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Commissioners discuss Prairie Lakes ash recovery plan and approve consent agenda
Summary
County commissioners discussed a multi‑million dollar regional ash recovery facility and cost‑sharing; staff described a possible 22% Becker County share (about $848,820 if bonded) and commissioners approved the consent agenda that included support actions.
Becker County commissioners spent substantial time during the consent‑agenda review discussing the proposed Prairie Lakes ash recovery facility, which would process and store combustion ash for reuse in road base and other applications.
Soil and public‑works representatives explained that the ash processing facility’s storage and processing work includes magnets and trommels to separate metals, and that a transfer station nearby is an Otter Tail County cost. The presenter said the total ash processing cost for the storage facility was estimated at $1,890,000, the transfer station portion (Otter Tail County) was larger (roughly $7,000,000), and that Becker County’s projected participation share in one cost item was about 22% — approximately $848,820 — to be bonded if a state bonding bill advances. County staff emphasized multiple unknowns: which entity would carry the bond, and whether Prairie Lakes or Otter Tail County would bond the transfer station.
Commissioners asked for clearer documentation and for the bonding proposal to specify how funds would be allocated between Prairie Lakes and the Otter Tail transfer facility. One commissioner noted the county’s current disposal costs and argued preventive investment could save future expense: “We currently pay about $156,000 a month to burn half our trash over in Perham,” a county representative said while describing operational savings from reusing ash in roadbeds.
The board then approved the consent agenda by voice vote. Materials on the Prairie Lakes project and any required funding breakdowns will return to staff and committees for follow‑up as bonding or grant opportunities develop.
No separate roll‑call tally was recorded in the meeting minutes for the consent agenda vote.
