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WALKER-Cass County's share of Walker utility work and street repaving on Michigan Avenue, plus paving the county's south parking lot should come in under the amount the county expected. County Engineer David Enblom reported this cost status report to the county board Tuesday.

The city street assessment ran less than the county anticipated. Other related county costs and the parking lot pavement project so far are under the amount the county capital plan anticipated for the parking lot, Enblom said.

So far, the county has paid or committed to $433,257.68 in costs. The budgeted amount for the county was $479,720.

There still will be some sidewalk and railing repairs behind the courthouse and some parking lot engineering expenses, but those should not exceed the $46,000 remaining difference, Enblom said.

The county will gain 15 parking spaces and improve drainage by paving the parking lot across Michigan Avenue to the south of the courthouse, he said.

The county highway department closed one lane of the County Road 129 bridge over Laura Brook in Inguadona Township east of Longville after a town board member found a broken support timber under the outside edge of the bridge.

Enblom said the other half of the bridge remains safe to handle traffic, so the bridge will remain open to one lane of traffic.

Plans to replace the bridge are already at Minnesota Department of Transportation awaiting approval, he said, but statewide bridge funding is at a standstill until the Legislature passes a transportation bill.

There is a possibility some other county might not use all of its already allocated bridge bonding money. That overage would go back to the state. If the state were to receive enough back from other counties to pay for this project, Cass might get enough to replace this bridge sooner than the Legislature acts, Enblom speculated.

Street paving done in Pine River last year has been closed out at a total cost of $377,503.20, lower than the initial bid price of $383,467.37, Enblom reported.

Enblom reported the city of Remer has responded favorably to his proposal to build a new county garage on city property adjacent to city hall.

Additionally, Remer Ambulance Service has expressed interest in adding space for an ambulance garage to the new county garage.

The commissioners authorized Enblom to continue to pursue this plan.

The county's old highway garage would then be used for cold storage for equipment, Enblom said. If the city of Remer were to use a portion of that old garage to store its highway equipment and would need to heat it, the heating cost would become the city's responsibility, he said.

The county replaced its old garage in Cass Lake last year and is nearing completion of a new garage at Pine River this year. The Remer project is tentatively scheduled for 2017.

Human Resource Director Joshua Stevenson informed the county board Tuesday the public hearing on a proposed cartway in unorganized township has been set for 11 a.m. Sept. 30 at the proposed cartway site.

Anyone wishing to attend can contact the county administrator's office at 218-547-7419 for directions.

The petitioner for the cartway has posted a $10,000 bond. Any expenses related to processing the application, including any compensation paid to neighboring landowners for taking of their land, will be paid from that bond.

A quorum of the board plan will attend the hearing, so could vote on a determination at that hearing.

Leech Lake Chamber of Commerce, Shingobee Connection Trail Task Force and North Country Trail Volunteers succeeded in asking the county for up to $4,260 to match funds they already raised to place information signs for connecting trails around the Walker area.

Cindy Wannarka, Chamber of Commerce executive director, said her office has seen a major increase this summer in bicyclists and hikers, but their biggest complaint is that trails in the area have no signage showing trail connections or directions.

The plan calls not only for sign directions to the Paul Bunyan, Heartland and North Country Trails, but also installing a bike fix-it station and more bike racks in Walker.

Commissioner Bob Kangas asked why bicyclists are not paying a statewide fee for a user license on Minnesota's trails. Snowmobiles and four-wheelers are licensed, he said, adding even horseback riders and cross-country skiers pay a tab fee to use state trails.

The commissioners agreed to add the concept of bike licensing to support trail maintenance to its recommendation list given local legislators each year. They also instructed Administrator Robert Yochum to bring a letter on this issue from the Cass County Board to the fall Association of Minnesota Counties conference at Bemidji.

Second publication rights after Brainerd Dispatch.[[In-content Ad]]

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