Weekly Bits from the City Newsletter 11-20-09

In this week's newsletter, the city finance director explains how laying off one employee will impact next year's budget. He also gives an overview of the changes made since the budget was presented on August 10th and the levy was adopted on September 14th. A broader explanation of the city's budget will be presented at the Truth in Taxation hearing at 7:00pm on Monday, December 7th. The community will have an opportunity to comment on the budget at the hearing. For background, last year's TNT report and additional miscellaneous financial information is available on the city website.

The newsletter also has an update on preschool skating opportunities and an adult broom ball league starting in January.

First City of Lights

It's a week away! Black Friday. Buy Nothing Day. Whatever you call it, the best part of the day after Thanksgiving is not the fabulous sales or the satisfaction of boycotting the sales or even the turkey leftovers. Its the First City of Lights parade in Bemidji.

Thousands of people converge on the downtown to watch the parade and celebrate the lighting of the downtown and trees in Paul Bunyan Park.


Like every year for many (how many years? 10? 15?) floats are under construction, costumes are being created, downtown businesses are planning specials, lights are being strung, and Santa is scheduling his arrival. There's only one problem: the fund to pay for the lights still needs help.


If you can donate a bit to help this fun community event, please drop your donation at the Chamber building or even better, go online and make a donation to the First City of Lights fund hosted by the Northwest Minnesota Foundation. Its safe, secure and easy. The Chamber website has a link to the online giving site. AND, don't forget to gather the family and get downtown for the event. The parade's at 6:00pm.

Do-it-Yourself Mapping

"Thank's for the map you sent last week. Can you get me an airphoto of another location downtown?" That's the question I got the other day at work and I was happy to make the map, but along with the new map, I sent the directions for do-it-yourself mapping available for Bemidji and Beltrami County.

Since Google Earth hit the web in 2004, people have been fascinated with zooming around the globe, looking for their house, finding great hunting locations and learning about places on the other side of the world. Teachers use Google Earth in the classroom, businesses use it for marketing; and when we need directions and a map? It's Google Earth that gets us there.

Most of us know about Google Earth, but how many people know about a local online mapping application that is user friendly and has a host of great features and information.

Beltrami County online mapping has several layers (map features like lakes, streets, parcel numbers, etc.) that you can turn on and off; a search feature for finding properties by parcel ID, address, Plat, and more; and an identify feature that gives the names of property owners, number of acres and legal description. You can do linear or area measurements, select areas (highlight them) by drawing a box or radius. And finally, you can create mailing labels and make maps. Here's a map I made in just a minute or so. Our GIS specialist and I get a lot of calls at City Hall asking for air photos and maps. Since Beltrami County put their mapping program online for free (it used to have a subscription fee), we are trying to help people "do-it-yourself." Check out the site, play around a bit and pretty soon you'll be making maps and impressing your friends and relatives.

Weekly Bits from the City Newsletter 10-30-09

This week's newsletter has updates from the City Manager, Finance Director, Waste Water Treatment Facility, and Parks Director. Meetings this week include a Council meeting on Monday, a Park & Trail Commission meeting on Tuesday, and a Joint Planning Board Meeting on Wednesday. The Tuesday Parks meeting is an opportunity for citizens to share ideas for a new city park on 30th Street.

Ever wonder what would happen if they pulled the pylons out at the Nymore boat access? That entire area is "accreted" land that was built on pylons and then filled in. A 1909 Sanborn map shows the land being used for the Crookston Lumber Company sawmill. Subsequent maps show the sawmill until about 1939. The pylons pop up every year and the parks department cuts them off or adds fill around them. This week, they pulled up a couple. See a picture in the newsletter.

Planning for 900 in 2010

How do you plan for welcoming 900 new residents in one fell swoop? How about an informational letter and an invitation to your house? I'm not talking about the pipeline crews that have descended on the city. It's the estimated 900 people that live in the first orderly annexation area.

The Bemidji city council recently voted to to exercise their authority and annex the first tier of properties defined in an Orderly Annexation agreement with Bemidji and Northern Townships. The agreement, signed in 2004, maps out areas of the townships to be annexed in 2010, 2015, and 2020.

City and Joint Planning staff have been working out a plan for communicating with the soon-to-be-annexed residents to make a smooth transition from "country" to "city" living. It turns out that the devil is in the details and there are a lot of details.

