With the low bid of $1,182,000, S&C Masonry of Grand Marais was selected to build the Hovland public works garage.
The announcement came at the county board’s March 26 meeting.
The county also received qualified bids from Kraus-Anderson, Nordic Construction and Garner Builders.
Meyer Group Architecture conducted a public bid opening on March 5 in Cook County Auditor/Treasurer Braidy Powers’ office, with Cook County Administrator Jeff Cadwell, and Tim Meyer, principal architect/project manager for Meyer Group Architecture of Duluth, opened the bids, with county engineer Krysten Foster in attendance.
To keep costs down Administrator Jeff Cadwell said several modifications were made. A wash bay and industrial curtain rack were eliminated saving $26,000; soils will be stockpiled on site which will save $12,000; additional contractor- negotiated changes will save $40,000. Added to the job was septic work at $21,000. Cadwell said with these modifications, combined with a construction contingency, the revised contract total will be $1,180,200.
Funds to pay for the Hovland public works project are coming from the 2018A capital bond.
Commissioner Bobby Deschampe asked who would supervise the construction?
Cadwell said he would conduct weekly site visits to check on the build-out. It was also noted that many of the subcontractors on the project would be local.
The bid award to S&C Masonry is pending upon their ability to obtain a performance bond and labor and materials payment bonds and proper and required insurances, as required by the bid and contract documents.
Administrator Cadwell said a start date hasn’t been decided, but the work is supposed to be completed by December 31, 2019.
Job descriptions
Based on the recommendation of the personnel committee two job descriptions were updated and one job description created for a new position.
Judy Hill, human resources manager, came before the commissioners with the updated job descriptions. She noted that a fourth update for the management information systems administrator would have to undergo further review before being presented to the board at a later date.
The job descriptions she presented were for the deputy auditor/treasurer/ bookkeeper and community center/ extension director. A new job description was created for a community center assistant.
The community center assistant will be part-time. Commissioners hope to fill this new job at a later date.
When asked why there are new job descriptions following a review and update of jobs a year ago, Cadwell said positions are continually reviewed as duties change, or there is a turnover in a department.
Assessor position to be posted
Administrator Jeff Cadwell recommended that the board of commissioners post the vacancy of the county assessor position.
Currently, Todd Smith is the Cook County assessor.
Smith was provisionally appointed county assessor in September 2016 and was given two years to complete his Senior Accredited Minnesota Assessor (SAMA) certification. When he failed to do so, Auditor/Treasurer Braidy Powers appointed Smith to perform the duties of county assessor for 90 days from Sept. 26, 2018, to Dec. 26, 2018.
When Smith didn’t complete the work in that timeframe the county asked the commissioner of the Department of Revenue for a 90-day extension which was granted through March 25, 2019.
Cadwell told the board the Minnesota Department of Revenue has considered the position to be vacant since Sept. 26, 2018, and was requesting that Cook County take appropriate steps to fill the job with a qualified candidate.
“We don’t really have any choice,” he said, noting there weren’t a lot of people who hold SAMA certification and the county—which pays at the low end of the scale for this position— might have a hard time finding anyone to apply.
A letter to Cadwell from Minnesota’s director, Property Tax Division, Jon Klockziem, states, “The appointee must apply to the department for confirmation of the appointment and submit the necessary documentation. The appointment will not be final for the remainder of the four-year term until the commissioner confirms the appointment.
“The success of our state’s property system rests on the trust established with the citizens of Minnesota. This trust is directly related to the leadership ability, skills, talents, professionalism, and experience of county assessors. To best serve Minnesota taxpayers, it’s critical to appoint the best individual to the county assessor— someone who can accurately administer property tax laws, adapt as changes are enacted by the Legislature and lead others to the same.”
Cadwell told commissioners that Smith had been performing the duties expected by the state. He outlined the busy work load the three-team assessor’s office had been scheduled to perform since Smith was appointed county inspector, leaving Smith with little time to complete the work needed to receive the higher SAMA accreditation. He said Smith assured him he had done the necessary work required and was waiting for it to be scored so he can receive his SAMA credentials and reapply for his job.
Meanwhile, Cook County has been granted 90 days to fill the position.
As far as the ongoing work coming from the assessor’s office, Cadwell said, “I continue to express my confidence in Todd and his team.”
Motions approved by the board:
. Auditor/Treasurer Braidy Powers presented a request from MnDOT for a temporary easement for a small parcel (2,889 square feet) of land where the Gunflint Trail meets Highway 61. Cadwell said the lease would end December 1, 2022, and would be used by highway workers to store dirt and possibly equipment on. Commissioners approved the easement, and the county will be given $500 for temporary use of the land.
. Next Powers asked the board to support a change order for the seaplane ramp replacement project. Cost is estimated at $7,783.37, but Powers said the project is grant eligible and the county would pay just 10 percent of the finished work, which could come in even lower at around $4,200. Included in that change order was the cost of an electrical quazite box for the beacon pole at $1,308.37.
. Finally Powers told commissioners that the 2004 Silverado pickup the airport had used to haul fuel, plow snow and other maintenance tasks, needed to be replaced. “It has no value,” said Powers. “They are not going to try to sell it.”
Powers said the state would pay 75 percent of the purchase of a new Dodge pickup truck and snowplow at the cost of $51,664.16, leaving the county with $12,916.04 to cover. But Powers noted that the state had upped its yearly maintenance grant to the airport from $25,000 to $40,000, so the cost of the truck would be covered by those extra funds.
Consent agenda items:
. 2019 replacement for PC’s/laptops for $19,900.
. Granted a special road use permit for Grand Marais Arts Festival. * Bids were approved for advertisement of summer maintenance subordinate governmental service districts; advertisement for bids, crushing and stockpiling of aggregate in three separate pits; advertisement for bids for 170,000 gallons of liquid calcium chloride for county roads.
. Commissioners approved changing the Kronos billing cycle from annual billing to monthly billing to eliminate overage billing.
. Commissioners approved an updated Lake Superior- Poplar River Water District officer list which includes Mary Somnis, Claire Nalezny, Charles Skinner, Tim Rider, and John Klemme.
. Seven committee assignments were added to commissioner Deschampe from Commissioner Doo- Kirk.
. A brush disposal agreement between the county and the forest service to allow brush disposal at six federal sites, with the Forest Service agreeing to burn the piles.
. Also, the following folks donated money to the Sheriff’s Office for the K9 (officer Eddy) program: Cook County Chamber of Commerce Foundation $8,014.93; Frank or Bonnie Haski $200; Alicia A.K. Deschene/S.R. Deschene $100; Gary Radloff $50; and Debbie Ganzhom $150.
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