Our View: Projects demand an engaged public

We took some heat recently for an Our View stating we were nervous about building a new fire station in Cloquet. Although we stand by our position that public officials need to be cautious about overtaxing residents, we also reiterate that help from the state is warranted and appreciated in the case of the fire district — which covers multiple communities — as well as the proposed county jail, which serves the entire county.

We appreciate that the county formed a special committee to focus on the new jail issue, and invited citizens to committee meetings. As Sheriff Kelly Lake said, the need f...