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County discusses MWEC power-pole placement after survey monument disagreement
Summary
Road & Bridge staff and Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative disagreed over whether a 2010 KLJ-set section corner monument was lost; MWEC had used a 2010 monument to set poles in 2023. The board recommended discussions among MWEC, HDR and county staff and left poles in place pending reconciliation.
Road & Bridge Engineer Jana Hennessy briefed the board on a placement dispute involving a section corner in the NE corner of Section 26, Township 155, Range 89 and power poles set by Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative (MWEC). MWEC’s surveyor, Erik Halverson, told the board that a KLJ-set monument from 2010 was documented on a well plat and MWEC recovered it in 2023 and used it to set power poles. HDR’s design survey did not find the monument and considered the corner "lost." Hennessy said both HDR and MWEC acted in good faith and recommended leaving the poles in place, reimbursing MWEC for pole relocation costs, and a collaborative review to verify the 2010 KLJ monument and reconcile records.
State’s Attorney Wade Enget recommended the county have discussions with HDR and MWEC to develop a plan of action and return with a recommendation at the next commissioner meeting. The board did not take a final action at the Jan. 20 meeting beyond directing follow-up conversations.
