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TUG: Operator serves purpose

| June 19, 2019 1:00 AM

The June 16 Sunday Press had a front-page article about criticism of the one remaining maritime operator by those who don’t want industry on the lake.

As a 40-plus year resident of the Hayden area, I’ve seen growth in the number of homes, in the number of large boats on the lakes and in the changing role of a dock. It used to be that a dock was just a place to tie up a boat. Now many have docks that resemble a house deck. There may be a barbecue, chairs, and more room on the dock to enjoy beautiful days.

These trends require infrastructure for efficient work. As one who drives by the Hayden dike daily, it is clear that these folks work through the both the beautiful days that residents enjoy and the challenging weather days. On a day with thin ice and cold temperatures, they can be seen breaking ice to get to a job. It may be rainy and windy and yet they’ll often be out there under those conditions. I have often thought about the difficulty of their task as I drive by in my warm comfortable SUV.

As far as industry on the lake, these trends above should have some decent infrastructure from which to work. To me their presence is a reminder that there is both a recreation side of the lake and the support it takes to get it built and keep it nicely maintained.

I do not know anyone connected to the company that was the focus of this recent front-page article.

ROD SCHOBERT

Hayden