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August 2008
Greetings from Voyageur Country! We are in the shank of summer, enjoying some of the best weather in the country - long warm days, cool evenings - reinforcing the notion that we are fortunate to live, work, and retire here. No wildfires, hurricanes or drought to deal with. And for many, this time is a draw for tourists to enjoy the replenishing power of Rainy Lake, Voyageurs National Park, the Littlefork, Bigfork and Rainy Rivers.
August is the time for several festivals and celebrations in Koochiching County. This month, the Village of Rainer will celebrate its centennial birthday with an Old Time Founders Day marked by a full day of events (see related story). Also, the annual Koochiching County Fair was held in Northome at the fairgrounds August 8 - 10. In addition, the International Falls Bass Championship is entering its fourth year. This unique 2-day catch and release tournament uses both the Rainy River and Rainy Lake and has become a popular community event. The Annual North American Sturgeon Championship was held August 16th in Birchdale on the Rainy River. This catch and release event is the longest running fishing tournament in the area. This year's tournament had the largest participation in its history with 272 anglers.
KEDA Project Updates: The Renewable Energy Clean Air Project (RECAP) had a public kickoff meeting with the various principals involved in the project. The project would utilize plasma gasification technology to transform municipal solid waste and other feed stocks to produce synthetic gas in an environmentally sound process and would be the first of its kind in the United States. The next step is the feasibility study, which is underway. R.W. Beck is the engineering firm that will be providing an independent analysis of the various environmental, operational and economic components of the project. The feasibility study is anticipated to take 4-5 months.
The KEDA also continues to develop a site plan for the Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) south of the Port of Ranier. The 92-acre site lies adjacent to the main north/south rail line used by CN Rail. The plan will focus on developing a shovel-ready site that will be a rail-served business park hosting a variety of tenants including manufacturers that can take advantage of the FTZ benefits, as well as general purpose warehousing and logistics suppliers.
The City of International Falls continues to work with the National Park Service and the GSA to site a new Voyageurs National Park headquarters on the city's waterfront location on Rainy River. The headquarters will be part of a larger waterfront development that will also include a mix of private and public investment that will incorporate a hotel, bar and restaurant, day marina and amphitheater. The headquarters portion of the project will be the initial phase of the project and it is anticipated to begin this fall.
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