The Polk County Commissioners met on Tuesday at the Polk County Government Center.
POLK COUNTY PLANNING AND ZONING
The meeting began with the commissioners receiving requests for approval from Jacob Snyder of Planning and Zoning. The first item approved was in regard to a preliminary Plat in Woodside Acres Addition located outside of the shoreline district of (Union Lake, approximately ¼ of a mile north of the public access on Union Lake).
“The developer and landowner of the lake are looking to create 21 residential lots there,” said Snyder, “There were a lot of discussions, and we’ve had a lot of comments about the use on Union Lake, and the developer doesn’t have any property along Union Lake, and it has been revamped from October with a lot of stormwater. The SWIP permit required through the MPC process is in line and ready to go.” The developer in question has been instructed to continue with road building and secure the MPC permit so that stormwater will be controlled during construction. The road work is required to be finished in six months, and the permit must be secured before the commissioners can give final approval of the plat.
The board also approved six additional conditional-use permits. The individuals and entities that were approved for conditional permits include-
– Mike and Sarah Schley, to construct a self-storage unit building
– Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc. for the construction and operation of an electrical substation
– Paul Sorenson, to locate a grain leg and tower support built to a max of 110 feet
– Jordan Olson and Sidney Williams, for the construction of an accessory structure over 800 square feet and to hook up a new septic system to the accessory structure
– Benedict Kuznia, to hook up a new septic system to an accessory structure
– Daniel Bauer, for the operation of a farm-related business (Honey Farm extraction)
POLK COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT
The meeting continued with the board reviewing contracts and projects from the Polk County Highway Department.
The first projects reviewed were box culvert installations in Hammond and Russia/Brandsvold Townships. The board awarded the contracts for the following projects to Gladen Construction out of Laporte, Minnesota. The Hammond township project bid came in the amount of $212,661.60, and the Russia/Brandsvold township project came in the amount of $222,198.
The third project the commissioners reviewed was regarding County Roads 202 and 203. “We will be full grading,” said Polk County Construction Engineer Darin Carlstrom, “We will be putting in four to one in-slope, re-doing the ditches, and re-doing the road top.”
The commissioners also awarded this project to Gladen Construction in the amount of $1,188,227. Carlstrom was pleased with the bids and explained to the board that the sum of the project costs came in roughly 10-15% less than the original engineer’s estimate. “The bids are good,” said Carlstrom, “Right now, box culvert materials are especially expensive since COVID, and they’re finally coming down, so we are seeing savings. We can do more work that the prices are more in line where they should be.”
MINAKWA GOLF COURSE SEEKS WATER PUMPING EASEMENT
Minakwa Golf Course Co-owner Brandon Carlson approached the board seeking approval regarding an easement for a pump station to be placed on the 50 acres that the county owns on the bypass between Ampride and Highway 2.
Carlson also requested a drafted lease with the county so that Minakwa Golf Course could find an alternative water source since American Crystal Sugar decided to remove its irrigation portion at the course. “We don’t have an irrigation source right now, so I’m trying to find an alternate source,” said Carlson, “This was along the way where the four-inch line already runs from American Crystal. So we can use the infrastructure already in place; there’s already power there, and it just made sense for us to try to get a lease from the county in that area.”
Minakwa is still receiving water from American Crystal; however, American Crystal is projecting to have its new waste-water permit by the middle of June. Once they receive the new waste-water permit, they will no longer be able to supply Minakwa Golf Course with water. “The current permit allows 10 million gallons (of water) to come to American Crystal annually,” said Carlson. “With the 50 acres, the 8.2 million that was in my presentation today is the allocation that the DNR would give us for the irrigation permit and allow us to pump 8.2 million of the 50-acre lease with the county.” The commissioners ultimately approved moving forward with the water-pipe easement draft.
FAIR MEADOW NURSING HOME AND AGASSIZ ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTER REQUEST ARPA FUNDS
The board lastly heard from the Deputy City Administrator from of the City of Fertile, Stacy Erickson. Erickson requested additional ARPA (American Rescue Plan) funds for the Fair Meadow nursing home in the amount of $500,000 to continue operations, as the facility has faced financial hardships of late. Erickson also requested ARPA funding for the Agassiz Environmental Learning Center in the amount of $50,000 due to architectural estimates increasing since 2022 regarding capital improvements to the building. The commissioners did not take action on these items and will review them before revisiting the requests.
The consent agenda included the approval of minutes from the April 23 board meeting. It also included the approval of bills and disbursements in the amount of $252,630.01. The Polk County Commissioners will have their next meeting on Tuesday, May 21, at the Polk County Government Center.