Here are some of the "uniquely city" things that new city residents might need to know:

• Residential garbage pickup--the city is the exclusive hauler in the city, so if someone else picks up at your house, you will have to switch haulers.
• Building permits--the city enforces the state building code, so all new construction will require a building permit and may also require a licensed contractor.
• Rental units--the city has a rental registration ordinance, so if you own a rental in the annexation area, you will have to be inspected and licensed when your property comes into the city.
• Sales tax--the city collects a half cent local option sales tax from businesses that have transactions in the city, so if you own a business, you will have to start collecting and remitting the tax.
• Business license--you may need a license in the city, even if you didn't need one in the township.
• Voting--your polling place and your local elected official will change; Wards 3 (on the north), 4 (on the west) and 5 (on the east) will be expanded; all new residents will also be represented by the At-Large member of city council.
• City Code--the code of ordinances that makes up the rules in the city is different than the township's, so you might find that things allowed in the townships are not allowed in the city;

Two things that won't change:

1. Even though the city has an exclusive franchise for off-sale liquor, when Northern Liquor is annexed into the city, it will be grandfathered in as the exception to the rule.
2. The Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance will also remain the same. That was adopted in 2007 by all three governments and was the first test of the joint agreement. It has been functioning pretty well for more than two years, so staff are optimistic that other transitions will also be successful.

If you are in the annexation area, look for more information and an invitation to an open house at City Hall in the next few months.

The Sustainability Discussion--My Take

Recycling and reducing waste, biking instead of driving, starting a community garden--individuals shared what they are doing to make a difference at a meeting to discuss sustainability in Bemidji. About two dozen people attended the forum on Wednesday and everyone agreed that we all have a role in making the community more sustainable.

Personally, I don't really think of myself as "green." I just do what makes sense and sometimes that is also sustainable. Here's a rundown of a few things that we have always done at our house that might be called "sustainable."

Recycle (of course). We sort all the paper and containers that we can.

Reusable bags. Aren't plastic bags annoying? I love shopping with green bags. The hardest part is remembering to use them for all my shopping, not just the grocery store.

Grow our own food. We are fortunate to have a large yard and two large gardens where we grow potatoes, beans, carrots, lettuce, peas, corn, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, onions, herbs, and rhubarb. We usually have enough vegetables to eat through the winter and some to give away.



We also have plum trees that are great for jelly if we can beat the deer to the plums.


Mulch. We use wood chips from the wood pile and leaves and needles from the yard to mulch our flower gardens.

Bird habitat. We have a variety of flowers, shrubs and trees in our yard that provide great habitat for birds.
Solar powered clothes dryer. I actually enjoy hanging clothes on the line. It is great exercise lugging that basket of wet laundry up from my basement laundry room and hanging it up.



Year-round composting. We put all of our yard and household organic waste in a compost pile at the rear of our lot. We use the compost for our flower and vegetable gardens. (The compost pile is not fenced, so the deer get some of it!)

Rain barrels. We have three rain barrels on the house that provide a lot of the water for my flower gardens.

If I am doing some of these easy things, others must be too. So here's my question: What can the City of Bemidji do to encourage and reward sustainable behavior? That's the question we'll ask at the next meeting. Call city hall if you want to get involved.

Weekly Bits from the City Newsletter 10-23-09

Time to check out this week's edition of the City of Bemidji weekly newsletter. The most interesting bit is the Bemidji Library update. (I'm not kidding!) Internet public use at the Library has almost doubled in the last two years and they served 23,000 more customers by September this year than during the first nine months in 2007. Also making the newsletter this week is an update from the city engineer, the WWTF (that's the sewer plant) staff, and a reminder from the fire chief (change your smoke alarm batteries when you change your clocks on October 31st).

Weekly Bits from the City Newsletter 10-16-09

This week's newsletter includes an announcement for training for citizen planners. It's sponsored by the MN Chapter of the APA and just $25 for a half-day workshop on October 29th. There is also an update from Enbridge on the pipeline construction, a bit on the Census Complete Count Committee and an announcement for family friendly Halloween event at Diamond Point Park. Check it out here (PDF).

Add Your Voice to the Sustainability Discussion

Sustainability. What does it mean? Depends on who you ask. Increasing walking and biking? Conserving natural areas? Reducing waste? Supporting local foods? If you have some ideas on community sustainability, the Bemidji Sustainability Committee invites to share them at a forum planned for Wednesday, October 21st at 7:00 pm at Bemidji City Hall, 317 4th St. NW.

