Well there we have it. One of the most serious events the community may face and I am excited to see just what the community decides. In fact, I am really excited just to see how much the community gets involved in this decision making process. Live web cam, wow!! That has got to be a first for this town. 7000 folks in town and 7000 folks out of town, not to mention the few land owners that may or may not benifit from all this. This is really government and the people in action. Will giving the burner road to the bankers, who are currently running this paper mill, away for free, aid the profitability of this mill? No, of course it will not. Besides, the bankers in Chicago who have taken over the mill are not interested in profitibility, they are interested in getting their money back and have nearly done that now. Is this a safety issue? No, of course it is not. If it was, that matter would have been raised earlier by the local Sheriff or Chief of Police long ago or by management of the mill before now. Besides no safety will be allviated by giving away the burner road as the 60,000 vehicles mentioned by the mill representitive will still be driving on HWY 332. A safety issue that should be stopped by the city and the county and OSHA are the "high" stacks of pulp stored to close to the burner road now. If these stacks should topple because of the height, the ditch could not contain them now and any passing car would be struck, causing serious harm. This pulp should be moved back to the former pulp storage area by order of the Sheriff and the matter reported to OSHA. The most serious matter to me however is, the free cost to the company for this road. The city or county not only is giving up 2500 feet of paved and improved road which the city and county will have to make up in a new road it doesn't need, but the city and county in having to use this road tax money on a new road, now doesn't have this money to use elsewhere in the city and county. This is like paying for several million dollars for a road, twice. Also, as was reported in the Journal, the money is not currently available to even build a "new" road for several years. Even this is not assured and we could end up with no road at all. Lastly we don't need the bankers in Chicago to give us permission to build a road on that other area. We can build a road on the property line to connect HWY 332 with HWY 11 without that companys' approval or consent or just take it by eminent domain as I have mentioned before and still keep the burner road, costing us no more money then the companys proposal and retaining the burner road. No, I don't think this group of current mill owners should get this road no matter what they offer. This town is shortly going to lose two or more machines because running them is not profitable now and nobody will pay for anything that has not been sold to date, except for the new machine. No, my vote is for a refusal to GIVE the burner road to the paper mill because of the inconvience to the South Falls residents and because the company is not paying for the cost for us to build a new road. LAND for LAND is equal and then ROAD for ROAD is equal and then, why are we even doing this in the first place! We shall see what the future brings next week thats for sure.

There should not be any contract negotiations going on with Boise at this time, at least not any negotiations concerning the road. The road will be decided between the city and its residents not between the city and Boise in negotiations behind closed doors with a last minute "take it or leave it" attitude and we only have 1 hour to decide. That kind of "negotiation process is over in this community especially between that paper mill and this government. The company can present to the community what it is willing to give and the community can decide after enough time to make an educated decision what it will or will not accept, BUT we will not accept any "before" Monday meeting, any negotiation offer. The company made its offer and we will voice our opinions on that offer. If the company now wishes to make another offer then we the community will study the offer for a couple of more weeks and decide possibly in May or June if that is enough time to make a considered response.

I am fairly new to this community, and I don't understand all the hostility towards the paper mill. Anton makes a good point about the pulpwood stacks, but in actuality, won't closing the Burner Road solve that problem?
According to the map in the Daily Journal, it doesn't look like it is going to make a HUGE change, so I don't see what all the flap is about.
And as far as the businesses on 53, how many tourists do you think will actually take Hwy 332, unless, of course, the city or state puts up a big sign that says, THIS WAY TO CANADA>>>>.
It is my understanding that Boise is the largest employer in this area. If this town wants to survive, it should be doing everything it can to ensure Boise's longevity. It seems like everyone I have met has either a parent, spouse, sibling, or some other relative who works there.
Let's start being positive about the mill and this plan. Look at communities on the Iron Range when the mines shut down. I don't want to live in a ghost town.

Now Mayor Mason and city council, you have a lot on your plate here. You have plenty of opportunity to screw up and make some mistakes. But--if you err trying to honestly represent the City of Int'l Falls you were elected to run in their interests than I think that is not such as bad a mistake as you might think. For sure, it will bring you dividends down the road when you want to come back to the residents for something later. Go to church on Easter Sunday, think about things---Tuesday will be a good day.

Granny of ten, next time you cross over the tracks to head east towards the lake just look to you right and see how the stacks of wood are piled there. If that isn't a safety issue I don't know what is. Are we to close this road too?

