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Steele County Commission raises schedule concerns for road projects, approves courthouse chimney removal and other business
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Summary
The Steele County Commission on Sept. 4, 2018, heard an Interstate Engineering update that road projects were behind schedule and unanimously approved sending a letter to contractor Central Specialties; the board also approved building permits, accepted a chimney removal quote and reviewed proposals for courthouse bathroom repairs.
The Steele County Commission convened Sept. 4, 2018, and after routine approvals heard an update from Mike Bassingthwaite of Interstate Engineering that projects on County Roads 23, 5 and 6 were behind schedule. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve sending a draft letter to contractor Central Specialties to express the board’s concerns about scheduling.
Bassingthwaite also updated the board on upcoming work: Knife River is scheduled to perform repairs on County Road 23 east of County Road 8 and the county’s bridge project south of Sharon is scheduled for a February 2019 bid letting. Westfield Township requested replacing bridge 108.01.0 with a culvert; Bassingthwaite will evaluate water flow to determine feasibility.
Road Superintendent Reed Oien reported departmental updates including a new full-time hire, completion of a cost-share culvert project in Broadlawn Township, replacement of a culvert on County Road 8A, and Razor tracking reports. Commissioners asked Oien to add gravel to a ½-mile detour used for the County Road 23 project.
Tax Director and Road Department Office Manager Ben Gates proposed sending Farm Exemption letters to the county in three rotating sections so the mailings could be staggered; the board authorized sending the letters. Gates also reported that the Vanguard reassessment vendor projects completion by Jan. 15, 2019, and cited an estimated additional $1,000 for Midwest Communications work to meet tower grounding standards; Jamestown Communications will sign off that grounding meets standards.
The commission approved building permits for TransCanada and Brad Vigen by unanimous votes. Bobbi Hepper Olson presented a proposal to repair courthouse bathrooms with an estimate of $202,345 and said she did not foresee Historical Society objections; that proposal remains for future action. The board accepted LTN Construction’s $2,840 quote to remove the courthouse chimney.
The Steele County Policy Manual discussion was tabled until October. The commission adjourned at 12:29 p.m.
Actions taken included directing staff to send the draft letter to Central Specialties about road project delays, approving building permits, and accepting the chimney removal quote. Several items require follow-up: engineering assessment for Westfield Township’s culvert request, scheduling of chimney removal, and further review of the courthouse bathroom repair funding and any Historical Society conditions.