The City of Bemidji has talked about the s-word for several years, but this is the first community discussion sponsored by the City and we're a bit behind the rest of the state. Many Minnesota communities (large and small) have introduced measures to make their community more sustainable. Minneapolis has been working on sustainability for more than ten years and has invested a large budget in the effort.

The Crossroads Resource Center helped Minneapolis get started and their website provides guidance for other communities. The website offers several definitions of sustainable development and includes a link to the Neighborhood Sustainability Indicators Guidebook.

Just as there are many ways to define "sustainability," there are also many ways to approach the goal of becoming a more sustainable community. Some Minnesota examples:

• Red Wing sustainability commission; their Comprehensive Plan also includes a section on sustainability.
• Woodbury sustainability initiatives; They conduct a community survey every two years.
• Mankato passed a Resolution outlining three sustainability focus areas: Organizational, Public Policy, and Community.

The state of Minnesota also offers sustainable community planning assistance through a new program called Minnesota GreenStep Cities.

Obviously, there is no shortage of information on sustainability. We'll find out Wednesday if there is interest in defining it for Bemidji.

Temporary Dentist Needs Housing

If you've got a spare room for a couple of months, a volunteer dentist needs a place to stay. The Northern Dental Access Center Bemidji, is a non-profit, community agency that provides basic dental services to people enrolled in Minnesota Health Care Plans, including Medical Assistance, Minnesota Care, General Assistance Medical Care, etc. They rely on volunteer dentists to deliver some care.

The Center is serving an acute dental service need in our area for the underprivileged and underinsured, paying particular attention to children. Did you know that dental caries (tooth decay) is the single most common chronic disease of childhood? Although the Center is located in Bemidji, they also serve people in surrounding counties (Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater and others).

There is a dentist willing to work a 9 week stint at the clinic (Oct 29-Dec 30) and he needs a place to stay. And oh, he also needs the use of a car during that time too. If you have any ideas for this request, please call the Center 218-444-3984.

Weekly Bits from the City Newsletter 10-02-09

Every Friday, you can get updates on what is happening at the City of Bemidji when you read the online Weekly Newsletter. This week's newsletter has updates from the City Manager, City Engineer, Parks Director and yours truly.

The most interesting bits this week are pictures of the osprey nest at City Park that is being relocated to accommodate the park upgrade. Although they did not have to relocate the nest for the osprey's spring return, Marcia Larson, Parks Director and Ottertail Power Company worked with the DNR to move the nest(they needed a permit). Take a look.

Skateboarders Alert

Dream it. Design it. Ride it! Bring your boards and ideas for a workshop session with professional skateboarder and lead skate park designer Kanten Russell. The session will be held October 6, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. at the City Public Works Facility – 1351 5th Street NW.

This workshop gives skaters and interested parties the opportunity to talk to the Skate Park Architect, and provide input for the design of the new Bemidji Skate Park. Anyone interested in the new skatepark is encouraged to attend. For additional information contact Bemidji City Parks Director Marcia Larson at 218-333-1860.

How to Turn $1 into $138? Give it to a Non-Profit

Non-profits provide great benefit to our communities and this study by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy quantifies their impact. The comprehensive study of 15 Minnesota non-profits shows that for every dollar that foundations invest in the organizing and advocacy work of non-profits, there is a return on investment of $138 for communities.

The report went on to say that grantmakers can achieve the greatest return on investments by following these recommendations:

1. Increase the percentage of grant dollars devoted to advocacy, community organizing and civic engagement.
2. Engage board members and donors in dialogue about how advocacy and organizing can help a grantmaking institution achieve its long-term goals.
3. Strengthen peer learning and strategizing about advocacy and organizing.
4. Engage nonprofit partners in strategic planning and grantmaking process of foundations.
5. Apply a racial equity lens to grantmaking.
6. Provide general operating support and multiyear grants.

These are all important recommendations, but having foundations pay attention to number six would make a huge difference for non-profits who struggle to fund their operating expenses every year. Let's hope that the message is heard by foundations across the state.

Downtown Changes

Changes are coming for the huge expanse of asphalt at the Pamida site in downtown Bemidji. The property has been subdivided into two parcels and the north 2/3 of the site will be redeveloped with a 2-storefront building. I'm not sure of the timeline for the redevelopment, but the Joint Planning office has received a preliminary plan for a structure on the site.

