Flood-control plan earns award
The Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers recently selected the Grand Forks/East Grand Forks Flood Damage Reduction Project as one of the 2010 Seven Wonders of Engineering in Minnesota Award winners.
Designed by the St. Paul District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in close coordination with the cities of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, the $412 million project was completed in 2008 and designed to protect to a 250-year flood event. It includes 17,000 lineal feet of floodwall, 28 miles of levee construction, 22 railroad and road closures and 23 pumping stations.
The Greenway includes 2,200 acres of public land, 20 miles of paved multi-use trails, 13 trailheads, and 31 access points, all of which are handicap accessible. New diversion channels for coulees flowing on both sides of the Red River route flows around each city during flood conditions.
The project is the largest flood damage reduction project ever completed by the St. Paul District of the Corps.
ADVERTISEMENT
The award will be presented at the organization's 46th Annual Engineers Week Awards and Recognition Banquet on Feb. 19 at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, Minn.
N.D. parks draw over a million
North Dakota's state parks served 1,059,021 visitors in 2009, the highest count since 2001 and more than 19 percent higher than in 2008, the N.D. Parks and Recreation said Friday in a press release.
The last time state parks recorded visitation of more than a million came in 2004 with 1,045,390 visitors. The number of campers also increased more than 11 percent from 2008. For more information, e-mail gweixel@nd.gov or call (701) 328-5357.
Seasonal reservations may be made for state parks starting at 7 a.m. Feb. 14. Log on to www.parkrec.nd.gov or call (800) 807-4723. Parks open May 14.
Minnesotans with no insurance up
The percentage of Minnesotans without health insurance rose from 7.2 percent to 9.1 percent from 2007 to 2009, according to the results of a new survey by the Minnesota Department of Health and the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
An estimated 480,000 Minnesotans were uninsured in 2009, compared with 374,000 in 2007. In both years, about two-thirds of people who were uninsured reported having been without coverage for a year or longer.
ADVERTISEMENT
The increase was primarily because of a decline in the percentage of Minnesotans who had health insurance through an employer.
Gardening workshop set
The 10th annual Spring Fever Gardening Workshop, sponsored by the Pennington County Master Gardeners, is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 27 in Lincoln High School Auditorium in Thief River Falls.
For information on fees and registration, due by Feb. 23, call (800) 681-2116.
Warroad Lions set Fly-in for Feb. 28
The Warroad Lions Winter Wings 32nd annual Ski Plane Fly-in and Breakfast is set for 8 a.m. to noon Feb. 28 in the American Legion Club, Warroad, Minn.
U.S. Customs will be available on the river. Call (218) 386-2796 one hour before landing.
For more information, call (218) 386-1818 or (218) 386-2098. The day of the fly-in, call (218) 386-1625.
ADVERTISEMENT
Hearings set for UAV impact study
Public hearings on the U.S. Air Force's draft environmental impact study for the potential bed-down of Global Hawk and Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicles at Grand Forks Air Force Base run from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., with presentations beginning at 5:30 p.m.
- Monday in Ballroom 3 of the Alerus Center, Grand Forks.
- Tuesday in the dining room at Lake Region State College, Devils Lake.
- Wednesday in the Teepee Room of the Chieftain Conference Center, Carrington, N.D.
- hursday at the NDSU Research Extension Center, Langdon, N.D.
Congressional delegation representatives plan to attend the hearings.
Info: www.grandforksuaseis.com .
