Cook County Commissioner Bruce Martinson came before the Tofte Town Board on November 13, 2014 with an update on a U.S. Forest Service proposal to close low priority roads to the public.
Martinson said the Forest Service was asking the township to prioritize Forest Service roads within the west end of the county based on their importance to the township.
All across the country the U.S. Forest Service is closing, or considering closing, roads because of the high cost to maintain them. According to the U.S. Forest Service, part of the problem has been a shift in the cost to fight forest fires. The budget to fight fires went from 16 percent to almost 50 percent in the last 15 years, caused in no small part by people moving further into the wilderness and causing the service to spend more to save outlying homes and property when a fire breaks out. All at great cost to many of its other programs like maintaining roads, which are now underfunded.
According to its website, “The Forest Service has a growing $8.4 billion maintenance and reconstruction backlog and receives only 20 percent of the annual maintenance funding it needs to maintain its existing 380,000 plus miles of road system to environmental and safety standards.”
But, also on its website, undertaking a scientifically based roads analysis on each forest before “constructing, reconstructing, or decommissioning roads” will only be made with the help of the public. On the Forest Service website, it states that decisions will be made at the local level to implement identified road management opportunities on Forest Service lands only.
“Comments are due back December 12, 2014,” said Martinson, adding the Forest Service seems to be shifting away from the process they used about 10 years ago where they held public meetings and formed groups and a travel management plan was implemented locally as well as across the nation.
“They seem to be sliding this one by without a lot of public comment,” Martinson noted.
“These roads are very important to our tourist economy,” said Tofte Board Chair Paul James. “These roads, all of these roads are important to us. They are used for hunting, fishing, leaf watching, hiking, biking, camping, skiing, you name it. The Forest Service should use all efforts to maintain all of the roads from the west line of Lake County to the east line of the Caribou Trail,” said James.
“I think we should draft a letter that reflects your thoughts,” said Supervisor Jim King. “In fact we should draft a letter requesting that the Forest Service keep all of the roads open in the Tofte and Gunflint Ranger Districts,” said King.
King moved, with Supervisor Jeanne Larson seconding, and James concurring to have Town Clerk Barb Gervais write a letter to the Forest Service stating the importance of keeping open and maintaining its roads to the public.
The board will review the letter at its November 20 meeting before sending it, said James.
In other business
. The board approved a request from August Schauland to become a member of the Tofte Fire Relief Association.
Kim Jahnke said the rescue squad had been on one fire call and three rescue calls in the prior month. She said she had purchased a laptop to help keep track of her department’s records as well as purchased new tops and rain suits for the crew. Plans are also to purchase boots for the volunteer rescue squad workers, said Jahnke.
“There will be an upcoming CPR training on November 22,” Jahnke said.
. The board approved hiring Cook County Towing to perform the snow removal for the Gitchi-Gami Trail from Château Leveau to Surfside whenever the snow measures 4 inches or more at the Tofte Post Office. The rate is $340 per time. Because Paul James owns Cook County Towing, he abstained from voting. His company was the only one to bid on the project, which was approved by the remaining board members.
. The board made a motion supporting the Cook County North Shore Hospital and Care Center’s request for support in its efforts to secure hospital USDA financing.
. Also approved was the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic’s yearly lease at Birch Grove Community Center in the amount of $5,235 for the 616 square feet they use at the center.
. Supervisor Larson reported that her new duties as project manager for the Tofte senior housing project were going well. She said seven people had already expressed interest in renting one of the 12 units. The six duplexes will be built by Dynamic Homes and Larson said a contract would be signed between the township and Dynamic Homes by December 31, 2014.
Currently a well and a “rough” road are being built on the site located behind the Birch Grove Community Center on 26 acres owned by the township, said Larson.
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