At first blush, the site plan does not appear to provide space for the Farmer's Market. As BemidjiMike notes in his blog post this week, having the market downtown is a real asset.
The City Engineer, Craig Gray and I have made comments on the preliminary plan, but it will be the Joint Planning Office that reviews the plan for compliance with the zoning ordinance. Craig's comments were centered around the stormwater management on the site and street access. I had a variety of comments and concerns including parking for Pamida, access onto Paul Bunyan Dr, landscaping, and parkland dedication, (which is required with this commercial lot division).

It will be interesting to see how the plan develops.

Weekly Bits from the City Newsletter 9-11-09

Get an update on the environmental clean-up at the event center, a list of the recently inspected rental units in Bemidji and the construction activity report for the month. It's all in this week's city manager's newsletter, available on the city of Bemidji's website.

Public art--what's that?

Have you ever noticed the terrazzo floor inside the entrance at the Bemidji high school? The design was installed as part of the public art that was included in the publicly financed building. The Bemidji Regional Event Center will have a public art component too.

A committee of artists has been working with the City's consultant, Forecast Public Art to define where the art can be incorporated into the building and what the process will be to select the artists. The committee has chosen two areas for art that will give the most impact--the terrazzo floor and a suspended art piece--maybe a light--at the entrance. The Request for Qualifications will be sent to a selected list of artists (developed by Forecast). The committee has also added names of area artists to the list.

Interested artists will have until Sept. 8 to respond to the request and then the committee will narrow the list to six artists--three in each category. Selected artists will receive a $1,000 stipend to sketch or create a model of their idea, which will be presented to the committee for the final artist selections.

Who's Got Time to Blog!?

So-- there are so many other things to do in summer than work at the computer. Besides the usual summer fun, here's a pictorial of some of the things that are keeping me from blogging.

A wedding to plan!


Moving my son's family into a new house

Keeping track of my soon-to-be 85 year-old Dad

Twins game

First grandbaby--a beautiful teeny tiny girl!


Small town celebrations--Big Falls 4th of July

Bobby Vee

Vegetable garden


Flower garden


Dragon boats


Fair flowers--five firsts, three seconds and one grand champion!


Friday nights at the Paul Bunyan Playhouse


Daughter's new house (a foreclosure bargain that needs TLC)


A baby shower


Invitations for a bridal shower


And of course, trying to stay employed

Weekly Bits from the City Newsletter 7-31-09

Learn about activities in the City parks, a request for development proposals for the South Shore and former MnDOT sites and upgrades underway at the Waste Water Treatment Facility in this week's newsletter.

The newsletter is a mix of news and information from department heads who contribute updates, a list of upcoming meetings and various correspondence and sundry announcements.

Rentals: Realtors Want the Option

A letter in Sunday's Pioneer by a local Realtor had some valid arguments against the rental moratorium proposed by the Bemidji City Council. The Ordinance, which puts a 12-month moratorium on new rental registrations, will have a second reading on Monday night. The public hearing will provide citizens an opportunity to weigh in on the measure.

The local Realtor Association invited City Council members to their regular noon meeting last Tuesday to discuss the proposal. None attended. Look for Realtors at the meeting Monday night to speak in opposition to the moratorium.

Should a 100 Year Old Building be Preserved?

The Carnegie Library is 100 years old this year. Built in 1909, the building has served as the public library, county welfare office, music school, art center and more. It is owned by the City and is the centerpiece of Library Park.

Hundreds of people were in the park this weekend to attend Art in the Park. Too bad most of them have never been inside the Carnegie building. The reward for braving the dangerous front entrance (which is only feet from the high speed traffic on Paul Bunyan Dr) is a wonderful art center--currently exhibiting six local artists.

Is the building important enough to save? The recently completed Carnegie Reuse Study concludes that it is. The Heritage Preservation Commission believes it is. Will the City Council agree? It's on their agenda Monday night.

Fairly Easy--Entries at the Fair

A friend emailed me last week and asked for tips on entering her knitting at the fair. I am no expert, but I have entered flower arrangements the last two years and have had a bit of beginner's luck.

The first year I entered, I won the Bertha Johnson Best First Time Entrant award ($30) and last year in addition to winning 6 ribbons, I won the best of show for my arrangement of orange and yellow lilies (shown at the center in the top row in the photo above and left). I grew the orange lilies, my neighbor Darlene grew the yellow ones.

