Editorial: Kudos to Ken Larson of Hastings

vicky m.
River Falls, WI     03/30/2010 3:51 PM

It's amazing to see the work and thinking Ken put into solving this. I'm so glad to know that there is such a wonderful person in the community.

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Ken L.
Hastings, MN     03/27/2010 8:11 AM

City, County and State Government Working Together in Hastings Minnesota For River Water Quality Preservation Over the last two years I have been pleased to become acquainted with individuals in our local government agencies whose job it is to safeguard the quality of our Minnesota waterways. From the Public Works Department in Hastings to the Dakota County and Vermilion Joint Powers Watershed Authorities to the Minnesota Environmental Protection Agency, all have performed professionally and effectively by empowering the citizenry, supporting vigilance, conducting effective water testing and ultimately taking enforcement action against a cleaning company who was dumping toxic residue into a storm sewer near the Vermillion River. We are often critical of government (most frequently federal government agencies) We have note the weight government places upon the tax payer and the direction in which it has taken the country in wars, interventions, financial oversight and national debt. It has been a pleasure to find city, county and state officials concerned, responsible, accountable and energetic in dealing with apparent pollution of valuable waterways. These agencies supported one another, communicated well and worked efficiently to bring about a positive result to a two year investigation. That type of performance is literally unheard of at the federal level. As a veteran who spent 40 years after Vietnam on federal government weapons systems programs and as a sportsman who values Minnesota waterways, I salute the following individuals and the organizations they represent: Travis Teal Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organizatoin Dakota County Water Resources Departmetn Thomas M. Montgomery Public Works Director, City of Hastings Chelsea Domeier Minnesota Pollution Control Agency The above individuals and the agencies for which they work should be applauded for their teamwork, professionalism and interaction with the citizenry. Their organizations should also be models for the federal agencies in becoming lean, unburdened by politics, focused communicative with each other and accountable for resolving pressing issues in the real world. Ken Larson Hastings

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