International Falls Daily Journal - Boise OSHA Safety Issue - Comments

I don't envy the lifestyle

raincat — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 22:32:06 -0600

I don't envy the lifestyle of the smaller local business owners at all. Long hours, uncertain profits.

Hopefully forums like this will lead to increased interest in the months before November's election.

I agree with six-shooter on

sker — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 22:16:27 -0600

I agree with six-shooter on the tourism issue-they are not and will not create full time living wage jobs. The only people that will benefit from tourism are the business owners! Those of you that complain about the elected officials, did you all vote at the last election? There were many well qualified folks running for office and how many changes were made? Basically NONE! I would wage with the upcoming local elections coming in November, it will be the same story again.

Now you are confusing "Boise

MamaG — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 13:07:36 -0600

Now you are confusing "Boise Company" with "Boise People". They may not give to FAA or Project Read but ask the Red Cross how much they contribute. I. Falls hates them but still wants their handouts?? They still give out paychecks which the employees are generally happy with.

As far as layoffs...didn't you just lose your job that was not Boise related? When that happens, it's a sad situation all around. I wish America had more job security...but I usually just ****** in one hand and wish in the other and see which one fills up faster. There is no room for bitterness and when we despise the ones that are employed, Boise has gotten its wish to "concure and divide". I HATE to see that happen.

What town are you referring to? I would like to research that. If it's true, I would be the first to admit that we should shut the doors of Boise. I'll tell all thirteen people left in town that, yep, you folks were right. Maybe when a new employer comes to town, say within 25 years, I would be able to afford to live here again.

What was Boise asking YOU for again?

I'm sorry but I disagree.

lesleyk — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 12:32:41 -0600

I'm sorry but I disagree. Boise does VERY LITTLE for this community. When was the last time the donated more than $1,000 to Friends Against Abuse or Project Read?

I always here the "great mouth-piece of Boise" saying all the great things they've done for this community, blah, blah, blah.

How many people do they lay off in a year? That's not very "helpful" to our families.

From the rumors I've heard, Boise is nothing but bare bones these days - they've been pretty much stripped and do the bare minimum of "paper making." Wasn't there a small city not too far that lost a mill? And now they are doing better than they did BEFORE their mill.

Maybe we need to stop worrying so much about this issue. It seems that people think that the Falls hinge on Boise's doors and I couldn't disagree more. IF Boise closed, this town would go on and bigger and better things may come our way. We can't keep making decisions as a community based on the benevolence (or lack there of) of Boise.

I'm sorry, but I think this town has paid their dues to Boise - we owe nothing more.

Wake up and smell the

MamaG — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 11:59:14 -0600

Wake up and smell the coffee? Is that really necessary to write? I know we are all frustrated but after all...I think some of you are missing my point. We were talking about a piece of road that Boise wants. Yes, it is worth money, but the road and land that they are giving in exchange is worth money, too. I don't know what some of you do for jobs but Boise employees spend a lot of money here in town. If Boise was gone so would 1/2 our businesses. I'd love to see other employers start up here. Instead of talking "fluff"--(Wake up mayor! Do something! This town is going downhill!)--say something we don't know! I worked two minimum wage jobs for years and years just to put my kids through college and ****** straight when they were old enough I kicked them out of this "nest". Until there is a new large employer in this town -- there is nothing but Boise here. I say if Boise wants to invest in Boise it might just mean that they'll stick around for longer than they might if the whole town turns on them. Someone wrote that Boise's future doesn't depend on the Burner Road--but neither does ours! It's a road.

This is a small paper mill

six-shooter — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:54:56 -0600

This is a small paper mill with a small no. of employees when you look at the big picture. The no. of emplyees stays between 800 & 850. It just idles there and has been that way for years. Yes it is a 24/7 mill but we need another 24/7 and a nother 24/7. Putting all your eggs in one basket with the tourists is a lost cause.It's not going to cut it. Our reps. should be looking for new industries to bring here. Start collecting on all the "favors" you did in your social climb up the ladder. To people that don't live here we are at the end of the world and don't see any reason to come here. Bemidji, Grand Rapids, Park Rapids etc are in the so called hub of destinations. People will stop spend money see attractions on their way to the next stop. We need more than the tourists to make it here. The sooner this is realized and action is taken we have a better chance of surviving. Think out of the box.

