Board plans to approve DNR lease

“The DNR is proposing a lease for the 1.2 acre site,” Gouin said.

The detention tank would be used for underground sanitary overflow storage of the rural Island View area, about two miles south of Rainy Lake.

“We were considering acquiring the land, but are now recommending we move forward with the lease,” Gouin said. “The DNR is recommending an upfront fee of $1,200 for the 20-year lease.”

Gouin said he felt the $1,200 was “a good deal,” and urged commissioners to move forward with the process. In addition, he said he has talked to the project's attorney, Steve Shermoen, who was in favor of the lease's recommendation.

“He felt we could always still move forward with acquiring the land if that was the right choice at a later date,” Gouin added. “But $1,200 for 20 years is a good deal...I commend (the DNR) for coming up with a fee like that. It is reasonable and helps the project.”

Commissioner Wade Pavleck said if the board entered the lease, it was likely it would be bound to it for the 20 years and said he doubted the DNR would be interested in selling the land.

“It's certainly the least expensive and quickest way to go at this point,” he said, adding the joint powers board was also in favor of the lease.

Gouin said as the project progresses, there will be more DNR-related issues to deal with, but was unsure of what exactly would or could be involved.

In other business Tuesday, Andy Hubley, planner with Arrowhead Regional Development Commission, and Walter Leu, assistant district engineer – state aid with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, gave commissioners updates on the Northeast Minnesota Area Transportation Partnership, or ATP.

“Essentially the ATP is the body that helps MnDOT decide where to spend federal transportation dollars,” Hubley said. “The current (two-year) bill that federal transportation dollars are distributed through is called MAP-21.”

MAP-21 establishes a consolidated program that provides funding for a variety of alternative transportation projects, including many that were previously eligible activities under separately funded programs.

A big change in the program, Hubley said, is that scenic byways and safe routes to school programs are now included with all other transportation projects around the region and will compete for money out of the same funding pot.

“Unfortunately, the dollars they have to compete for are less under this new formula, so we have more projects competing for less dollars,” he said.

Leu said the good news is MnDOT will have more money to spend on the national highway system, but less to spend on other roads – like the local Highway 217.

“The pavement quality is deteriorating, and we're going to use trunk highway funds to resurface that,” he said of the highway between Ray and Littlefork.

Other upcoming projects for Koochiching County, Leu said, include a number of paving projects as well as work on U.S. Highway 53 to include bypass and turning lanes, some or all of which could be located in St. Louis County.

“It's probably going to be a $25 million to $28 million dollar project,” he said.

The county board also Tuesday:

• Entered into a one-year tire recycling agreement with Earl Boyum, with the option to extend the agreement up to an additional two years if both parties agree.
• Authorized the county's environmental service director to increase tire coupon prices to better match costs to the county. New prices for a passenger car/light truck will increase from $2 to $3. Coupons for large trucks will increase from $7 to $9.
• Adjusted the current uncompacted waste tipping fee for haulers from $7.33 to $11 per cubic yard.
• Adopted a revised billing policy for the county's environmental services department.
• Agreed to seek bids to replace machinery for the transfer station that was not part of the 2014 budget.