EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letters about the Dower Lake Pier were both sent to the KSTP television station in addition to being published here.

To: Bob McNaney, Becky Nahn, KSTP Eye Witness News

Dear Mr. McNaney and Ms. Nahn,

As you might expect, many area residents are upset over your one-sided “investigative news” piece broadcasted Feb. 4, regarding the Dower Lake fishing pier. The problem is both with misrepresenting the facts and with what you conveniently did not report in emphasizing your theme of wasteful spending of taxpayers money:

1. Perhaps the most important omission is the fact that the legislation was to “restore” the historic railroad pier that had existed there for more than a century. Local efforts to make surface repairs occurred in the 1970s and 1990. However, during the last decade the under structure was collapsing to the point that the city was forced to close access to the dock for safety concerns. I repeat: This was not a new structure for the lake that you emphasized more than once was being requested by eight other communities. It therefore was also not “breaking DNR rules” which refer to new lakeshore construction, alterations, etc. We learn that you interviewed the city parks manager, the mayor and the city manager for this story, but used nothing factual they gave you except the length of the dock. You obviously had your own agenda and discarded anything that did not support it.

2. You also conveniently neglected to mention that the pier is part of a substantial recreation area including bathrooms, shelters, swimming facilities, baseball diamonds and 45 campsites. Besides local resident use, this cityowned public recreation area is a popular site for families from across Minnesota and beyond. Many weekends during the summer all the electric hookup and many of the rustic campsites are filled, with the swimming beach and the fishing pier popular sites. It is perhaps because this recreation area is on a small, well-managed lake (no speedboats, no jet-skis, etc), that it is popular, especially for families with smaller children.

3. Because of the peaceful and safe environment of this historic pier, for many decades it has been the site of hundreds and perhaps thousands of youngsters having their first fishing lessons and experiences with parents and grandparents. There are few summer days (weather permitting), that you will find no-one enjoying the pier. Many days, especially weekends, one can see 25 to 50 adults and children enjoying this unique recreational experience.

4. We agree with DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten that the cost of restoring this pier seems excessive. It was surprising to find that the engineering design demanded construction to that extent. The last anyone in this community hear was that it was costing $540,000. We wonder where that inflated figure you used came from?

5. You referred several times to this now being the longest dock in the state. If so, it has been the longest fishing pier for over 100 years and you have given the community a tourism logo. However, in dramatizing that it is so large “it can be seen from a satellite” (as can my much smaller boat or car), you showed a view of the old dock, not the new one. Does your journalism standard include fabrication when you don’t have the real thing?

6. One might infer from the text and the filming (the memorial plaque) that this pier was proposed by a legislator in his own special interest. This project was actually in response to numerous requests over the years to restore this valuable community asset. It was only after the tragic death of Senator Dallas Sams from brain cancer that the community united behind an effort to dedicate the pier in his memory for his exceptional leadership in the Minnesota legislature for over 15 years.

Mr. McNaney and Ms. Nahn, we understand that reporters have pressure to sensationalize stories for viewer appeal. However, you could still have made your point with a more balanced (as suggested above), and factual (pier restoration - not a new structure in the lake, correct Google Earth photos), presentation. You could then have asked the question, “Is this good use of taxpayers’ money?”, and let viewers decide for themselves. After area viewers saw the obviously one-sided reporting in this case, do you really think they will trust the legitimacy of future Eye Witness Investigative Reports?

Concerned,
Dr. Thomas O. Kajer,
Staples Historical Society
vice-president
Dr. Duane Lund, Supt. of
Staples Schools (Ret.)
Lee Jenkins, Staples Motley
Area Chamber president
Pat Miller, photographer and
area historian