From the Cook County Airport runway extension to winter salt, from prisoner transportation to combating invasives on the Gunflint Trail, issues related to transportation were key on the county board agenda on Tuesday, July 21.
KGM Contractors, Inc. wins airport bid
While Northland Constructors is completing phase one of the airport runway expansion, Auditor/ Treasurer Braidy Powers said KGM Contractors Inc. won the bid to complete phase two of the project, with that work beginning next year.
To complete phase two, the county has just sent two queries for grant monies, said Powers. The first and biggest was a request for a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program grant in the amount of $2,611,733.72, or 90 percent of the project’s cost. Cook County is also seeking a 5 percent state funded grant in the amount of $145,096.32.
Plans are to increase the length of the airport runway so larger planes can land safely.
Sheriff’s Office to get new prisoner transport vehicle
Sheriff Pat Eliasen returned to the board with a request to purchase a new transport vehicle “for the safety and comfort of the inmates while they are being moved between court and the places where they are housed.”
Most of the vehicles on his list were vans, which could be fit with cages and bench seats.
A van could potentially hold up to eight inmates, said Eliasen, and because women and men could be separated in the vehicle, only one driver would be needed. Currently a female officer must accompany when women are being transferred.
After Eliasen had gone over several choices, the board approved an expenditure of no more than $50,030, and they asked him to try finding a vehicle that was either four-wheel or allwheel drive.
If Eliasen can’t find a vehicle for that price or less, he must come back to the county board with a new request noting the reasons for an increased expenditure.
The board also approved Eliasen’s request to open a job posting internally to fill a new public safety technology systems specialist position now being filled by Amity Goettl. Goettl is expected to apply for the position, but that will create a parttime vacancy in the dispatcher’s rotation, so the board also agreed that a 28-hour part-time dispatch position be opened up and advertised.
County purchases sand and salt
Isak Hansen & Sons, Inc. was awarded the bid to furnish 2,500 cubic yards of blended sand/ salt for the county’s winter sand stockpile for $83,375. Highway Engineer David Betts said it was the only bid the county received. The bid was 21 to 22 percent higher than bids received in the last three years. Betts said, “We called a few contractors and no one else was interested in bidding.”
One interesting fact learned was that the mixture the county uses is only 10 percent salt and 90 percent sand.
Funding sought to fight invasive plants on Gunflint
Nancy Seaton presented information about the Gunflint Trail Invasive Plant Species Mitigation and Native Restoration Project.
This project is geared to remove non-native species (knapweed, clover, tansy, thistle, lupines, etc.) and immediately see that the area is replanted with a native seed mix on each side of approximately 4.25 miles of the northern most stretch of the Gunflint Trail.
Invasive species will be removed by disking and clearing from the edges of the road to the tree line, an average width of 14 feet per side at a cost of $122,425. Seaton sought a resolution from the county board, which would allow her group to qualify for a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant.
According to Seaton, the Gunflint Trail National Scenic Byway plays a major factor in the tourism economy of Cook County. The 4.25-mile stretch targeted for the work is home to three lodges as well as the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center. The board agreed to have the county serve as the sponsoring agency for the grant, and the board agreed that the county would pay the $450 TAP application fee.
Cost of tennis court renovation sought
With the surface of the county’s tennis courts continuing to degrade, representatives of the Cook County Tennis Association (CCTA) came before county commissioners requesting that the county support seeking bids for the reconstruction of two tennis courts in the spring of 2016.
In essence, said Community Center Director Diane Booth, “In order to move forward with a couple of grant applications they [tennis association] need a bid to come back. I know it’s putting the cart before the horse, but you have 60 days to reject bids [if they are too high] after they come back.”
The tennis association is working with Fred Kolkmann, Tennis & Sports Surfaces, LLC who recommended that bids be let in August or early September 2015 to lock in a price when hopefully bids will be lower. He estimates the cost to be $146,500.
As of now the project is short $61,500, but the tennis association has $10,000 in its coffers with $60,000 coming from the county’s one percent funds and another $10,000 coming from a United States Tennis Association (USTA) grant.
The association has also applied for a second USTA grant of $15,000 and will put in a request for an Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) grant.
A request for funds has also been made to the City of Grand Marais but the city councilors are waiting to see how much the county will contribute over and above the one percent funding before they make a decision.
Commissioner Garry Gamble lauded the tennis association for its progressive approach to seeking money and lessening the economic burden of maintenance on the county. He said they had followed the ‘integrity of the process” in dealing with the county and applauded their efforts to see that the courts were well maintained.
Commissioners agreed to have the county solicit bids this August or September, with work scheduled to begin in the spring if all of the funding is in place.
County reviews state payment in lieu of taxes
Auditor/Treasurer Braidy Powers reviewed the state payment in-lieu of taxes annual payment to the county with the board. The county is comprised of 92 percent state and federal lands, leaving little private property to tax.
This year the county received $370,049.28, about the same amount as last year. Commissioner Frank Moe asked Powers if he had any idea how much the county would receive if these state lands were in the public’s hands and taxed accordingly and Powers said, “No. But it would be a lot more money for the county if they were in private hands.” Moe said his former constituents in the Minnesota House (that hailed from the cities) often thought areas like Cook County are “getting free money” when they receive “in-lieu” of tax money.
In other business
. County Administrator Jeff Cadwell gave a recommendation to approve a contract with Skillsoft Full Coursewear Collection to purchase 85 licenses at a cost of $4,023.90. Skillsoft offers online training programs that county employees will be able to use to improve their skills and knowledge. The board voted to approve the request.
. The board passed a motion to award LaBoda Grading a contract to landscape and grade the area around the Hovland Town Hall for $7,500. Mark Adams was also awarded a contract to build a picnic pavilion at the town hall for $24,640.
Commissioner Heidi Doo-Kirk voted no because Adams isn’t licensed. County Attorney Molly Hicken said the way the contract was worded Adams didn’t need a contractor’s license. Doo-Kirk said she understood, but because most builders in the county pay more than $600 to have a license and then also attend classes to maintain it, she couldn’t vote for someone who didn’t do the same.
. Commissioners passed a motion to accept an annual service agreement with Boreal TV to maintain coverage of their meetings for a cost of $6,800, in quarterly payments of $1,700.
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