Excuse me, Anton, I was referring to the private sector, not the government. I still believe Boise is one of the largest employers in our immediate area. And if you factor in the truckers hauling, the loggers, their equipment drivers, the railroad workers, the people working to provide the electricity, telephone service, et al, Boise is responsible for a darn big share of the money in this area, directly and indirectly.
In all my years I have never seen a community that is so full of negativity and fearful of change. (If you disagree, go reread Cindy's Blog where this young family was planning to move here until they read all the horrible things written about IFalls in response to her blog. It was so bad that her family changed their minds and will no longer be moving here. Thanks to all the derogatory, pessimistic, and negative comments by locals, we can say bye-bye to a young family moving here. Gee, that would have meant more students in our schools, more taxpayers, a few more people shopping locally! It's a good thing the naysayers were able to enlighten them.)
And as far as eyesores, most communities with some type of industry, also put up with what some residents consider a blight. However, when I drive toward the lake on Highway 11, I see the livelihood of many people, food in children's bellies, tax money going towards our schools, roads, etc. I think it is a beautiful sight because I know what it represents.
But then, I have only lived here a few years and I don't see things through the eyes of the past. I prefer looking ahead.

Anton 1965 would you fill me in on the reason highway 53 would be bypassed if you were to close the burner road. If it is closed would'nt they be routed back into town anyway? I am not sure that I am understanding what the big deal is. Yes I agree that the city should be compensated for the road, but what are we really losing if we give up the road. Yes it can be a shortcut from time to time, but i recall it not saving that much time to use that road to get to hwy 53. Please help me to understand what I am missing here.

Anton, once again, I believe that you have spoken for the people and quite well. I also have to agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Coleman, who I have had the privilege of knowing and respecting for many years. People that are new to this area or for some reason fail to see the amount of acrimony between locals and the mill, do not know the level of lies and misrepresentation that our beloved 800 lb. gorilla in the room has done to many of us over the years. The 1989 contract with the employees was a pure case of blackmail. Give us what we want or we will move the new world class machine somewhere else. How many people really benefitted from that decision? Enough to keep a town going? We have had to swallow so much disrespect and lies over the years, not to mention the rampant pollution of our lakes, rivers, groundwater and land, as well as our air, that some times enough is enough and fighting for a little chunk of road is worth the effort. We make the world we want, not the Chicago bankers who are really corporate raiders, but us, the people who stand and demand fair and accountable practices to take place here. By accepting what the bully wants all the time, sometimes all you get is exactly what you settled for.

Anton 1965,

I have been reading the journal online for years now and I have finally decided that I need my voice heard. I no longer live in the Falls but I was born and raised there. My father, grand father and great grand father all work or worked in the mill. What is your problem with Boise Cascade? It seems to me that they did just fine, did not die of cancer or any weird diseases and could not walk across the rainy river on the so called sludge. Those that have past on are buried in Forest Hill Cemetery and were lifelong residents of the Falls, the rest still live in town. What is your problem with the Mill, did you not get hired or were you fired and now have a beef with the Cities largest employer. I can remember mill payday every other Thursday when the banks stayed open late to accommodate the pay checks that were given to the hard working men and women who then in turn spend those checks at Super One and Super Value, the Sports shop and Meyers Sports, Menards, K-Mart, the Outdoorsman’s etc… need I go on.
Those of us that know about the Burner road USE IT!!!!! When tourists come to town, if they need to stop they will, if not, they blow through town on their way to Canada or the Lake. What is the big deal? Do you stop in Orr or Cook every time you go through town, are you a little peeved when you have to slow down to 30 miles per hour in Orr or 40 MPH in Cook. DO YOU STOP EVERY TIME? Give it up! The road is going to happen and no one will know the difference. This is not a matter of safety due to falling wood, it is a matter of the large loaders that have to cross the road, and by the way Anton, the mill has been here longer than you and every other person in town and I am sure that you know some one who gets one of those checks that I talked about earlier, and I would even manage to guess that the money earned in the Mill has helped you in some way. If I am way off on this then call me out, if not drop it. All you are doing is spewing hatred toward International Falls’ biggest employer.

FYI I hope somebody is monitoring this!!! There is a terrible buzz and you can't hear what the people are saying!!!!

Amen Jill.

I worked at Boise for many years and I agree with others; Boise provides a very nice income. The smell issue has always been connected to money. It was most noticable during strikes at the Mill-no smell--no money!! If the burner road is traded to Boise for land to build a new road, I hope there is enough land available alongside the road to make a park. This park could then contain "Rocky and Bullwinkle" along with "Smokey", the Chamber of Commerce HQ.-(they are so far out of touch with the locals, they might just as well move to the outskirts of town) and just a little space for a statute of Mayor Mason so she gets all the glory she is looking for!

I was very specific -- eleventh street in. I start seeing old and ugly at the empty space where the Red Owl stood, at the empty Holiday Station, at the empty former used car lot. I think that many of the business from Chocolate Moose to 11th Street including the Outback? [hidden off the road] are nicely put together and well maintained. But an ugly core city hurts whether we are talking about International Falls or Minneapolis. That's all I meant.