PROCRASTINATION IS EXPENSIVE!

PROCRASTINATION IS EXPENSIVE!
I attended Concordia Moorhead from 1968-1972 and we helped with the sandbagging in those years just like they are doing again this year. Question: Since these periodic floods are cyclical to the extent that their recurrence is guaranteed for the future, what long-term plans have South Dakota, Minnesota and North Dakota made for the future? Have you asked the Army Corp of Engineers or some other agency to look at long-term solutions for the area from Big Stone Lake to the Pembina area, including dredging, reservoirs, agricultural diversion channels which could double as irrigation infrastructure, permanent dikes, levees, catch-basins, pumps, etc. with an eye to both the prevention of flooding and the enhancement of controlled irrigation of the fertile Red River Valley? Since future flooding is guaranteed if there aren't substantial changes made, why not begin now to put in place an infrastructure which will plan for future flooding, take advantage of precious water resources, and increase and broaden the further development of the region's vast agricultural potential. Rather than viewing this flooding as a temporary inconvenience, why not prepare for what is a predictable certainty and make use of this water resource for future generations? I know there will need to be several versions of environmental impact reports and political discourse between the states impacted and our Canadian neighbors, so this process should begin soon, so that we don't continue to pass this problem along to our grandchildren without addressing the issue and making an attempt to improve the existing infrastructures. I believe that the long-term savings and benefits are worth the costs involved and will more than repay future generations through enhancements to safety, agriculture, transportation, parks and recreation. By proactively pursuing a program which considers long-term savings through the prevention of future floods, such as the one which devastated the Grand Forks region in recent memory, we can make a compelling case for improvements which will be supported by all the federal and state agencies which are impacted. There will also be near-term benefits of employment and financial incentives which should attract business, capital and investment to the region. Since the Fargo-Moorhead area is centrally located in the heart of the Red River Valley, it is the logical place to regionally locate the solutions for this shared problem in an area which is best able to implement solutions. Sandbagging and other equivalent temporary solutions only serve to postpone the inevitable solutions for future generations, when costs will have certainly increased due to more-extensive redevelopment and infrastructure. It is not too soon to begin this process, and we should start now before another year and its attendant problems demand our attention.

Mark Overt Skilbred