Vic Moen, Sentence To Serve (STS) District Supervisor, and Gary Jorgenson, STS Crew Chief in Cook County, will once again administer the sentence to service program for the county.
The new contract will run from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017 at a cost of $120,531. Jorgenson has been with the program for 23 of the 25 years the program has been in existence in the county.
Moen and Jorgensen came before the county board on February 17.
The county commissioners lauded the plan, commenting on how much work was performed by STS, and the savings to the county because the crews weren’t sent away where they would be housed in out-of-county correction facilities that bill back to the county. Another huge plus is that the inmates get to see their families and this helps with their rehabilitation, said Moen.
Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen was in attendance and he added, “I am an advocate for the program.”
Eliasen also cited savings to the city and county by keeping people here in the county and the benefit received from the inmates doing unfunded work. “They also get to see their loved ones. It’s a fantastic program and I think it should be used more,” he said.
Noting many of the same benefits outlined above, Commissioner Garry Gamble asked about the budget for STS, and Moen said he thinks it goes up about 3 percent each year. Gamble asked if there was a way for the county to save money if it ran into a budget crunch. Moen answered that in some instances STS crews have earned money for the county they work in. He shared the example of a STS crew that set up tents and drilled holes for an ice fishing contest with the organization running the event then sending a check to the county for the STS work.
“If you [county] reach a point where you can’t afford it, I will be right up here and look into it and help you,” Moen said.
County Attorney Molly Hicken said the STS program saves the county money when a parent can stay in county.
“They can see their children if they are here rather than being transferred out of the county for incarceration. If they are housed somewhere else it really increases the cost to Social Services,” she said.
The board passed a motion of support for STS based on approval of the new contract by Hicken, who hadn’t had a chance to go over the document before the meeting.
Single Track Mountain Bike trails
Tim Kennedy came before the board asking for a motion of support for a grant application to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for the Federal Recreation Trail Program. The grant application would be submitted by the Superior Cycling Association, of which Kennedy is a member.
Kennedy is attempting to get a grant that would fund building seven miles of single-track mountain bike trails split between Pincushion Mountain and the Britton Peak Trailhead in Tofte. Both systems each already have a combined 15 miles of single-track mountain bike trails on them, and Kennedy’s group would like to someday tie in the trails from Britton Peak to the trails on Pincushion.
“A seven-mile addition to the existing 15 miles of single track mountain bike trails would help in the completion of the 50-plus miles of a Cook County Mountain Bike Trail System,” said Kennedy.
Cook County roads
County Highway Engineer David Betts said that in the three years he has been soliciting quotes for sealing roads, the two quotes he recently opened were among the lowest. With that he asked the county board to approve the low quote from Fahrner Asphalt Sealers LLC, in the amount of $67,119.03 so cracks on the Gunflint Trail from Hedstrom Lumber Company to the Trout Lake Road can be repaired this summer.
Because the quote was so low, Betts asked the board to allow hiring Fahrner to also seal cracks in several other locations in the county, working until the 2015 highway budgeted funds of $100,000 for crack sealing was used up.
The board approved his request and if all goes well approximately two miles of County Road 8 to the Ball Club Road will be sealed and 5.4 miles of County Road 8 to .17 miles west of County Road 27 will also be repaired. The work is expected to be completed by June 26, 2015.
Emergency Management planning approved
The county board approved a request from Cook County Emergency Management Director Jim Wiinanen for a service agreement with Birch Grove Foundation to complete the revision of the All Hazard Mitigation Plan as required by the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) by September 15, 2015 at a cost not to exceed $17,100.
The All Hazard Mitigation plan must be reviewed and updated every five years as required by FEMA and the Minnesota Department of Homeland Security.
The board also approved a memorandum of understanding allowing Wiinanen to serve on the MNISC team and in return the county will be reimbursed for up to 20 days per year for work he completes in Minnesota, at the current rate of his pay including benefits.
Banking business
In a final matter of business, Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers requested a resolution making the board chair, vice chair and auditor designated representatives to sign warrants and invest funds; and to allow the financial coordinator to make account inquiries, wire transfers and internal transfers.
The board once again approved the Grand Marais State Bank as the county’s designated depository.
Auditor Powers’ machine-signed signature will be honored at the Grand Marais State Bank for all checks, drafts or other such orders.
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