Off the Mayor’s Desk – 10-30-2013

I would like to address a couple of the comments made by Jim Laskin in last week’s letter to the editor.

First, he implies that the proposed mine’s 400 acres will be one big open pit mine. But, the fact is only 40-50 acres will be open at any one time. The loading/storage area will require 10-20 acres; a 10- acre site will be actively mined; 10 acres will be prepared for mining which includes removing the over burden materials; And, another 10 acres will be in in the process of being reclaimed. The mine will move 10 acres at a time with 10 acres being mined, 10 acres being prepared and 10 acres being reclaimed. The proposed mine WILL NOT look like the big mine near Bloomer. Instead, it will closely resemble the mine located just east of Menomonie on Highway 29. You’ll have to look very closely when driving by it to even realize a mine is there.

Second, he suggests that there is a lot of daylight between the $100,000 to $200,000 I’d indicated the City might anticipate receiving each year from the sand mine. And, I will admit there is. It’s because that’s my best guess at this time. Because all those secret meetings with VISTA LLC that Mr. Laskin mentioned never happened. At this point we DO NOT yet know what level of compensation VISTA might be willing to pay. Hopefully, we can sit down with them in the coming weeks and find that out.

He also says that $100,000 won’t go very far towards a new library, etc. Well, let’s see now. I believe that $100,000 per year for the next 30 years equals 3 million dollars. And $200,000 per year equals $6 million dollars. In my book, that is not chump change.