During the consent agenda, commissioners approved Four Special Event Permits: The Grand Marais Christmas Parade will take place on November 25 from 5:30 p.m. to 5:50 p.m. and both Wisconsin Street and Broadway will need to be closed by the Cook County Sheriff’s office for the parade.
The Gunflint Mail Run will take place January 7-8, 2017 with an estimated 30 mushers.
The Superior Fall Trail Race(s) will run Sept. 8, 2017, to Saturday, September 9. For the 100-mile, 50-mile, and 26-mile races some traffic control is needed. The long race begins at Gooseberry Falls State Park and ends at Caribou Highlands.
In the spring Rocksteady Running LLC will host the Superior Spring Trail 25km and 50km Run on May 20, 2017. The foot races will take place on the Ski Hill road and Sawbill Trail.
Approved was an on sale liquor and Sunday sales license application for Skyport Lodge.
Commissioners approved two motions, one to accept a $5,000 donation from the Minnesota Power Foundation for the purchase of a Search and Rescue trailer, and a gift of $6,000 from Janice Hoffman for Project Life Saver equipment for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
The Project LifeSaver program applies technology for the search and rescue of individuals with cognitive disorders. Three new transmitters and three new receivers will be purchased for $5,423 and replace old, worn obsolete equipment. The remaining money will be used to buy new bracelets and batteries.
Mike and Theresa Chmelik received a 20-year revolving loan for up to $75,000 for the Croftville Cottages. The money will be paid back in increments based on benchmarks developed by the Revolving Loan Committee. The first benchmark will occur when the Chemliks open the first two units of their newly completed building by the end of 2016. They will pay an interest rate of one percent over the 10-year treasury bond for the loan, with the second position mortgage on the building used as collateral. The county board chair and auditor-treasurer were authorized to sign all loan documents.
Cook County Soil and Water Department (SWCD) Department Head Ilena Berg came before the board and requested adding a full-time conservation technician to her department. Berg asked for the job to be listed internally. The position will be for two years and paid by grant money and other funds, she said. After the two years are up, Berg said the job would be evaluated to see if it would remain permanent. The technician will assist with conservation projects and other work within the district. Commissioners voted to approve the posting for the position unanimously.
Commissioners approved the purchase of a new vertical baler for the Recycling Center at the cost of $11,485. The money to pay for the baler will be drawn from the future landfill development account.
Commissioners updated the Data Practices Compliance Officials list which provides names and contact information of the responsible authorities for each policy as required by Minnesota Statutes, section 13.025 and 13.03 (2016). Cook County Administrator Jeff Cadwell was designated the Data Practices Compliance Official for the county.
The board listened to a request from Carrie McHugh, director of the Cook County Historical Society, who made a strong case for why the CCHS should get $65,000 in funding from the county for 2017.
She noted that the historical society has 70,000 individual items and 1,400 files of information, all of which have to be professionally cataloged, stored, and then she and her small staff have to determine what should or could be displayed for the public.
“We get asked for our archives frequently,” McHugh said. “They are used for documentation by people who use them for a variety of reasons. We are held to professional standards in our work. The documents must be stored and cataloged properly. It’s not as simple as it might look.
“What we are asking for is for operating funds,” said McHugh, noting that grants cover the cost to run most of their programs. She also said that because the county owned the historical society building, the CCHS was requesting heat, light, telephone and Internet to be provided, and some janitorial services.
The board listened to her request and took it under advisement. The levy must be set before the end of the year, and with it now resting at a 19.9 percent increase, the commissioners are looking for ways to lower it.
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