Hubbard County approves MnDOT cost agreement for ATV crossing, timber salvage auction and aerial imagery after windstorm damage

Hubbard County commissioners voted to approve a Minnesota Department of Transportation cost agreement to let bids on an ATV crossing replacement at Hay Creek and authorized emergency actions after a late-June windstorm that felled thousands of acres of timber.

The board approved signing the MnDOT agreement so DOT can proceed with bid letting for a box-culvert extension and trail surface funded in part by a $72,000 Federal Recreational Trails grant. Natural resources staff said the ATV club sponsoring the project will cover any costs above the grant; staff estimated a likely total near $95,000 but said final pricing will be known only after bids are returned. "We received the grant, dollars 72,000 from this Federal Recreation Trails grant," Natural Resources staff said, and noted the club will cover amounts above the grant.

Why it matters: the culvert and trail are intended to reduce safety risks where off-road vehicles currently use the highway; county staff said timely state bid letting is needed to keep the project on a short construction window.

The board also authorized holding a salvage timber auction to sell storm-damaged timber on county lands. Natural Resources staff reported roughly 5,000 acres across six townships were affected and that 2,000–2,100 acres of mature timber fell, representing roughly a year of the county's harvest plan. Staff asked the board to approve an auction period in early August and time-limited harvest windows (approximately three months for pine and six months for aspen). A commissioner moved and the motion carried.

County staff said quick sale and harvest are important to public safety and to preserve timber value: "If you don't get to it right away, it'll start spreading fast in other pine," Natural Resources staff said. Staff said the county will break the salvage into multiple sale tracts and expects several dozen auctioned areas adjacent to one another to ease access and harvesting.

The board approved a separate $8,000 purchase from EagleView for targeted aerial imagery over the northern four to six townships to document storm damage, support replanting plans and to help the county compile reimbursable infrastructure-loss estimates. Jack in GIS coordinated the quote and staff proposed funding the flight from the Forest Development Fund.

Natural Resources staff said the EagleView imagery is not reimbursable but will improve damage accounting for potential state or federal disaster reimbursement. "It will really help to make sure that we assess the damage appropriately so that any infrastructure loss that the county has suffered will be able to make sure we account for when we're filling out the forms," staff said.

Also reported: two club grants—one for the Hay Creek ATV crossing and another to replace a bridge near Hungry Man Lake for the Forest Riders Snowmobile Club—were noted as received; the bridge funding will be presented to the board at a future date.

What commissioners approved (actions): signing the MnDOT cost agreement to allow bid letting for the Hay Creek box culvert/trail (grant $72,000; club to cover amounts above grant); authorization to hold salvage timber auctions for storm-damaged timber; acceptance of an $8,000 EagleView imagery quote funded from the Forest Development Fund. Motions for these items carried.

The Natural Resources agenda also included an update on Deep Lake Park permitting and grant steps; staff reported they had submitted a state archaeological clearance and expected the state to release remaining grant funds once it accepts the report, enabling demolition bids and road/parking work to be let. Staff said they will seek required variances and a conditional-use permit on the park project to cover all intended project phases.

Looking ahead: staff said timber sale timing aims to harvest before hunting season if possible, and that the county will plant pine seedlings two years after clearing and perform site preparation in the first year. The EagleView imagery will be layered in GIS and may be made available to landowners or the public for review.

Speakers quoted in this article appear in the speakers list below and were present during the Natural Resources segment of the meeting.