Electric Fetus borrows flour bags to hold back flood
January 2, 2013 at 6:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
Tuesday’s water main break was Duluth’s largest in recent years, but it did relatively little damage to Superior Street businesses between First Avenue West and First Avenue East. Continue Reading
I hope everything was insured!
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I believe that the business will have claims against the city. Claims that will include lost business and damages to stock and to the building itself. I remember a job behind the grocery store in Kenwood where they threw out all of the meat that was in the freezer beacause we had to shut down the water main for a repair-all of the frozen turkey. hams etc. I would have thought that they could have got a reffer truck and stored it in that until the repair was made but the way they did it gave a higher “damage” number and a better profit margin, I would have taken all of the foo but they had guards on it-how long will a frozen turket last in a shut off freezer? When the Bridgmans burnt down in lakeside I had to go out and shut off the water I employee in charge gave me a case of ice cream the other employees were loading everything into their cars Maybe “Last Place on Earth” will have a claim beacause people couldn’t get to their store.
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It seems to me there are more succinct issues, here. The water system does need to be maintained, as does other infrastructure in the city. The cost is not inconsequential, and monetary resources are limited. Fundamental sources of the money for repairs comes from taxes, user fees, state and federal grants. A substantial amount apparently came from the existing casino agreement, entered into in good faith by the city, and now apparently beong challenged by the tribe…which tribe participates in a monopoly on gaming rights.
There is not much choice on where the money must come from…either taxes or user fees, if government grants and casino revenue sharing are not available. Unless, of course, employess of the maintenance department take benefit and pay cuts. None of this is really very palatable.
I am particularly concerned about what appears to be a lack of priority for the fundamental needs of the people of Duluth, and the obvious greed associated with the failure of the tribe to honor a good faith agreement…regardless of claimed technicalities regarding BIA regulations and changes in same which may have occured over the years since the original agreement was forged.
Perhaps the city could establish new utility rate structures and classes, say adding a “gaming area classification”, and charge rates proportional to the lost revenue stream from the tribe. Maybe even radically increased parking fees in the gaming area could be charged. In addition, heavy users of the utility infrastructure could pay a more fair pro-rata service fee for that useage. Maybe even private useage rates should be revisited, but with care and fairness in mind.
As with any problem, there is an answer which will work. But only if our politicians at the city level have the courage to take a stand, get creative and get going.
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