“ I enjoyed the community service, but it’s time to let the younger guys take over. Retiring Tofte firefighter Paul James ”
The Tofte town board agreed to send KGM Contractors $3,900 for payment for work done on township roads at its October 14 meeting and withhold $10,000 from the bill until the construction firm agrees to look at how many yards of rock is stored on property owned by the town. KGM had agreed to provide a dollar’s worth of paving for each cubic yard of rock it is storing.
KGM is claiming that it is storing 30,000 yards of rock while the township claims it is holding about 40,000 yards of rock for the company.
Township Supervisor Paul James said that the board has “spent an inordinate amount of time on this issue,” and said the latest estimate of 39,881 yards is close to correct.
“We have had three professionals look at the stockpile and they have all been in agreement,” noted James.
The township has a 10-year agreement with KGM to store rock with a possible extension of another 10 years. KGM does a lot of work on Highway 61 and other projects throughout the West End and needs aggregate in close proximity to its work.
After much discussion between the township board and David Betts, the new county highway engineer, the board agreed to send KGM a letter explaining why it was withholding the $10,000 and asking KGM to make the case for why it was still owed to them.
In other business, the board agreed to put up $3,500 so that a backlit sign for the fire station can be built and placed on the clock tower. Fire Chief Rich Nelson said that 16-inch aluminum letters backlit with LED lights would last about 20 years. Theprice tag would include putting up the sign, wiring it and painting the tower a dark brown.
“This should help people find the fire station. We [locals] know what this building is, but new people don’t know where the firehall is. Thiscould
” be a storage building for Bluefin for all people know,” said James.
Nelson also announced that the fire department would be in need of a new firefighter because James had tendered his resignation. Nelson thanked James for his many years of service to the community.
“The arthritis in my knees is killing me. It’s been a lot of fun and I enjoyed the community service, but it’s time to let the younger guys take over,” James said.
Highway and housing reports
County Engineer Betts told the board that, as the county’s new highway engineer, he would try to stay in close contact with the West End townships.
Betts reported that the county planned to install seven culverts on the upper portion of the Sawbill Trail this fall and try to get the shouldering done on the Springdale Road.
Betts also said that he will ask for more calcium chloride for the roads next year but noted, “It holds the dust down but you do get more potholes.”
Nancy Grabko, Lake/Cook County housing coordinator, came before the board and reported that of the 16 low-income housing projects submitted, 13 were in construction. Three of the projects were rural and one was in Lutsen. Grabko said that $887,000 was submitted for work that would include water line assessment in Silver Bay and commercial rehab in Grand Marais.
One project that the town board has been looking at is a study on the feasibility of an assisted living facility in Tofte. After some discussion the board agreed to hire Grabko’s firm, Community Fundraising Solutions, to conduct the study. “I’m excited to get going on this project,” Grabko said.
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