Gardenut and the following

norpole — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:52:17 -0600

Gardenut and the following bloggers have it right. The boat may have sailed unless our local elected leaders can see beyond the influence of Boise. My dad's dad didn't get the chance to retire, he was 71 and still working for Mando when he passed. He only hoped that his sons would have it better and they did. They both retired at 62 with full benefits and able to live well on Medicare, social security and their pensions. They both passed away due to the insidious carcinogens they worked in, so their retirement was cut short because like all of us who work for Boise, we give our lives for the company. We give our bodies because there isn't enough modern tools and equipment and you have to do your jobs by hand, literally. What good is retirement, "the golden years", when you can't walk and can't use your hands and talking a boatload of medications just to live? Now you have to fight to get the help you need. My grandpa came here to get a better life, and then my dad was able to enjoy the fruits of his labor, but no matter what I do, I will never seen the day when I can retire at 62 with full benefits all around and enjoy the land I love up here. Boise is not the wonderful place some of you think it is. It is a place to work owned by bankers who don't care about you at all.
The city leaders and all those elected have a responsibility to care for all of us, not just those they meet with at Business After Hours, and unless they make radical changes in thinking, our precious International Falls will be home of great memories and the last gas station on the way to Canada. Sorry to be so glum today, just how I feel and to all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

E'toile du Nord

RJ1127, RIGHT ON, RIGHT

roj2000 — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 09:46:47 -0600

RJ1127,

RIGHT ON, RIGHT ON!!!! I left town in 1971 and the city was on a downward spiral then, and is "close to the bottom" right now!! Why, because of what you just said! Very "POOR" leadership by the city and county Officials has led to this current state of affairs. You cannot sit on your "thumbs" and watch the world go by! And I'm "SICK AND TIRED" of the "Jack*ss's" that get on here and say, "those who are on here stating those facts, will keep other companies from coming to the Falls" That's BS! You elected Officials and other "powers to be" get off your AS*'s and get to work, and we won't have anything to b*tch about. Get out in the real world and see how these other successful small cities are making changes and thriving, and then do the same in the Falls. Since I have started "blogging" on here, I have seen a positive direction from your Elected Officials, but there is a long way to go. It's time for you "Powers to be" to quit flapping your gums, and either "DO SOMETHING" or get out of the way. This is NOT rocket science, and you need to get the community involved, and actively seek input. YOUR ideas are "FAILURES"!! If the great "Bronco" and other prominent past citizens could see what you have let the wonderful city of I-Falls turn into, they would be ashamed of you! So, have a Happy Holiday, enjoy yourselves, but when Jan 2nd, 2008, rolls around, you had better get to work, because the "clock is ticking"!!

Don't you see that it is

notready2makenice — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 09:33:45 -0600

Don't you see that it is this attitude that will bring us to extinction. Not everyone in this town is Boise owned. What has Boise done for them? They get to breathe in Boise's "smell of success" but share none of the profits. Boise is part of the reason other businesses don't want to come here. The town is so indebted to Boise that they leave no room for another employer. Wake up and smell the coffee.

Gardennut, you are so right

RJ1127 — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:42:35 -0600

Gardennut, you are so right in your statement "Foresight, future planning, and letting go of the way things "were" may be the only way a small town of our size can move forward and become an attraction instead of a shadow of it's former glory."

The council, the chamber, civic organizations, churches, schools, clubs, civic minded citizens are going to have to look down the road and develop a strategy to get several mid-size companies to come in.

25 years from now that mill will be gone because they have moved the production facility due to global economic pressure, or it will be technologically updated to the extent that 1/10 of the present work-force can do the same amount of work.

Generally speaking, the town will become what the concerned citizens allow it to become.

