Tofte Fire Chief Rich Nelson reported to the town board Thursday, July 8, 2010 that this year’s Fourth of July crowds were smaller than usual. He suspected it might have been because the holiday fell on a Sunday when a lot of visitors would have been heading home.
This was the first year a professional fireworks company instead of the Tofte Fire Department set off the fireworks. Last year, some of the fireworks exploded, resulting in the change in protocol. “It was nice to watch the fireworks for once,” Nelson said, “and they did a good job.”
Paul James said he asked the fireworks people to shoot the fireworks more over the lake next year instead of straight up, which would work better for the space they have. The company is willing to tailor the show to Tofte’s wishes, he said.
Jerry Gervais thanked Supervisor Jim King for all his work preparing the park for the Fourth of July and for organizing the events. King thanked Gervais and John Nelson for all of their work as well.
When they first started shooting off fireworks in Tofte, Nelson said, the loud ones made the little kids cry and scared the dogs. Parents used to complain that they couldn’t get their kids to settle down all night after the fireworks, he said. Today, the fireworks also set off car alarms.
Kids today are used to noise, Supervisor Jim King said.
The balloon catapult used for special events such as the Fourth of July got a facelift this year, but who should pay for it wasn’t clearly decided before the work was done. It cost $428.44 for supplies and $287.87 for a sandblaster— $996 total—for sandblasting, priming, and painting. Paul James suggested they split the cost with Birch Grove Community Center.
“For sure I think we should pay half,” he said. He said Birch Grove could bill Tofte for its half. It will be on the agenda for the August Tofte town board meetings.
In other Tofte Township news:
• The Rescue Squad has been called upon for numerous serious medical emergencies this summer. Rescue Squad Chief Louise Trachta said the only helicopter service available in Cook County is Life Link out of Hibbing, which takes 40 minutes to get to Satellite’s Country Inn and Café where it has a landing spot. Duluth hospitals could no longer afford to send helicopters to Cook County, Trachta said.
After one rescue, a surgeon from the Twin Cities called and said emergency personnel had done a really good job handling a particularly difficult case involving a punctured lung and a life-threatening bone break.
Thesquad had handled 20 calls
so far this year. “I’m proud of our
people,” Trachta said.
• Fire Chief Nelson reported that the fire department received its new (used) fire truck. Firefighters will need to be trained in operating the vehicle, and Mesabi Community College will provide that training in the fall.
Louise Trachta is hoping to find
a grant that would cover the $1,000
cost of the training.
• The University of Minnesota’s Center for Changing Landscapes has estimated the cost for designing improvements to Birch Grove Community Center’s outdoor recreation facilities would be about $11,000, Supervisor DC Olsen told the board. The upgrades will be funded largely through the new countywide 1% sales and use tax.
Sam Parker was paid $2,200 for a preliminary topographic survey of the property the Center for Changing Landscapes will need when designing the facilities.
Olsen asked County Commissioner Bruce Martinson how they could access the 1% money to pay for some of these costs. Martinson said the county board is hoping to minimize the number of times they will have to bond for the $20,000,000 in capital improvements that are planned for the 1% tax. Smaller costs can be taken out of the proceeds from the tax, he said. Commissioner Martinson suggested to the board
that they appear before the county
board with their request.
• D.C. Olsen volunteered to talk to KGM Construction about a bill the township received for asphalt laid down on Birch Grove Community Center’s parking lot, Cemetery Road, and a trail. The Community Center paving was done at no charge in exchange for KGM being allowed to store gravel on the old airport landing strip in Tofte, but the township will pay for the other paving.
Jerry Gervais, Rich Nelson, Paul James, and D.C. Olsen discussed the amount of gravel they were billed for—36 tons—which amounted to 3 ½ – 4 dump truck loads. If they really used that much
gravel, Nelson said, “that would be
30 feet deep!”
• The Birch Grove Community Center will be getting new hallway carpeting at an estimated cost of $6,653. The board approved bids from Contract Tile & Carpet of Duluth for materials at an estimated cost of $3,109-$4,245 and from Larry Martinez of Tofte for installation at an estimated cost of
$3,344. The cost may not exceed
$8,000.
• County Commissioner Bruce Martinson reported that repairs to Bayview Road could be completed for about $26,000 rather than the $100,000 estimated by former county engineer Shae
Kosmalski. The work will not
commence until next year, he said.
• James reported that he was waiting for a reply from the Secretary of State on how Tofte is allowed to use its 4% of the income from the lodging tax collected in Tofte. The township will not take payments for anything out of the tax fund until they receive clarity
on what they can use the money
for.
• Tofte Township recently received $10,312.28 from the federal government as payment in lieu of taxes. Each year the township receives this payment for federal land within its boundaries, but
they don’t know how much it will
be until they get it.
• The board directed secretary Barb Gervais to send a letter of support for a market study on the feasibility of an assisted living facility in Tofte. They authorized matching funds of $3,000 for the study. The letter will be sent to Nancy Grabko of the Cook County Economic Development
Authority, who is working on the
project.
• The township is working on developing specifications for badly needed repairs to Cemetery Road. D.C. Olsen expressed concerns about the possibility of a washout in the event of a bad rain. He said the project would need to be carefully designed so they do it right, and it will need a storm water management plan.
Supervisor Jim King suggested they ask the county for design assistance before any requests for proposals are sent out. The board passed a motion authorizing Jerry Gervais to work with the county on developing specifications.
“It’s quite the process,” said Paul James. “It’s not like the old days.”
Jerry Gervais told the board he heard that the cemetery was started in 1886 when it was considered Lake County. Cook County used to be part of Lake County, he said, but then it broke away.
“Broke away?” said Barb Gervais. “Was it a revolution?”
Leave a Reply