Cook County commissioners approved a resolution calling for the county to serve as the legal sponsor in a request for grant funds from the State of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for acquisition, construction, and maintenance of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) riding trails.
The commissioners acted on November 22. The trails will be open to the public, and managed by the CC ATV Club.
All of the trails are in the east end of the county. They are the Hovland Woods Trail, Timber Fear Loop, Rice Lake Pancore Loop, and Old Greenwood Loop.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and ATV club are working together on the grant agreement for the existing Hovland Woods trail and three new trails.
The resolution authorizes sponsorship of off-highway vehicle trails for public riding areas.
Under the agreement, the ATV club is responsible for all maintenance costs incurred once state funds are depleted.
Cook County Sheriff
Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen came before the board with a request to advertise for an eligibility list to replace anticipated openings in the dispatch center of the Sheriff ’s Office.
“We currently have a part-time position for dispatcher that hasn’t been filled,” Eliasen said. “The reason for this is to ask that this position is made full-time in 2017. We are also anticipating two additional full-time dispatcher openings that would need to be filled. If these openings occur before a list is developed, the dispatch center would be dangerously understaffed and would create a challenging working environment as well as a serious threat to our ability for delivering services in regards to public safety.”
After a few questions to Eliasen, commissioners unanimously approved the request to advertise for new dispatchers.
Next, Sheriff Eliasen asked the county board to adopt a grant award for $10,084 that his department received for the purchase of new watercraft for Cook County Search & Rescue.
“We applied for and had received a Federal Boating Grant to purchase new watercraft for the Cook County Search & Rescue,” he said.
Commissioners approved his request unanimously.
Last, the meeting was closed while Sheriff Eliasen discussed lockdown procedures at the courthouse. This was a variation of the previous week’s lockdown procedure drill that was inadvertently filmed and broadcast on the county’s website.
Hovland Town Hall going modern
Things are getting a little crazy around Hovland. Last summer a telephone was installed at the Town Hall. With a phone and electric lights in the facility, it squarely put the building into the 20th century. Now, through the aid of the Arrowhead Cooperative the Hovland Town Hall will soon be a video conferencing site, and just like that, it became 21st-century modern.
Cook County and Arrowhead Cooperative signed an Internet service agreement that will allow the town hall to be hooked up with fiber and to broadband service through True North for one year. Arrowhead Cooperative, said Bob Pranis who was on hand to represent the group, has agreed to pay for the first year of service, but the county or the town of Hovland will have to pay for the Internet service after that, said Pranis. A 12-month service contract is $912. Trenching the line in cost $1,268, Pranis said.
Commissioner Frank Moe, who has been working to get the building upgraded, thanked Bob for his labor and the work of the cooperative. He also added, “With the weather the way it is now, you can wait until next spring to trench in the line.”
“It’s going in right now,” said Pranis, to laughter from the commissioners at Moe’s surprise.
The building isn’t heated in the winter, but Pranis said the equipment should be okay inside. Just when the town hall will be available for its first video conference isn’t known at this time, but that date shouldn’t be too far off.
Planning Commission
Following the recommendation of the planning commission, commissioners granted Dean Berglund an Interim Use Permit to allow processing of firewood on his property adjacent on the Gunflint Trail. David Howe of North Shore Timber Products will process firewood there.
“This application is the result of a cooperative management agreement between Mr. Berglund and North Shore Timber Products (NSTP). The intent is for NSTP to move its firewood processing, including kiln operations from Isak Hansen’s in Lutsen to the Berglund gravel pit” said Lane.
While Howe’s fuel operation has been in place for several years at Isak Hansen’s, several noise complaints were received from nearby residents. The planning commission pointed out, “The Berglund pit is situated within a landscape more conducive to commercial type operations than those experienced in Lutsen. The nearest residence is more than 1,000 feet away, a marked contrast to the 400 linear feet separating the kiln operations in Lutsen.
“Locating the Berglund pit appears to be a round peg in a round hole type of fit,” said Lane.
Lane said at one time the Berglunds used the pit to process wood chips, but that operation ceased years ago.
The conditional use permit is good for five years and then at that time it will be reviewed.
Commissioners granted an after-the-fact Conditional Use Permit for the continued operation of a multi-family housing unit on property adjacent to Birch Drive to Tim and Berta Bauer.
The Bauers have rented the property on and off again for 10 years without proper knowledge or approval of neighbors. After discussion among the planning commission, the commission ruled that it wouldn’t be fair to displace the current renter(s) and recommended that the Bauers apply for a Conditional Use Permit for the property, which they did. The CUP cost $300, which the Bauers paid.
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