The Koochiching County Board Tuesday unanimously agreed to increase county seasonal recreation leases beginning this year from the existing $130 annual fee to $220.
The same motion included language that said the fees will increase again to $320 in 2014, and will be reviewed every two years after.
The increase impacts 246 county lease holders, which haven’t seen an increase in 12 years, Commissioner Wade Pavleck said.
“We’re way below what the market bears,” Commissioner Brian McBride said of the lease fee.
In 2001, Koochiching County increased the annual fee from $90 to $130. The current increases were recommended in 2010 by an advisory committee. Money gained by the fees are apportioned, with the county retaining 60 percent of the fees and school districts receiving 40 percent.
Koochiching’s lease fees appear to be the lowest among seven counties in the state that offer recreational leases, according to information provided to the board by county Land Commissioner Dennis Hummitzsch. The annual fees range from Koochiching’s $130 to a high of $530 charged by the state for leases in Koochiching County.
In other business Tuesday, county Engineer Doug Grindall told the board Koochiching County was a recipient of the 2012 Special Project of the Year award presented by the Minnesota Highway Engineers Association for the County State Aid Highway 155 project.
“Of course, that is the one that had quite a bit of controversy,” Grindall said of the effort, referring to concerns that the highway may reroute traffic from traveling through the U.S. Highway 53 route to Canada.
Grindall noted the project had a price tag of about $1.4 million and another $220,000 for railroad signal gates.
“The project received a lot of criticism ... it was a battle,” Pavleck said. “It worked out really well. People love the road.”
The board commended all efforts put into CSAH 155 and asked Grindall if turning lanes were still in the works for the Minnesota Highway 11 east entrance to the road. Grindall replied that the Minnesota Department of Transportation is “looking at (turning lanes) at this time.”
Also Tuesday, the board adopted a resolution for a railroad crossing signal system at the intersection of Spruce Street, or County Road 20.
The system, Grindall said, appears to be completely funded by federal dollars.
“It is worth $205,000 to our county,” he said of the project.
Grindall added that if there is a 20 percent local match required, the county’s state aid maintenance fund could be tapped.
The resolution includes an agreement between Koochiching County, the railroad company Wisconsin Central Ltd. and Minnesota Department of Transportation commissioner for the installation and maintenance of the railroad crossing signals.
The project was originally scheduled for 2016 or further in the future, Grindall said. But, he said he anticipates the project will begin either this year or 2014.
“This will help the people of Ranier,” Pavleck said.
In other business, Dale Olson, county environmental service director, told the board about efforts to extend sewer services to areas south of International Falls.
Olson said surveys to gauge interest were mailed to 248 addresses in the Papermakers and Meadowview areas. He said 139 surveys were returned with 59 percent in favor of sewer service.
Olson explained a high percentage of the systems in the targeted areas were in ground and sitting in “heavy clay.”
“With that clay, there would be very few (systems) that met state code right now,” he said. “So it is a problem.”
Moving forward at this point, Olson said he will generate a proposal for the project as well as develop an engineering plan to assess the cost of the project to determine its feasibility.
