By Gene Miller

While looking around our community, it is not difficult to find elements of the vision coming through in different organizations, events and businesses. Our vision is also happening in a number of projects taking place in Pelican Rapids. One such project is the development of a base map of our city.

The City of Pelican Rapids contracted with the local business, Lake Region Surveying (new to our town in 2001) to establish an electronic base map of Pelican Rapids. To do this the surveyors used state of the art GPS (satellite) survey equipment to breakdown the twelve sections of land that surround Pelican Rapids. This established a control network to be used as a basis for all future work in the mapping process. Subdivisions and parcels of land in Pelican Rapids were electronically established in the base using selected property corners verified by the GPS control survey.

Continued work was done by obtaining existing city utility information from which Lake Region Surveying used GPS surveying to locate all the water, sanitary, and storm utilities. To ensure accuracy, existing city records were cross-checked with what was found. The benefit of this portion of the mapping will be its use for future utility location, zoning and comprehensive planning.

The project is scheduled to be complete for this phase of work in February 2003. Future work will include topographic mapping of the city. Additionally, Lake Region Surveying plans to provide updating services to the base map for new plats and utilities as the city changes services or expands in an effort to keep the mapping current. When the final map is complete, you will be able to see the topographic and utility information to any parcel of land within the city limits.

This project fits the vision of  “Community Information: The community provides and disseminates complete and organized information for newcomers, current citizens, and both existing and potential new business enterprises that is visible and readily accessible.” Any new business could readily determine what it would cost to establish their facility in Pelican Rapids and any planning in the city would have a quality document from which to work.  The City of Pelican Rapids should be praised for their effort in addressing the community’s vision and for their attention to the future of our community.