores raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association through the “Fill-the-Boot” campaign. The MDA and Firefighters have had a long-standing relationship and, this year, firefighters in Fargo area raised $21,375 for MDA.
Our community and workplaces continue to become more diverse. Not only culturally, but in many different demographics. The ability to work with others who have a different perspective and different life experience has become an important factor not only in our place of employment, but in everyday life. This diversity creates an ever-changing community dynamic that challenges us to live and work with others who we may view as different from us. Within the next few months, City employees will be taking part in a new training opportunity called “Diversity: The Opportunity for Many Perspectives.” This training session will explores the way in which each of us can work towards creating an inclusive environment where all people feel a sense of belonging. I think it’s very important and I’ll be sharing more details on this in upcoming Mayors’ Messages.
And finally, I’m proud to announce that another Take Back Tuesday event is going to be held on Tuesday, July 25 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Fargo Cass Public Health at 1240 25th Street South. This event, organized by the Mayors’ Blue Ribbon Commission on Addiction and coordinated by the Fargo Cass Public Health, the Fargo Police Department and Cass County Sheriff’s Office, will allow area residents to dispose of unused and unwanted over-the-counter and prescription medication, thereby helping to protect the environment and keeping these drugs off the streets. The first Take Back Event took place on June 27 in Fargo and generated 210 pounds of medications from 133 participants. Two additional Take Back Events will take place throughout Cass County during the coming months.
I appreciate your interest in City government and wish all of you a great week. Thanks for your help in continuing to build a great community.
Mayor Tim Mahoney