Griggs County commissioners approve purchase of 12-by-24 steel maintenance shed

The Griggs County Commission voted to buy a 12-by-24 steel maintenance shed and directed staff to fund the purchase with $12,000 from the county maintenance budget and $4,000 from the general fund.

Commissioner Lynn made the motion to buy the prebuilt shed; Commissioner Zorn seconded it. Commissioner Hedlund, Zorn and Commissioner Tranvi voted in favor; the motion carried on a voice vote.

The purchase was presented by Chad, a county maintenance staff member, who said the unit is all steel, prebuilt and “has pretty much everything we'd want” for the planned location. Chad described the existing storage as small and unsafe, saying the current attached room is roughly 8-by-10 and contains items that should not be stored there — including a fuel-powered weed whacker placed near furnaces and electrical boxes.

“It's not very big. And, we get this new shed, then we'll be able to stick, like, everything up off the ground and on the shelves,” Chad said, describing improved organization and safer storage for overstock and supplies.

County staff discussed funding options. A county official noted $12,000 was available within the maintenance budget and that the county holds about $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that have “no strings attached,” but that some commissioners preferred not to use ARPA for this purchase. The motion specified using $12,000 from maintenance and $4,000 from the general fund so the ARPA balance would remain intact.

Commissioners and staff said the chosen shed should arrive within a few weeks. No additional conditions or amendments to the purchase were recorded in the meeting minutes.

The commission moved on to a separate agenda item after the vote.