Anyone is welcome to enter the fair -- young and old, county resident or not. My kids always entered something when they were at home--embroidered pillow cases, a lego diorama, photographs, a bluebird house.


My winning entry in the Asian influence category (Darlene's lilies)

Here's the Beltrami County Fair website. Check out the premium list and pre-register online. Entry day is Wednesday of fair week from 11 am to 6 pm.

By the Numbers

• Number of days the fair runs: Five - Wednesday through Sunday, July 29 through August 2
• Cost to drive in and park at the fair: $5 daily/$10 season pass (parking is free on entry day)
• Value of a first place ribbon in the flower arrangements class $8
• Number of "dress an animal" contests held: three - dress a goat, dress a chicken, dress a cow (not to mention "paint a pig")

More Minnesota fairs:
Minnesota Federation of County Fairs

Advice from the Masters:
Entry Tips from Beltrami County Master Gardeners

Random Bits

Segways on state trails? Should the two-wheeled personal chariot be allowed on paved state trails? DNR wants an opinion from the State Attorney General.



A list of potential candidates for governor (30, Yikes!!) updated July 7th.

Lists of Minnesota blogs at City Pages, Bemidji Community Internet, and at Minnesota.com Is yours missing? Add it.

Too Many Rentals Per Block?

If you ever wished for a way to keep rental properties off your block, you might get your wish. The city council will take up a discussion on the number of rentals in Bemidji neighborhoods at their regular meeting on Monday at 7:00.

The council originally requested a moratorium on new rental registrations in order to study the idea. They'll see that ordinance Monday, but will also be presented with a rental density ordinance. The density ordinance would limit the number of rentals based on a percentage per block.

Several other college towns have instituted density ordinances. Duluth limits rentals to within 300 feet of each other in the university area. Mankato passed a density ordinance a year ago that limits density to 25% of homes on each block.

Is it time for Bemidji to have a density ordinance?

Weekly Bits from the City Newsletter 7-3-09

The City Council will consider a rental density ordinance on Monday; new park programs started this week--something for kids and adults in city parks; and a traveling Skate Park demo on July 4 will give locals a chance to try out ramps and rails. Read about these bits in this week's newsletter.

The Census is Around the Corner

It won't happen for another 285 days, give or take, but the Census Bureau has been gearing up locally for the 2010 Census for some months already. They have hired local managers and City staff have met with them at least twice. The Census has rented office space in Hill's office building on 5th Street (near the Veteran's Clinic) and they will be hiring about 50 people in the Bemidji area.

This Tuesday (June 23) at 6:00pm the Census Bureau will hold a town meeting at City Hall to talk about "Complete Count Committees." Organizing local committees to support and promote completion of the census is one way the Bureau hopes to increase participation in the count. Local officials and leaders are encouraged to attend and it is open to everyone.

The Census is a count of everyone living in the US every ten years and is important for many reasons, but especially to cities and counties because state and federal assistance is often dependent on population. Non-profits need the additional information on ethnicity, housing, educational attainment, etc. that provides the data they need to make the case in funding applications.

The most important reason everyone in Minnesota should complete their Census questionnaire is to assure that we keep eight congressional districts. There is real concern that our population will decline in comparison to growth in other states that we would lose one federal representative.

The long form survey used to be done every ten years too, but is now an ongoing survey called the American Community Survey and is mailed to a sample of the population and asks for detailed information. That is the survey that Representative Michelle Bachmann seems to be concerned about:



Rep. Bachmann's sentiments don't mesh with leaders around the state, including Governor Pawlenty who signed this proclamation in April. Or Joe Day from Bemidji:

"The American Indian population is near the numbers when Europeans arrived here on Turtle Island over 500 years ago. Our numbers dwindled to a mere 250,000 by 1900, it is important that we be counted in 2010 to show that we are resilient and strong for our children."
- Kay Sha Bow Osay ( Walking Around) Anishinabe, Joseph B. Day

Here is a countdown timer and information about the Census 2010 and more info about the census in Minnesota.

Weekly Bits From the City Newsletter 6-19-09

This week's newsletter has several bits about the south shore of Lake Bemidji and event center site. They include a second update on environmental cleanup; announcement of a substantial donation by Ottertail Power Company for the utility service: and information about the selection of an operations firm to manage the event center (VenuWorks and Global Spectrum).



Check it out at this link to this week's newsletter. The newsletter is a mix of information from department heads who contribute updates, a list of upcoming meetings and various correspondence and sundry announcements.

