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WALKER - Cass County Board decided against turning ownership of a short road over to Torrey Township, because that road is the only access to Schoolcraft State Park along the Mississippi River.

The board heard comments in May and Tuesday from Torrey Township board members and residents before reaching this decision. The town board sent a lengthy letter to support keeping it a county road.

County Engineer David Enblom told the county board he contacted former county engineer Jim Worcester, who was assistant engineer at the time in the 1960s when this road was built. Worcester indicated the state had paid the county $10,000 to build the road, Enblom said.

Torrey Board Chair Dan Harms said the road did not exist before the state park was created. He also said traffic to the park has increased since it has been advertised as a stopping point along a bike trail.

Enblom said there is a state road improvement fund for state park accesses from which the county could seek a grant in the future if the road needs to be upgraded.

The county board voted to receive and file a report, thus take no action at this time, on a suggestion earlier this year to evaluate whether it would be more cost effective for the county to contract some or all of its road maintenance work.[[In-content Ad]]

County Engineer David Enblom reported last month other two counties who do contract their maintenance work pay about the same as it costs the county to have its own employees. He said this month in a meeting with some private Cass County contractors, those contractors told him the county charges townships less ($85 per hour) than they generally charge for road maintenance services ($95 to $100 per hour).

Administrator Robert Yochum and Commissioner Jeff Peterson said township officers who had contact them since the subject arose all opposed having the county contract for road maintenance. Yochum said he was told the county gives a higher level of service.

Enblom told the board the county could save the cost of one or two road graders if the work were to be contracted in two less populated areas of east-central Cass, but he would want to maintain the same personnel level, because the two grader operators could perform work for the county in other areas using existing county dump trucks.

The board decided against doing any new contracting at this time.

Second publication rights after Brainerd Dispatch.

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