Lutsen Town Supervisor Diane Parker reported to the town board Tuesday, December 15, 2009 that the work on .4 miles of the Lutsen ski hill road (County Road 5) passed inspection by District State Aid Engineer Walter Leu. Lutsen has received $350,000 that it will pass along to the county from the Iron Range Resources Board (IRRB) for project expenses.
Tom Rider of Lutsen Mountains said he would fill out some required reports on the work that has been done. “I want to thank you all for your cooperation and support on this project,” he told the board. The road improvements, including additional pedestrian safety measures, are a big “shot in the arm” for Lutsen Mountains employees, Rider said, and the road will be a boost to the county. “The Highway Department did a great job,” he said.
Once some required paperwork is submitted, the Town of Lutsen will get $100,000 from the IRRB for the paving of cart paths at Superior National at Lutsen. That money will be forwarded to the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA), which oversees the golf course. “The EDA needs that money desperately,” said County Commissioner Bruce Martinson. The EDA had loans of $100,000 from both the City of Grand Marais and the county that were due October 15 but did not have the money to pay them off as promised.
Lutsen Treasurer John Groth said the earliest the EDA could get the cart path money would be after the next meeting of the town board, which will be January 19.
Poplar River projects
Marland Hansen reported on the Poplar River Management Board (PRMB) meeting he had attended the day before. The PRMB is trying to find more Environmental Protection Agency grants to apply for. They want projects “that produce fast results that the public can see,” Hansen said.
A researcher contracted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency sent two people to Cook County to interview residents who have been familiar with the Poplar River for a long time to get their perspective on how the river has or has not changed through the years, Hansen said. They interviewed Hansen, Jim Hall, and George Nelson.
The researchers are trying to find out about any logging, sawmill operations, or blasting that could have impacted the Poplar riverbed. Hansen mentioned that an old cement building that was once part of a small hydroelectric dam could still be found alongside the river.
Fire chief’s report
Over the last month, the fire department received no calls, Fire Chief Paul Goettl reported. “It’s been very quiet,” he said. A couple of the firefighters toured the Minnesota Power plant and examined the safety measures in place there.
The Tofte Fire Department will be starting Firefighter I and II classes soon, Goettl said. He expects about 10 Lutsen residents to participate at a cost of $1,200 each. The department had applied for $12,000 in grant funding but received $4,000. Town Clerk John Groth said the township has budgeted $5,000 for 2010 training expenses. They can add to the training fund the amount they didn’t spend this year, Goettl added. “It’s training that we have to get out of the way,” he said.
Edwin E. Thoreson, Inc. and Donald Swanson each donated $100 to the fire department with thanks for the service they provide to the community.
County administrator
Commissioner Bruce Martinson reported that the county board would be discussing with Minnesota Counties Association Executive Director Jim Mulder the possibility of hiring a county administrator.
How can the county pay for an administrator? Diane Parker asked.
While state aid is down about a million dollars, Martinson replied, federal payment-in-lieu-of-taxes for the BWCA is roughly doubling to $1.4 million. An administrator could be paid from that money, he said. He stated that a county administrator would be more objective in doing performance reviews. Commissioners tend to defend the departments they are in charge of and tend to not be as objective, he said.
“You’re bringing one more good-paying job to this area,” said Supervisor Joe Buttweiler.
Cooperative purchasing
Supervisor Diane Parker reported that state statute requires the township to consider the state’s cooperative purchasing website before purchasing things. Township officials will not be required to put out bids for items they want to purchase, she said, but if they do, they can purchase from the website instead of going with the lowest bidder. Membership in the purchasing group is now free. They could purchase large items from the website such as vehicles or playground equipment, Parker said.
Election filing for open offices
A clerk and a supervisor position will be open for election at the annual meeting in March. Amity Goettl is expected to run again for town clerk. Joe Buttweiler said he was not sure if he would run again, but he thought he “probably” would.
The filing period will run December 29 through January 12.
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