Oberstar Announces Funding For Northland

Oberstar Announces Funding For Northland
Thursday, January 22, 2004

"With this funding, the Garrison Kathio West Mille Lacs Sanitary Sewer District will be able to construct a sanitary sewer collection system along the west side of Mille Lacs Lake.

USDA also approved a grant of $94,480 for Minnesota Wood Campaign, Inc. in Deer River.

"This funding was awarded as a Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grant. The funds are made available to independent commodity producers, in order to increase the value of their products to customers," said Oberstar. "The Minnesota Wood Campaign, which is a new for-profit joint marketing and branding venture, will use the grant to develop marketing strategies to add value to forest products of producer-owners located in Northern Minnesota. Some of the products which could be marketed and branded with this funding include: landscape chips, factory lumber, custom crating products, rustic furniture, and birch bark canoes."

Additionally, the Cherry Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department will receive $65,160 for Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"Since June 2003, nearly 7,800 fire departments have been awarded funding to support their role as first responders to emergencies in our nation's neighborhoods and communities," said Oberstar. "I am proud to support Minnesota's firefighters, and I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that they have adequate resources to meet the challenges they face every day."

"We intend to use the funds for the purchase of new breathing apparatus. Our present equipment is old and needs to be replaced," said Fire Chief Dan High. "The money will also go for the purchase of a Thermal Imaging Camera, which will allow Cherry firefighters to look through heavy smoke. These cameras have proven to be lifesavers and represent the state of the art technology in firefighting."