During the March 21 Public Health and Human Services (PHHS) meeting that preceded the regular county board meeting, PHHS Director Joshua Beck told Cook County commissioners he wanted to end any rumors about his leaving to take a job elsewhere.
Beck admitted that he had been offered a job in Arizona, where he and his family had moved from, but he said after discussing it with his family, “My family is never going to let me leave Cook County. We love it here.”
During the meeting commissioners approved two new positions for PHHS. An additional case aide and a fiscal officer will be sought for the department. The new positions will help alleviate and reduce overtime and reduce burnout in some employees.
Motions passed
Commissioners approved a special event permit for the Ham Run 5K/Half Marathon, which will take place May 2, 2017. The half marathon starts near Gunflint Lodge and finishes at the end of the Gunflint Trail.
Cook County/Grand Marais airport administrator Rod Roy presented a work order for an environmental assessment to have obstructions (10 acres of trees) identified in the approach to Runway 9 at the airport removed.
Without the removal of the trees, planes would have to keep their altitude higher before landing. After the last runway project was completed and the runway lengthened, two life flight planes were able to land and take off here that wouldn’t have been able to do so without the improvements, said Roy, adding it was important for the commissioners to know this.
The cost of the tree mitigation project is $67,372.50. The work and fee have been reviewed and approved by the FAA in Minneapolis. A federal grant will pay for 90 percent of the project while 5 percent will come from a state grant and 5 percent from local participation.
Commissioner Storlie jokingly asked, “If it’s called Runway 9, do we have eight other runways?”
Runway numbers come from compass headings, said Roy. And with geographic north always changing, runway 9 is now called runway 10, Roy added.
Following the regular meeting, the board recessed then reconvened as a Committee of the Whole, a new concept. During that meeting, the committee discussed — but took no action — on a variety of topics that will be brought before the board for action at upcoming meetings, including a review of the mailbox policy, the approach policy and moving permit fees for overweight loads.
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