Minnesota state legislators recently visited MCC young adult corpsmembers finishing construction of a new fishing pier on Tanner Lake in the Twin Cities east metro area. The project was sponsored by the City of Oakdale Public Works and DNR Trails and Waterways.

Corpsmembers first started demolishing an old pier in early September, removing decayed lumber, salvaging what was intact, and retrofitting the new pier to float materials already in place. Typical pier construction costs $30,000 to $40,000 but by reusing materials, the cost was cut in half.

State Senators Chuck Wiger and Mee Moua and State Representatives Sheldon Johnson and Leon Lillie spoke with corpsmembers about their experience, as all three corpsmembers were new to pier building. “It is satisfying being a part of something where you can see results quickly and learn something,” said Rassacin Ly of St. Paul, “It will be cool to see people use the pier.”

“I am proud to see young people dedicated to serving Minnesota’s natural resources,” Senator Wiger of Maplewood told the crew. “Your hard work makes projects like this possible.” Representative Leon Lillie shared his sentiment. “Some of my favorite moments with my kids are spent on a fishing pier just like this, catching little Sunnies for fun, so thank you for your efforts.”

The Corps’ Young Adult Program engages 18 to 25 year olds in 10 months of community-service and natural-resource work. Participants receive job-skill and personal-development training, education on environmental issues, and experience working on a team. The young adults are enrolled in AmeriCorps and receive monthly living stipends. At the end of their service term, participants receive a $4,725 education award for college and student loan expenses.