PEQUOT LAKES COUNCIL TO VOTE TUESDAY

It's not the final vote to decide the future of Highway 371 but its getting close. The Pequot Lakes City Council will consider a resolution Tuesday night encouraging the Minnesota Department of Transportation to complete an environmental impact statement for the alternate route around the city. Mayor Cathy Malecha said the EIS has already been done for the through-town route and completing the study will allow cost comparison between routes. Malecha said the absolutely final decision will be made early next year when MnDOT will ask the city for 'municipal consent', the official last decision. Mayor Malecha said what citizens need to do now is band together to work for the betterment of the city. She said a decision favoring the alternate route could be an opportunity for the city, "if we do it right and don't hold each other at bay because of a decision we made."