Now that Class I ATVs are allowed along the edges of county roads as of this month, signs are being posted to designate the routes. Thelast sign to go up will be a larger one on the Gunflint Trail, where Class I ATVs will not be allowed past the golf course. Class I ATVs will be allowed on county roads branching off of the Gunflint Trail.
Cook County Highway Maintenance Supervisor Russell Klegstad told the county board Tuesday, July 27, 2010 that he thinks people might complain if they see Class II ATVs beyond that point, even though they are legal there. Class II ATVs, sometimes referred to as side-by sides, are larger and heavier than Class I ATVs and are not allowed on certain trails. They are allowed on state and county roads, including the Gunflint Trail.
In other county news:
. The process of hiring a new Veterans Services Officer (VSO) will not go forward at this time because the state has recommended that Grand Portage VSO Clarence Everson continue to fill the spot two days a week as he has done since Richard MacKenzie fell ill. This arrangement has worked well, Personnel Director Janet Simonen reported. MacKenzie is recuperating but will not return to his
position. The county will contract with the state for the
position and will pay approximately $23,500 a year.
. Upon the unanimous recommendation of the Cook County Planning Commission, the county board approved a conditional use permit for Minnesota Power/ ALLETE to construct a 4,200 square-foot building on its property off the Cramer Road in Schroeder. The building would store equipment and water tanks used to control
“fugitive” dust from a coal ash landfill on the site. The area
has been used for heavy industrial purposes since 1956.
. The auditor-treasurer’s office received $193,345.34 from the state as payment in lieu of taxes for state land within the county. This is a 1% decrease from the amount received last year and is partly related to the amount of revenue pulled in by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
A lot of the money will go toward reducing the property tax levy, and $37,642.60 will go into the county’s park and recreation fund. . The Superior Cycling Association was granted a waiver of the $100 event permit fee for the annual Sawtooth Mountain Bike Challenge to be held Saturday, August 28. The bike race starts in downtown Grand Marais and makes its way up to the Pincushion trail system. Proceeds from the event help pay for trail building and maintenance.
Russell Klegstad said they waived the fee for Mush for a Cure and the Ham Lake Half Marathon but not for the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. Commissioner Bob Fenwick recommended waiving the fee since the
organization builds and maintains trails. “It makes sense in
this particular case,” he said.
. The board approved a purchase request from the County Attorney’s Office for an Apple iPod tablet that can be used in court to access file information and presentation materials that can even be projected onto a
screen. The equipment and required accessories will cost
$1,144 and will be paid for out of reserved forfeiture funds.
. Commissioner Jim Johnson reported that about 3,000 people have already visited the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center at the end of the Gunflint Trail since its grand opening on the Fourth of July.
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