Cars Five, Pedestrians and Bicyclists Zero

Five total lanes: four driving lanes (two in each direction) and one center turn lane; and zero painted crosswalks on nearly a mile of street in the city. That's the design that will be in front of the City Council on Monday night.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will reconstruct Trunk Highway 197 in Bemidji from Lueken's Village Foods south to US Highway 71 in 2010. MnDOT owns and maintains TH197 through town, but has asked the City for municipal consent for the proposed design (Washington Ave to the city limits at the trail overpass bridge). The Council will hold a public hearing at the regular meeting, Monday at 7:00pm, and approve, oppose, or waive municipal consent by resolution after the public hearing.

The proposed design will mirror the rest of TH197, north of the Mississippi River bridge, which also has four driving lanes and one center turn lane--fondly referred to as the suicide lane. That's because all the access points on both sides of the street cause lots opportunities for conflicting turning movements in the center lane.

From my perspective, constructing the south end of TH197 to this design has one purpose: to enable the unobstructed movement of cars from one end of town to the other. Pedestrians and bicyclists will be left in the proverbial dust.

How about a bike lane, some painted crosswalks or something really radical, a center boulevard with greenspace to create a safe stopping place for pedestrians crossing this street. Couldn't the Council suggest them?

A "Catch 22" may keep the City Council from suggesting any changes. That is the ownership of TH197. The state would like to turn it back to the City; something the City wants to avoid. A "turnback" would cost the City a bucket of money in maintenance and upkeep when the bucket is pretty much empty. Avoiding a turnback is the ultimate goal. If the Council asks for changes, the City would not only have to pay for any increase in project costs, but the dreaded ownership question could rear its ugly head.

But that shouldn't keep interested citizens from testifying at the public hearing. If you care about how this public street gets rebuilt, come voice your opinion about the design at the public hearing on Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Or better yet, if you want pedestrians and bicyclists to get more attention, call MnDOT and tell them you want roads built for all users not just cars.

Budget Cuts -- How Cities are Coping

The governor cut it last year and he plans to cut it even more in 2010-2011. No, not his hair. Everybody's talking about LGA (Local Government Aid), but can anyone really explain it? Why do some cities get it and others don't? Why do cities need it?

LGA goes to cities with a low tax base. In Bemidji, only about 49% of the properties in the city are taxable. With 51% tax-exempt, we thank LGA for parks, police, libraries, fire protection....

The Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities and the city of St. Paul launched a website earlier this year to explain LGA and encourage support for it. Their site ThankLGA.org, provides "LGA Basics," tracks media reports and offers a place for citizens to "tell your story."

The most interesting page on the site is perhaps the "City Stories" where Mayors and Finance Directors from cities across the state explain what they have done to respond to cuts already made and what they will do if additional cuts are made.

It also lists the amount cities stand to lose. Here are the figures for Bemidji
2008 LGA Unallotment: $241,303
Governor’s Proposed 2009 LGA Cut: $320,922
Governor’s Proposed 2010 LGA Cut: $670,141

City officials are asked to "provide a few examples of what services in your city are equivalent to the 2009 LGA reduction." Bemidji's answer:
* Nearly 6 police officer positions
* The city’s entire capital equipment purchases
* Nearly 50% of the city’s parks and library budget
* 9% of the city’s public safety budget

How will the City make up this reduction? Remember the Street light fee idea? That fee would have been assessed on all properties--including the tax-exempt properties. Think the idea might come back?

Bird's Eye View

Here's something to check out. Paul Bunyan TV has installed a webcam on the First Street water tower and pointed it at the construction of the Bemidji Regional Event Center.

You can access the video at this PBTV web page. This picture of the construction site was taken today from today's video.

Event Center Updates Thursday at 6pm

If you live on the east side of Lake Bemidji and normally use First Street to get into town, you may want to attend the informational meeting on Thursday evening. City of Bemidji and Kraus Anderson staff will be on hand on Thursday, June 4 at 6:00pm in the Chambers of City Hall to give an update on the event center construction project and answer questions. Information about the construction schedule, utility work and planned road closings will be shared.

It's Grilling Time--For Legislators, That Is

The Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the annual legislative wrap-up on Tuesday, June 2 at 5:30pm at City Hall. Area legislators from Districts 2 and 4 are invited. The lawmakers will give their take on this year's session and answer questions from the audience. What do you want to ask your representative?