The Minnesota Falls dam near Granite Falls is on its last legs, as owner Xcel Energy ignores citizen concerns and has decided to close the 107-year-old dam.

The state's largest utility is awaiting a final permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers but still hopes to have the dam demolished this year. Since the dam, which once held a hydro generation system that was dismantled in 1961, no longer serves a purposed for Xcel, the company would rather pay the $2 million to remove it as opposed to $6 million to repair it, Jim Bodensteiner, Xcel senior environmental analyst and scientist, told the West Central Tribune. Citizens, though, are concerned about the impact upstream, as water levels would likely fall. They're already at a 20 year low because of the drought, the paper reported. ________________________ Paul Bunyan is getting a facelift. The Brainerd Lakes Area Welcome Center unveiled a new paint job on its iconic tourist attraction Monday. "Paul's finish was faded and worn from years of sun exposure and thousands of climbers," artist Josh Porter told the Brainerd Dispatch. "I enjoyed bringing back brightness and color to the sculpture. Paul is ready for another round of visitors and photographs." ________________________ Email us: DatelineMN@startribune.comDatelineMN@startribune.com Follow us on Twitter: @DatelineMN