Dennis Erno provided today's "Member Minute", telling us of his worst and best job experiences. As with many others, Dennis' worst job was during his teen years, working on a masonry crew during the summer. His best jobs where during his time with the MN Department of Revenue. In his various roles, Dennis always tried to create a sense of community with co-workers, often through activities such as reading to elementary school kids.
Our speaker today was Colleen Toberman with the Friends of The Mississippi organization. The mission of this group is to engage people to protect, restore and enhance the Mississippi River and its watershed in the Twin Cities region. While there are many facets to the work of this group, Colleen's focus today was on the future of the 3 Twin Cities area locks and dams that have been in place for decades. The Army Corps of Engineers is currently responsible for these structures and is undertaking a study to determine a future path, given that the purpose for which they were created -- commercial navigation -- is no longer much in use. This will be a long process, involving several years of study followed by legislative action that will likely be required. There would be many benefits to removing the locks and dams, including improved fish habitats and recreational opportunities, but the process will be costly and must take into consideration structural impacts to surrounding buildings and bridges.