The Polk County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday afternoon at the Polk County Government Center.
CONSENT ITEMS
The board began the meeting by approving the minutes of their meetings on November 15, 22, and 29. The Consent items also included approving several payments to Johnson Controls for the Facilities Department. The first was in the amount of $6,738 for ADS & MUI Upgrade, the second in the amount of $1,418.20 for changing out leaking heating valves, and $1,000 for four-ball valves. The final item on the Consent Items was to approve a payment to Regents of the University of Colorado in Aurora, Colorado, in the amount of $70 for DANCE Training for Polk County Public Health. The board approved all items unanimously.
HIGHWAY-RICHARD SANDERS
The board was first approached by Highway Engineer Richard Sanders, who first requested the board to appoint a new County Land Surveyor as their current contract with SWN will expire on December 31. They had received two RFPs for the Surveyor appointment, and the county’s subcommittee recommended Widseth be reappointed as the County Land Surveyor for another four years (until December 31, 2026). However, the board wished for Sanders to gather more information about Widseth as the Surveyor and chose to table the item until their next meeting on December 20.
Certificate of Performance: CSAH 106 and 113
Sanders then requested the board to approve a Certificate of Performance to R.J. Zavoral & Sons, Inc of East Grand Forks after they’ve completed their work for CSAH 106 and 113 on Harrison Ave in the City of Mentor. He reported their original contract was set at $377,490.50 but now increased to $390,972 as their final contract.
Certificate of Performance: Gravel Stockpile Trail Pit
Sanders then requested the board to approve a Certificate of Performance to Ferguson Aggregate & Crushing, Inc. of Alexandria, after they’ve completed their work on a Gravel Stockpile Trail Pit on CP 122-00-01. He reported their original contract was set at $70,400 and had now increased to $82,139.20 as their final contract.
Certificate of Performance: CSAH 72, 73, 76, and Crookston Twp Rd.
Sanders then requested the board approve a Certificate of Performance to the Anderson Brothers Construction Company of Brainerd LLC after they’ve completed their work on CSAH 72, 73, 76, and the Crookston Twp Road. He reported their original contract was set at $859,335 but had now decreased to $853,519.34 as their final contract.
Certificate of Performance: CSAH 34 and 35
Sanders then requested the board to approve a Certificate of Performance to Knife River Materials-Northern Minnesota of Bemidji for their completed work on CSAH 34 and 35. He reported their original contract was set at $1,139,949.60 but now increased to $1,154,186.26 as their final contract. The board approved all contracts unanimously.
Mower Tractor rentals
Sanders next reported that he had sent out quotes for three mower tractor rentals where they had received a quote from the Valley Plains Equipment of Crookston of $18 per hour for 500 hours for a total of $27,000. The board approved the quote unanimously.
County Ditch 72 Maintenance Request
Sanders then requested the board to approve a Maintenance Request for County Ditch 72 to clean and remove trees in Sections 24 Onstad Twp and 19 Godfrey Twp. He explained that the contractor was already removing fever dams and needed to clear trees to do so. The board approved the motion unanimously.
MnDOT Agency Agreement
Sanders brought forward an Agency Agreement from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), as the county receives federal funding every couple of years for different projects using the Delegated Contract Process. “About every seven years, the county has to approve a Delegated Contract Process Agreement with MnDOT, which allows us to do a more efficient and easier process on getting our federal funds and our federal projects approved through Federal Highway,” County Engineer Richard Sanders explained. “Because we signed this agreement, it gives us that ability to do that process easier and quicker.” The board approved the agreement unanimously.
2023 Diesel Fuel Quotes
The final item Sanders brought forward was a list of quotes to furnish diesel fuel for the county for 2023. Sanders reported they had received two quotes on Monday from Fertile Oil and Northdale Oil in East Grand Forks. “Every year for about the last ten years, we’ve been doing diesel fuel quotes for our diesel fuel usage at the County Highway Shop in Crookston. We have a 10,000-gallon diesel fuel tank, so it just made sense that we would get a contract with a supplier to supply that for the four quarters of the year,” Sanders explained. “So, we sent out a quote, they have to put down a price every quarter, and then we know exactly what our diesel fuel for the year, based on 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel a quarter being used.” After some discussion, Sanders recommended they choose Northdale Oil which the board approved with their quote of $180,900 for 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel.
SOCIAL SERVICES-KAREN WARMACK
Social Services Director Karen Warmack approached the board with a contract with the Tri-County Community Corrections Transitions Program. She explained that the program works with youth at risk of out-of-home placement for $21 daily per client. The board approved the contract unanimously.
Residential Services contract
Warmack then came forward with a contract with the Corrections Center’s Residential Services with multiple conditions, such as non-secure placement rates remaining the same at $139 per day and Secure Detention placement rates remaining the same at no cost. The Non-Member Counties would have placement rates at $275 per day, and the Non-Member County Secure Detention placement rates would be at $290 per day.
Department of Human Services Adult Mental Health Initiative
Warmack then came forward to request the approval of a Community Support Plan Grant contract for the Department of Human Services. This provided a two-year grant to Region 1 counties for the Adult Mental Health Initiative (AMHI)/Community Support Plan (CSP) program. With the AMHI funds are in the amount of $2,907,828, and the CSP funds are for $862,160, not to exceed a total of $3,769,988. The board approved the contract unanimously.
Social Service Board Meeting Dates
Warmack then came forward with a list of board meetings for the Social Service that will be held every third Tuesday of the month at 8:00 a.m., except on June 20, which is at 1:00 p.m. The board approved the dates unanimously.
Eligibility Worker Replacement
The final item Warmack brought forward was a request for a replacement of an Eligibility Worker position in their Income Maintenance unit in East Grand Forks with primary responsibilities working with Health Care programs and asked the board to approve the refilling of the position and any internal subsequent position vacancies. The board approved the motion unanimously.
PLANNING AND ZONING-JACOB SNYDER
The board then heard from Assistant Environmental Services Administrator Jacob Snyder, who requested a final plat approval for Buhns Bay Addition in Woodside Township. Snyder explained the applicant, Chad Lian, planned to create four new buildable lots to create one outlot for access to Cable Lake on 32.46 acres of land. Snyder explained one of the lots had an existing home on it while the other three were split off. The land is also designed to utilize CSAH 12 as a public road frontage and would be used to access the parcels. Snyder reported that his staff had visited the site, and the plat fit the department’s requirements for the final plat approval. The board approved the final plat unanimously.
Conditional Use Permit for Otter Tail Power
Snyder then reported that Otter Tail Power Company requested a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for the expansion, maintenance, and operation for Otter Tail to create an electrical substation located on a parcel about 425 feet off the southeast quarter of Section 9 in Winger Township. “The expansion was really for redundancy in the system to create a reliable power grid. Some of the substations out there are quite dated, and electrical codes are changing. So, Otter Tail Power Company had put this project application in for expansion. It’s creating a second redundant system for the electrical grid there. They’re a big provider of power in the area in the whole northwest Minnesota.” He explained the expansion involves 4.57 additional acres around the existing site for expanding a second transformer and a new electrical control building. He said Otter Tail has an increased need for improved electric stability and reliability in the surrounding area, where it reached out to a lot of different areas throughout Northwest Minnesota. The board approved the permit unanimously.
The Polk County Commissioners will next meet on Tuesday, January 20, at 9:30 a.m. in the Polk County Government Center.
