Only one bid was received by the Cook County Highway Department for production of gravel in Hovland’s Irish Creek pit this summer. Northland Aggregate was awarded the contract with a $30,310 bid for 7,000 cubic yards of Class 1 aggregate, well under the Highway Department’s $50,000 budget.
At the county board meeting Tuesday, May 19, 2009, Commissioner Bruce Martinson said that some potential bidders may have passed on the bidding opportunity because of a clause stating that the county can take up to two days to inspect gravel-crushing equipment before it can be moved to another site. Martinson said contractors cannot afford to have their equipment sit for even a few hours while the operator waits for an inspector to show up.
County Engineer Shae Kosmalski, also the county agricultural inspector, inserted the requirement to prevent noxious weeks from being spread throughout the county. She stated that dirty equipment at gravel pits was the county’s greatest source of the spread of noxious weeds. The U.S. Forest Service has the same requirement at gravel-crushing sites in the county, she said, and gives itself even more time to come out and inspect equipment. “The more you do early on,” she said, “the cheaper it is.”
Commissioner Bruce Martinson asked if Kosmalski would be inspecting equipment at the county line if contractors come from out of the county. Kosmalski said she would tell contractors to bring only clean equipment.
Commissioner Jan Hall asked if this inspection would cost the county money for staff time. Kosmalski replied that techs (technical assistants) could inspect the equipment when they are already onsite for other reasons.
County roads within city limits
The board voted to revoke an ordinance from 1960 and an ordinance from 1967 in which the county had adopted numerous streets within the city limits of Grand Marais. The old ordinances were inconsistent with another ordinance adopted in 1979 that outlined an agreement between the city and the county for road maintenance.
The county will continue to own the following streets within city limits: 5th Street (County Road 7), Broadway Avenue (County Road 9), Wisconsin Avenue (County Road 10,) the new Gunflint Trail (County Road 12), 5th Avenue West/ old Gunflint Trail (County Road 12), 8th Avenue West (County Road 19), and the old Gunflint Trail from County Road 12 to its terminus one block north.
The agreement regarding maintenance of city streets will continue as it has been for many years. Thedelineation of county roads within city limits could affect ATV traffic, however. All city streets are open to ATV traffic unless otherwise designated, but no county roads within city limits would be open to ATV trafficunless the county specifically authorized such use.
A public hearing to discuss ATV use on county roads will be held Tuesday, May 26 at 7 p.m. at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts.
Oberstar supports road funding
Kosmalski reported that Cook County’s three high priority project requests for federal transportation funding have been forwarded to the federal government by U.S. Representative James Oberstar.
Oberstar forwarded only nine percent of the $1.3 billion in requests he received from counties. The following projects have been included in a U.S. House of Representatives bill: $2,000,000 for the Gunflint Trail; $1,800,000 for Mineral Center Road; and $880,000 for the Old Gunflint Trail (West 5th Street in Grand Marais).
Ski hill road cooperative agreement
By split vote, the board approved a revision of the cooperative agreement between Lutsen Mountains Corporation (LMC), the county, and Lutsen Township for improvements to the Lutsen ski hill road (County Road 5).
A $350,000 Iron Range Resources (IRR) grant to Lutsen Mountains requires Lutsen Township to be the fiscal agent. Because the township may need to pay construction bills before getting reimbursed by IRR, the county agreed to supervise and administer the contract and pay bills as they come in. The township will then sign over its IRR reimbursements to the county.
Voting no on the agreement was Commissioner Jan Hall, who said in a later conversation that she does not support the county taking responsibility for the project. If for some reason the money was not forthcoming from IRR or Lutsen Township, “we’re not in a position to come up front with all that money,” she said.
Thecounty has agreed to provide up to $950,000 toward the project. The agreement states that Lutsen Mountains will contribute 45% of the cost of the storm sewer and will pay engineering design costs.
“The project is intended, among other things, to improve public safety and facilitate significant planned economic development… as desired by Lutsen Township, LMC, and the county,…” the agreement states.
Intersection lighting project downsized
Kosmalski suggested to the board that the county downsize its plan to install streetlights at several county intersections in order to stay within the budget. The board approved the suggestion, cutting out the light at Highway 61 and the Cramer Road and the light at Devil Track Road and South Shore Drive.
Lights will still be installed at the intersections of Highway 61 and the Sawbill Trail, Highway 61 and the Caribou Trail, Highway 61 and County Road 7, and Devil Track Road and the Gunflint Trail.
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