June 10, 2021 at 1:12 p.m.
Cass seeks quotes for improvement at five county garages
Consulting project manager Mark Beard will assist with preparing specifications.
County highway garages at Cass Lake, Longville, Hackensack, Pine River and Pillager would receive floor repairs and coating, furnace replacement and lighting upgrades under this program designed to extend the life of the county's existing garages.
No work is planned currently on the garage at Remer, because the county is evaluating whether to build a new garage there, attached to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) garage, or at the main county garage in Walker.
The board selected WSB & Associates of Minneapolis to prepare preliminary designs for improvements to County State Aid Highway 77 on three miles through the city of Lake Shore. County highway staff will negotiate a price for the work.
Recent federal legislation has changed the way federal highway money is allocated to counties within federal forests. Cass historically has shared the Minnesota allocation with five other counties in Superior and Chippewa Forests. Last year the amount shared was $2.4 million.
Under the new legislation, Cass will be one of 45 Minnesota counties sharing a pot of $1.2 million where there are "Public Lands" highways.
Tuesday, the county board voted to seek legislation to reinstate the former formula and higher dollar allocation. The board cited the potential for creating deficiencies in the original highway system serving the national forests in Minnesota.
Laura Hadrava, Cass highway construction/design engineer, obtained board approval for a revised bridge replacement priority list. Bridge sufficiency ratings rank bridges with the lowest numbers from one to 100 as most needing repair/replacement and highest numbers in very good condition.
The most recent prior rating was done in 2010. Since then, repair or replacement has been done to two bridges on County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 17, one each on County Roads 147 and 120 and one each on town roads in Wilson and Sylvan Townships.
One bridge on CSAH 1 will now be removed from the priority list for improvements. While it had been listed as a priority, because it is narrower than the preferred width, its rating is a 90, meaning it is structurally sound. Other bridges were put at a higher priority, because they are less structurally sound.
Remaining on the 2013 list from 2010 are two municipal bridges, one in Lake Shore rated at 22 and one in East Gull Lake rated at 61.8. Also remaining on this year's list is a Wabedo Township bridge that dropped from a 75 rating to 63.3.
County Roads still on the 2013 list from the 2010 list are County Road 103 that dropped in sufficiency rating from 64.5 to 46.3, County Road 107 that dropped from 67.8 to 65.8 and County Road 161 that remained at 75.7.
New to the list this year are three CSAH 1 bridges ranked at 69.9, 79.4 and 88.1 and one bridge each on CSAH 25 ranked at 27.5 and on CSAH 53 ranked at 75.2.
Veterans Services Officer Jeff Woodford reported to the board formulas for state veterans services operations funding changed this year from a three-year grant to an annual program, which offers more funds, but requires more documentation.
Administrator Robert Yochum said the county had expected to receive about $1,000 this year. Under the new state legislation, each of Minnesota's 87 counties will receive $7,500. In addition, each can apply for an operations grant based on the number of veterans in the county of up to $20,000. Cass can apply for the up to $5,000, based on the 3,200 veterans Woodford said the county has.
The board authorized Woodford to apply for the additional $5,000. He will have to document exactly what he purchases with the money from a list of qualified expenses and refund to the state at the May 31, 2014, closing date any money not spent.
Qualifying purchases range from computers, laptops, tablets, iPads, smart phones to training for veterans services officers or expenses to reduce veteran homelessness.
The commissioners referred to the highway department a request from the city of Longville for the county to move from a future date to 2014 improvements the county plans for CSAH 7 at that city.
If the city is successful in obtaining a grant to move or lower its sewer system, the city would like to do that utility work the same year as MnDOT replaces a bridge in that city on Highway 84, then have the CSAH 7 repaving done at the same time.
Paul Leimandt approached the board to request that a property owner along the road to land he owns on the Pine River near that city be forced to clean up two deteriorated, apparently vacant mobile homes. He said Realtors have told him he cannot expect to sell his land with the abandoned mobile homes as neighbors.
He cited county zoning regulations that state Environmental Services Department (ESD) "may choose to abate any public nuisance through any of the abatement methods set forth in this ordinance, or in other local, state or federal law."
ESD Director John Ringle reported one of the owners of the property where the mobile homes are located has indicated cooperation to clean up the property.
The board voted to give the mobile home property owners more time to clean up their property before taking any actions to abate the situation under the land use or public health ordinances.
ESD will update the county's Comprehensive Water Management Plan this year.
Cass County gross sales from the August auction of excess county property were $18,314. Of that, $74.81 was sales tax collected, which will be paid to the state. This compares with $8,778 in 2011 gross auction receipts.
The highest revenue came from the $17,150 worth of vehicles sold. Advertising and other related expenses will be deducted before final net sales can be reported.
The commissioners canceled $611.10 worth of checks the county wrote in 2012, which payees failed to cash. They authorized issuing a $266 check to replace one that had been canceled in September 2010 after a payee had not cashed his check.
Sheriff Tom Burch reported he is currently seeking applications from teenagers in the Walker and Pillager schools to participate in a Community Emergency Response Team. He will equip and train up to 25 students at each school under a federal Homeland Security grant to serve as volunteer assistants during an emergency event.
He said he hopes to expand the program into the county's remaining schools as well this year.
Cass extended an agreement with Minnesota Land Trust to help manage 12 to 15 conservation easements in the county through June 30, 2014.
Second publication rights after Brainerd Dispatch.
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