Pioneer PINE CITY
THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018
VOL. 133 NO. 9 www.pinecitymn.com $1.00
GRAPPLING WITH GLORY: Dragon wrestler Carter Utecht heading to State. P11
Concerns raised over bridge project No changes planned to improve safety, transit on County Road 7 bridge BY MIKE GAINOR EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM
XXXXX | THE PIONEER
Nordy makes new friends in Pine City Minnesota Wild mascot Nordy made a surprise stop in Pine City to attend the Mites hockey practice on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at the Pine City Civic Center.
Pine City residents are concerned about MnDOT’s plan for a replacement County Road 7/Hillside Avenue bridge over Interstate 35, noting that the proposed replacement bridge would be a replica of the current bridge, originally built in 1962. The estimated $30 million construction project also includes replacement of the Highway 70 overpass, replacement of the I-35 Snake River bridges, and resurfacing seven miles of I-35 in 2018 and 2019. At a Feb. 21 public meeting in Pine City, MnDOT Project Engineer Andrew Deming and MnDOT Project Manager Michael Kalnbach admitted that the project had been moved two years ahead of schedule, and knew of no outreach to local government officials or the public about bridge design. Residents noted that the arch of the current bridge makes it difficult to see oncoming traffic. They pointed out that crossing on bicycle or foot can be hazardous, and requested a bicycle/pedestrian lane for the bridge. They also asked if the turn lanes onto the bridge could be widened and improved. Kalnbach and Deming said that the bidding process for the new
MIKE GAINOR | THE PIONEER
MnDOT Project Engineer Andrew Deming describes plans for reconstruction of the I-35 Snake River bridges in 2018-19.
bridge construction was already underway, and that altering the arch of the bridge or widening the bridge would be seen as major changes to the scope of the project, and would SEE BRIDGE, PAGE 9
Finding a debt-free path through college BY AILENE CROUP NEWS@PINECITYMN.COM
Anna Carlson, is a 20-year old Pine County native, the oldest of four children, and is a registered college junior at South Dakota State University. But unlike most of her fellow students, she is paying her own way – and she has no college debt. Paying for a college education can mean a lifetime of debt for students.
College graduates beginning their working career at age 22 can be saddled with student loans on average of $100,000. The pressure to begin paying off the debt can be the difference between taking the first job that comes along after graduation or waiting for the best job offer. Tuition and fees, room, board and books can cost $22,000 per year at a state college and $43,000 at a private institution. Students attending public
Anna Carlson is a junior in college, works on a farm, lives with her grandmother. But unlike many of her fellow college students, she has no college debt.
universities out-of-state can expect to pay $25,000 per year. Anna did not want to take on college debt and she did not want her parents to be burdened with college tuition. “It shouldn’t fall on them to pay for everything,” she said. She took advantage of the post secondary education option (PSEO) offered at her high school during her SEE DEBT FREE, PAGE 9 AILENE CROUP | THE PIONEER
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