As you might imagine, a recent story on Channel 5 about a renovation of a fishing pier on Dower Lake has generated quite a few calls and e-mails to my office.

Unfortunately, Channel 5 had many of its facts wrong, and just didn’t bother to include others in its story.

The Dower fishing pier project was a renovation of an existing pier that already extended well over 600 feet. In serious disrepair for many years, the pier dates back over 100 years and was first built by the Northern Pacific Railway to be used as part of their system for pumping water more than two and one half miles away to a water tower located in the rail yards.

I did not author the bill, nor was the fishing pier part of a bonding bill. In fact, the renovation was included in the 2005- 2006 Omnibus Environment Finance bill, authored in the Minnesota House by Representative Dennis Ozment, a Republican from Rosemont. It was passed under Representative Steve Sviggum, also a Republican, who was serving as Speaker of the House and was signed by Governor Tim Pawlenty.

No money was assigned in the bill; therefore, the decision to spend the designated amount was made by the DNR, not the Legislature. You can view the original bill by visiting the Minnesota House website at http://tiny.cc/AT9aD

Again, I was not the author of the bill; the project simply resides in my district. You may agree or disagree with the project itself, but the fact is that residents of the district supported and fought vigorously for it. The result of extensive collaboration between residents, senior citizen groups including Let’s Go Fishing with Seniors, the City of Staples and a group of lawmakers that did not include me.

It is used today by residents throughout West Central Minnesota, including a number of groups that work with children with disabilities. The renovated fishing pier offers these children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy one of Minnesota’s favorite pastimes.

As an elected representative of Todd and Douglas counties, I have a responsibility to advocate on behalf of my constituents and the issues that are important to them. I take that responsibility very seriously and will continue to work on their behalf at the State Capitol in St. Paul.

If you have questions about this or any other issue, please feel free to get in touch with me at (651) 296-3201 or (800) 709-0796, by e-mail at rep.maryellen.otremba@house.mn, or at 445 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, MN 55155.