Cook County Commissioners used the internet and Zoom for an online meeting on Tuesday, May 12.
Highlights of the meeting include:
• Unanimous board approval for the allocation of a $22,215.25 Secure Rural Schools Title lll funding grant with $2,000 for Search and Rescue in the federal forests and $20,215.25 for promotion of wildfire prevention within Firewise communities.
• Cook County Law Enforcement received $4,500 from the 2020 Federal Boat & Water grant to cover additional boating safety patrol overtime hours during high water use periods.
• With the Cook County Auditor- Treasurer acting as the fiscal agent, the Lutsen Trailbreakers will apply to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for an $11,000 grant to repair three bridges on the Lutsen snowmobile trails.
• Commissioners approved adding Ben Petz as an at-large representative to the Cook County Firewise Committee. The addition will help staff the committee when there is difficulty filling vacancies in particular districts.
• A contract for $48,901 with RS&H to design and develop a plan to remove 10.29 acres of trees that are obstructing the safe use of runway number 10 at the Cook County-Grand Marais Airport was approved. If the land-clearing project meets the requirements of the Cares Act, the project will be one hundred percent funded by the FAA.
Bids for the work will be opened on June 11, 2020. The job will be conducted between October 1 and November 15, 2020, to avoid impacting the Northern Long Eared Bat. Construction will include removal of obstructions, tree grubbing, minor site grading, and erosion control (seeding and mulching).
• S & C Masonry-Concrete was the low bidder at $10,515 to repair the ramp on the north side of the courthouse and add a tempered security window to the Auditor’s office and a second tempered security window to the Assessor’s office.
• Interim county administrator Rena Rogers presented a proposal to repurpose the old Hovland garage to use for storage of county highway equipment.
Rogers explained that there are currently multiple pieces of Highway equipment that could be stored there when they are not in use, which would expand the life of the equipment.
The only problem with the old Hovland garage and Tofte county garage, said Rogers, is that when the garages were built the ceiling panels, which are loose, were nailed in place rather than screwed in place. Rogers said the county is currently seeking bids to have these panels secured.
By fixing the old building, the county saves $15,000 on tear down and removal costs. Commissioners accepted the proposal to repurpose the old Hovland garage.
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