State briefs: Brainerd votes to stop chlorinating city water

Brainerd is tired of the taste of chlorine.

The city's Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night to stop chlorinating the city's water supply — a measure it was forced to take when contaminants leaked into the system after a water main break in September. The chlorine killed the bacteria in the water, but residents complained about the chemical's taste and smell.

Now that the water is testing clean of contaminants, city officials voted to stop chlorinating the water this week, the Brainerd Dispatch reports.

Brainerd, population 14,000, is one of only five midsize cities in the state without a chlorinated water system, along with Grand Rapids, Hastings, North St. Paul and South St. Paul.

Jennifer Brooks @stribrooks

A Duluth-based technology company is planning a multimillion dollar expansion, with the help of a half-million dollar gift from Minnesota taxpayers.

Imaging technology company Ikonics Corp. announced plans last week for a $4.3 million expansion that will create 20 new jobs. The firm plans to increase its manufacturing services for the aerospace and electronics industries in a new 20,000-square-foot addition in the Atlas Industries park in west Duluth.

The $24 million fund, created by the Legislature in 2013, offers business incentives of up to $1 million to businesses that increase hiring and investment in the state.

Since January, the Job Creation Fund has awarded $13.8 million to 25 Minnesota companies.

Jennifer Brooks @stribrooks

It took seven years and $7 million, but residents of Tower could finally gather Wednesday to welcome the arrival of the barges and excavators that will clear a channel to Lake Vermilion and, city officials hope, turn the city into a thriving marina and tourist destination.

"We'll have new businesses, new people, new faces and another way to get to town," said Linda Keith, Tower's city clerk and treasurer.

The marina project has already required the relocation of part of Highway 135 and the construction of a $1.3 million bridge. The harbor dredging is the next step.

Tower is currently in talks to bring in a hotel to anchor the new marina complex.