Bob Pranis of Grand Marais is the newest member of the Cook County Broadband Commission. Upon the recommendation of Broadband Commissioner Terry Meath, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved his appointment on December 13, 2011.
Pranis holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Northwestern University but has worked with computer technology since 1979. He now works as a consultant after retiring from 3M.
Pranis is a Norpine Trail Association board member, a WTIP Radio host, and a Cook County Historical Society volunteer, and he and his wife, Veronica Weadock, teach swing dancing to the Cook County community.
In his application for the Broadband Commission, Pranis wrote, “I strongly feel that broadband will help Cook County remain economically viable long-term because it can help bring in light industry and telecommuters like myself without destroying the environment here.”
Pranis joins Howard Hedstrom, Terry Meath, Bruce Martinson (county board representative), Sue Hakes (county board alternate), Paul Harvey, Jim Boyd, Jack McDonnell, Pat Campanaro, and Paula Sundet Wolf on the Broadband Commission, filling the last of nine seats.
According to its website (cookcountybroadband.com/), “The Broadband Commission was formed because the county board recognizes the potential to strengthen the economic and social vitality of Cook County and its citizens through the strategic adoption of broadband technologies. The board has charged the commission with developing and executing strategies to effectively realize these benefits.”
In other county news:
The board approved the purchase of software licensing for Andrew Graupmann, the Highway Department’s new engineering technician. He replaced Fran Johnson, who retired this fall. Johnson had been in the position for quite some time and did not use the software program, an AutoCAD Civil 3D. The software will cost around $5,000. This was in the 2011 budget.
The board approved the purchase of a new smartphone for Highway Engineer David Betts at a cost of $649.99. He reported that the one the county had provided for him when he started his job 18 months ago malfunctioned but was no longer under warranty. Since the contract period was not up yet, he did not qualify for a free or discounted upgrade.
The new phone is an HTC Rezound 4G and was similar in price to Motorola Razors and Apple iPhones. Betts compared prices and found the cheapest price through Verizon online. It has email, texting, Internet, and GPS capabilities as well as other apps.
Betts said he was out of the office seven or eight weeks last year, often attending meetings outside the county. Having a mobile phone allows people to reach him when he is not in his office. He sometimes uses his phone to text Maintenance Supervisor Russell Klegstad, who supervises the plowing crew, in the middle of the night about weather conditions.
According to Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers, the county provides phones for numerous department heads.
Ilena Berg of the Cook County Soil & Water Conservation District presented the board with a letter from the Cook County Water Management Plan Advisory Committee expressing its desire to be involved in the process of planning improvements to Superior National at Lutsen Golf Course.
The letter refers to current studies on sediment in the Poplar River adjacent to the golf course and states, “Any other disturbances in the watershed such as the projected redesign of the golf course must occur only in ways consistent with state and county regulations which control development in the county.
“…It needs to be clearly stated that the intent of the county regulations and controls is to balance protection of the resources yet not constrain economic growth. The WAC recognizes the Superior [National at Lutsen Golf Course] generates significant revenues for the county and can contribute even more with course improvement. We are confident that those improvements can be made within the framework of the various resource protection controls that guide development in the county.
“We look forward to an opportunity to comment on this important county project and would appreciate a meeting with you and the contractors at the very early stages of your planning.”
The committee is comprised of Don Goodell of the Soil & Water Conservation District, County Commissioner Jim Johnson, Dick Betz of Hovland, Biz Clark of Poplar Lake, Tom Fredeen of Caribou Lake, Eleanor Lease of Road Lake, and Gary Maciejewski of Tait Lake.
Commissioner Fritz Sobanja has said that he is satisfied with the quality of the workmanship on the new library addition. Earlier this year he took issue with some construction practices and with ORB Management’s oversight of the project. He told his fellow commissioners that he would like to see a local person look out for the county’s interests if and when a new community center is built.
The board decided not to hold its regularly scheduled meeting on the fourth Tuesday of this month, December 27, between Christmas and New Year’s.
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