Deserve Victory

My Dad died before he could

MamaG — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:33:53 -0600

My Dad died before he could retire. He feared downsizing his whole life. We do feel tied to Boise, but I don't see anything else coming in either. Does Boise care about us? Depends on whether you see it as "Boise the company" or "Boise the PEOPLE". We all care about one another here. Same as the mines in the south. Until there is another employer that pays a person, or approximately 850 people,$20 an hour, we may need to bend a little bit just to keep from becoming extinct.

No offense MamaG, but your

gardennut — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:12:32 -0600

No offense MamaG, but your dad and others of that era probably retired with a full benefit package, little fear of corporate downsizing. Now a days you are lucky if you get to retire from your lifelong job before they pluck you out because your wages are too high or your retirement benefits will eventually cause them to lose money.

Towns decline across our state (and the country) because they are based upon a single employer that has established itself within an area for a number of years. The south side of the cities has experienced this with Cargill, Bunge, ThermoKing, Green Giant, Hormel, etc. All companies have eventually moved operations, laying off thousounds, or completely closed operations all together.

As with other small towns, populations have aged, children have moved onto better paying jobs and more access to education. Now these towns are feeling the "pull" of being tied to one or two major employers because the townsfolk believe that they have "ties" to these companies. Truth is, these companies don't give a squat about the towns folk, they only care about their corporate bottom line, and will close if they feel the black ink slipping below a margin of profit. The heads of these companies don't live here, raise their children here, shop here or attend church here, they just sign on the dotted line and make corporate transactions that determine the fate (whether financially or environmentally) to these small towns.

Foresight, future planning, and letting go of the way things "were" may be the only way a small town of our size can move forward and become an attraction instead of a shadow of it's former glory.

People coming from out of town looking to reside here don't just see the beauty in IFalls that we see. They drive around town and no shopping, limited housing (It is either small, cheap and falling apart or on the water and way too expensive)and no place for their children's education or financial future. It is no secret that the town is hard to assimilate into, somewhat isolating to new comers, and just boring because there is nothing to do if you are not an avid outdoors person.

It is a sad and difficult economic circle: stay the same and dry up or add new, more appealing businesses and make it hard on the little guy.

Yeah, Burner road should be in the hands of the city and the people to decide it's fate and future, not Boise. Yes, safety standards should be upheld by all companies. Yes the city government should pull it's head out of the snow bank and wake up to the reality of the real world and how to conduct business in it.

You see, I want this little town to thrive, not die. This was suppose to be my last move in life, but if this little jem of a town doesn't move forward and keeps shrinking, I am afraid the truck will have to be packed up one more time.

I would like the same

MamaG — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:42:59 -0600

I would like the same privilege. My Dad started in the mill at $1.17 an hour. Fergus Falls and Bemidji also have good colleges which is where a lot of their revenue comes from. We don't. This would be a ghost town without Boise--whether you like it or not.

MamaG---the itty bitty

six-shooter — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:14:04 -0600

MamaG---the itty bitty stretch of road you are talking about is worth thousands of dollars. How much do think commercial property is worth? Why should Boise get it for nothing and the Falls looses out? This is not something that is going to make or break this company. You have to pay for everything you get. I don't think there was a lottery for this piece of land and Boise won.

MamaG, I think Anton and the

gone and forgotten — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:02:04 -0600

MamaG, I think Anton and the boys are right. You don't need Boise and their 850 incomes (850 families of 3.4 people). Mando with its 1600 and Insulite with their 600 would be better for the Falls. I think when I worked for Mando I made $2/hr and $2.25 at Insulite!

Or no paper company at all! Tourism, fishing, snowmobiling, and health care. Sorry, health care comes from Duluth because there is not sufficient population to support anything else. The VNP debacle has pumped what into the economy? I glad all the folks that saw $$$ in their eyes finally are getting glasses.

It would be a great thing to bring more business into the Falls. But it's always someone elses job to do it. And if I was in business looking for a home, I would find some of these blogs plenty of reason NOT to come to the Falls.

Boise OSHA Safety Issue

Anton1965 — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:17:17 -0600

Did anybody notice that the train car safety blocks at the end of the tracks at the former pulp storage yard have been removed some time ago??