Taking some time out of their busy schedules to show off the new Public Works building in Hovland were, from L-R: Rena Rogers, Krysten Foster and Myron Bursheim. The new building is pictured to the right. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
A tour of the Hovland Public Works building given Friday, January 17, showed the new facility is all but complete and looks great.
There were rumors that things were amiss, that some big projects didn’t get completed, but if that were true, it’s not true any longer.
Interim Cook County Administrator Rena Rogers, Cook County Commissioner board chair Myron Bursheim and Cook County Highway Engineer Krysten Foster led the tour.
The new facility is 5,828 square feet, more than twice as big as the old garage, which is 2,822 square feet.
The construction bid was $1,180, 200.
“We had local contractors do most of the work and they did a good job,” said Rogers.
Two employees work at the facility. Three pieces of highway maintenance equipment: a grader, plow truck, and tractor-backhoe, are now stored inside. If needed, there is room for another large piece of equipment.
The old garage could only hold two pieces of heavy equipment.
“In the future, the county could store a loader inside, if needed,” said county highway engineer Krysten Foster. “Thanks, in large part, to air quality and heating improvements plus adequate space to maneuver, the highway department expects to more frequently repair and maintain this equipment on-site instead of hauling it back to the Grand Marais facility when repairs are needed,” added Foster.
There is in-floor heat in the cement slab; propane is used to fuel the furnaces to heat the large open space.
Rogers was holding two sheets of paper that made up the checklist for projects that needed to be wrapped up before the building could be considered completely finished. All but three items were left on that long list, and Rogers said those would have to wait until spring when the ground thaws.
“I take this project very seriously,” she said. “I didn’t start it, but I will make sure it gets to a successful close.”
Employees have a small office equipped with a computer and an ARMER Radio. There is also a shower in the bathroom. The spaces aren’t opulent, but clean and very functional.
A quick tour of the old building, which sits very close to the new structure, revealed that even though it was empty, there was a strong smell of combusted fuel. Air handlers in the new building remove those smells in short order.
“We are waiting to see if the Hovland Fire Department wants to use the old garage to store their fire fighting equipment,” said Rogers. “If they do, the county can put together an agreement for them. If they don’t want it, we will remove it.”
If any problems do arise, Rogers noted that, “We have a 35-year warranty on the new building, and that’s comforting.”
Leave a Reply