The Cook County commissioners had a busy meeting July 8, delving into topics ranging from communications towers to animal welfare to playground and highway maintenance equipment.
Tower improvements planned
Rena Rogers, information systems director gave an update on her efforts to make the operation and maintenance of the county’s 11 communications towers more sustainable. Rogers said she has been working on a service model to calculate the total cost of ownership, so that the county – and not contractors such as AT&T or Verizon – can set the rates it charges to lease space for their equipment. “That’s been a concern of mine,” said Rogers. “We have to support these towers over time.”
Concerning the towers, Rogers said work will soon be under way to improve cell phone coverage at three of the sites.
The first, the Gunflint Mid Trail tower, is on U.S. Forest Service land, and AT&T is in the process of submitting an application to the FCC. However, the county needs an amendment to its special use permit to put up a building to house the necessary equipment. A meeting has been set with the Forest Service to discuss the amendment, Rogers said, and the board approved submission of a letter authorizing required environmental and historic area reviews.
The Gunflint tower is also on Forest Service land and cannot support cell service equipment. Rogers said options there include adding on to the tower, or building a second tower. Because the tower is already 180 feet tall, Rogers said an addition would result in a need to install lights (a requirement for towers taller than 200 feet). Such a move would likely create controversy, owing to the tower’s proximity to the Boundary Waters, so the better option is construction of a second tower, which Rogers said AT&T has committed to. “Everybody is sensitive to that area of the Trail,” she said.
Construction is also scheduled for the Verizon tower site on the hill above Grand Marais. Although the project to build a replacement tower started last May, an engineering error resulted in the new tower being built only 12 feet from the old one, making it impossible to install the 4G equipment, which was then mounted temporarily at a lower height. Sometime this month, Rogers said, a 375-foot-tall crane will be brought to the site to take down the old tower, and then add an additional 60 feet to the new tower. Finally, the cell equipment will be moved up, resulting in better reception.
Broadband build out continues
Rogers was accompanied by Joe Buttweiler and Paul Harvey of the Broadband Commission, who gave a brief update on the project. Buttweiler said Arrowhead Electric’s focus has been on building the network, and despite the lousy weather things have been going “full swing” in Hovland and Grand Portage. In an effort to expedite the process, Buttweiler said another person has been added to help with installations, which are being done at a rate of about eight per day. Rather than push out the timeline (which calls for a late spring 2015 completion), Buttweiler said he and the contractors are looking at ways to increase the number of hook-ups done each day.
In other business:
. The board approved by a 4-1 vote an equipment replacement policy presented by Highway Engineer Dave Betts. The policy was prepared at the request of the county board as a means to proactively and systematically replace Highway Department vehicles and other equipment in a cost-effective manner, and provide guidance when developing the annual budget. Bruce Martinson cast the dissenting vote, arguing that the vehicles and heavy equipment should be kept and maintained longer than the policy dictates.
. On Betts’s recommendation, the board awarded low bidder Isak Hansen & Sons a $67,475 contract to provide 2,500 cubic yards of salt-sand mix for the winter stockpile. Betts commented that “last winter killed us,” and noted that 30 percent of this year’s salt-sand budget has already been burned. Coupled with the “astronomical” cost of heating the department’s building and other budgetary constraints, Betts said the crack sealing projects scheduled for this summer will not be done until next year. “I just can’t see spending that [about $50,000] this year.”
. At the request of Airport Manager Rod Roy, the board awarded a $1,468,200 contract to Northland Contractors of Duluth for phase 1 of the runway extension project, and a $218,000 contract to RS&H of Duluth for construction administrative services. Roy said the 5,000- foot extension and widening work will allow firefighting planes to use the airport; the project is funded by an FAA grant (90 percent), state grant (5 percent) and local funds (5 percent).
. Following a lengthy discussion, the board approved a conditional use permit amendment allowing Randy Sjogren to increase the number of animal units allowed at his Putt ’n Pets miniature golf facility on Highway 61 west of Grand Marais. “Animal units” are used in the permitting, registration and environmental review process because they allow equal standards for all animals based on size and manure production, rather than setting limits based solely on number of animals. The original permit granted permission for two turkeys, four or five pheasants, 15-20 chickens and three goats (.346 animal units). The new guidelines (1.84 animal units) will allow an emu, a potbelly pig and two minidonkeys. Garry Gamble cast the no vote, stating the amendment was putting the cart in front of the horse.
. Expenditure of $32,031 from the Parks & Recreation Fund was approved for the purchase and installation of Hovland playground equipment and pavilion site preparation. The cost is about $7,200 over the original estimate.
. In accordance with state statutes, the board approved a request from Don Wilson, post commander of the Grand Marais American Legion, to appropriate up to $300 annually for markers and flags for veterans’ graves on Memorial Day. There are about 1,000 veterans’ graves in the county that are remembered with flags each year.
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