Beltrami County hires consultants, secures grants to develop county Safety Action Plan with public outreach

Beltrami County commissioners heard an introduction to a new comprehensive Safety Action Plan intended to reduce severe crashes on the county road system and to make roads "more forgiving" of driver error.

Kristen Foster of Stonebrook Engineering and Jed Nordeen of Moore Engineering described a Safe Systems approach funded by a $200,000 federal grant and a $50,000 state grant to develop the plan. Consultants said this iteration will be county-specific — unlike previous statewide efforts — and will place extra emphasis on gravel roads and rural conditions unique to large northern Minnesota counties.

The work will include crash-data analysis, a prioritized capital and maintenance project list, an implementation toolkit of templates and performance measures, and grant-ready project sheets to improve competitiveness for outside funding. The consultants said the plan will rely on public input via two public open houses (one in Bemidji, one in a rural location), an online interactive map and survey, pop-up engagement events, and focus groups for emergency-services staff, elderly residents and those with limited mobility.

Consultants asked commissioners to serve or nominate members for a task force that will guide priorities; Commissioner Wenger and Commissioner Carlson were thanked for agreeing to participate. Jed Nordeen said the plan’s outcome is intended to be widely owned: "It's not Bruce's plan. It's the county's plan. It's the public's plan."

Next steps: the Safety Action Plan task force will convene next week, public engagement will begin this winter, and consultants will return to present draft recommendations to the board at three future meetings over the coming months.