by April Scheinoha
Reporter
It was a spendy day Tuesday, April 13 at the Justice Center as the Pennington County Board accepted low bids and quotes totalling $248,196 for four construction projects. Commissioners also approved transferring an additional $613,748.83 in its 2022 state aid funds for the Mark Boulevard bridge.
The finishing touches are expected to be placed on the Mark Boulevard bridge this summer. County Engineer Mike Flaagan expected some milling of the bridge, including the approaches onto the bridge. The bridge will be painted, and the nearby trail will be paved.
This past fall, the bridge and two affiliated roundabouts – near Challenger Elementary School and Sanford Health – were constructed as part of the $10 million project. County leaders plan to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony when everything has been completed.
The project will be funded with state aid, funding from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and $3 million in grants.
County Engineer Mike Flaagan said state aid transfer was expected and included in the county’s Five-Year Road and Bridge Plan. A public hearing about that plan will be held Tuesday, April 27 at 4 p.m. at the Justice Center.
County Board accepted the low quote for paving the parking lot west of the Justice Center. Agassiz Asphalt had the low quote of $86,310. R.J. Zavoral & Sons had the other quote of $94,600.
The Thief River Falls School District and Pennington County both use the parking lot as part of an agreement in which the county will cover the cost of paving the parking lot. Flaagan said the school district will cover the cost of striping the parking lot and removing a section of nearby curb and gutter on the end of the paved section of the parking lot.
Pennington County doesn’t own the gravel lot south of the Justice Center.
Commissioners accepted the low bid for the construction of a box culvert on Pennington County Road 75 south of the Thief River Falls Regional Airport. Taggart Excavating and Septic Services had the low bid of $137,197. Flaagan’s estimate was $161,994.
Other bidders included Davidson Construction, Triple D Construction, Olson Construction of TRF and Gladden Construction.
County Board accepted the low quote for the milling and patching of a small section of Pennington Avenue. Agassiz Asphalt had the low quote of $10,255. R.J. Zavoral & Sons provided the other quote.
The county installed a box culvert there a few years ago. Flaagan indicated it is commonplace for a bump to form where a culvert has been placed under a paved roadway.
County Board accepted the low quote for countywide striping. AAA Striping Service had the low quote of $14,434.41. Traffic Marking Service provided the other quote.
Commissioners approved vacating an easement that resulted from a former road located near the airport. The former “airport road” hasn’t been used for at least 40 years. In order for the airport to receive federal funding to construct a cargo hangar, the county needed to vacate the former roadway. There were no plans to use the roadway in the future. The vacation came after County Board held a public hearing about the plans.
At one point, County Board closed the meeting for about 14 minutes to discuss pending litigation or litigation strategy.
During an interview with The Times, County Attorney Seamus Duffy declined to provide further information. However, he indicated that the closed session didn’t pertain to a county employee or to an unidentified limited liability corporation that had earlier petitioned for a review of its 2020 property taxes and assessments for parcel.
Per Minnesota statute, government boards may close their meetings to discuss pending litigation. There was no discussion related to the closure after the County Board meeting was reopened to the public.
Commissioners approved promoting Corrections Sergeant Jo Williams to the newly created position of assistant jail administrator, effective Monday, April 19. Williams has been employed at the jail for more than 20 years, according to Sheriff Ray Kuznia.
Two other applicants applied for the job; however, they weren’t qualified for the job and had applied for other job openings at the jail.
In separate motions, County Board approved promoting two corrections officers to sergeant positions, effective Monday, April 19. Tanner Wellman and Jon Erickson were promoted. One of those positions is the position that will be vacated by Williams while the other position was vacant.
County Board signed a memorandum of understanding for the Pennington County Weed Management Area.
The area will devise a uniform, long-range approach to weed management and map noxious weeds in the county. The Pennington Soil and Water Conservation District began the mapping process in 2020 and intends to finish it this year.
Bryanna Grefthen, who is employed with Pennington SWCD, said one goal is to make landowners more aware of the invasive plants on public and private land in the county. The hope is that the landowners will then take care of the weeds. She noted the group won’t regulate weed removal.
Grefthen listed a variety of invasive species that the area may manage. Among others, they included Palmer amaranth, common or European buckthorn, leafy spurge and others.
In 2020, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources awarded a grant to the Pennington SWCD to start the group. Various other stakeholders, including cities, townships, the Red Lake Watershed District, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pheasants Forever, Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Farm Service Agency have also been asked to participate in the area.
Red Lake County already has a County Weed Management Area. Grefthen said its area focuses on the identification of priority invasive species and priority lands like pastureland. That group has also received a BWSR grant as part of a cost-share program for herbicide.
The next County Board meeting is scheduled Tuesday, April 27 at 5 p.m. at the Justice Center.