Fargo's Mayor And Upstream Interests At Odds.

Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker is upset. He tells KFGO News he believes residents south of Fargo are out to kill state funding for the Red River Diversion project

 

 

 

 

Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker is upset. He tells KFGO News he believes residents south of Fargo are out to kill state funding for the Red River Diversion project. He says he was surprised by the tesimony given at a legislative hearing Wednesday by members of the Mn-Dak Upstream Coalition.

Walaker also appeared before the subcommittee but says he's never seen anything like it before. He says both he and Oxbow Mayor Jim Nyhoff were personally attacked during the hearing.

Walaker says, "What they want to do is stop our ($102 million) appropriation from the state for the Diversion."

Raeann Kelsch, the lobbyist for the Upstream Coalition, admits some of the testimony may have been "passionate" but she says the group is not against Fargo flood protection. She says property owners are opposed to the current plan and wanted lawmakers to know other options need to be studied.

Representative Bob Skarpohl says his subcommittee made no decisions. He says legislators will support Fargo's request but he says it needs more study.

 

Don Haney

   

© 2012 KFGO-AM  |  1020 S. 25th Street Fargo, ND 58103