The Ramsey County Commission met in regular session on Tuesday, May 19 at 5:30 p.m. in their County Courthouse chambers.
All commissioners were present for the meeting and following the Call to Order, Pledge of Allegiance they approved of the minutes from the previous meeting and the agenda for this meeting, with additions suggested.
First up to the microphone was Jason Kraft with his report and list of items to vote on for the County Highway Department. He was joined by Paul Bjornson, a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and Project Manager at the engineering and planning firm of KLJ Engineering Devils Lake, ND.
Items Kraft discussed at this meeting included coulee cleanouts needed because the water is higher on one side of the coulee and the drain, when cleaned out should equalize water levels. A 24-inch culvert will be put in at the Bartlett turn back and for your information a 36-inch culvert will be placed on the Ramsey County line because the one there is rusted out and needs replacing. Johnson Construction will install it and the cost is estimated to be $4,500.
All of these efforts are temporary fixes, for the most part, aimed at saving county roads. One big rain event to go and we could have an emergency on our hands. They hope to see 2 to 3 feet taken off the sloughs and ditches threatening
Under Unfinished Business, the Churchs Ferry property was discussed. State’s Attorney Daniel Howell advised the commission that according to ND Century Code if the property is worth less than $1,000 it may be sold by the County. If it is worth more than $1,000 it must be auctioned off. So they are going to contact the Assessor’s Office and get a ruling on what the property is actually worth before making a decision on selling the property to anyone. Therefore the commission voted to table the decision until that is accomplished.
Under New Business: The NDDOT is planning improvements to US 2 from Elks Drive to the Hefti Rest Area. The commissioners questioned the logic of some of the proposed changes to the turn lanes and the frontage roads, specifically the proposed changes number M16 – at the south entrance to the Cliffs Subdivision, Cowboy’s and Roger Johnson’s place. They questioned removing this access. Plus at M34, which was not part of the original project, this is a major crossover for farm machinery. The consensus of the commission was that the DOT would make the best decision for the safety of the highway and the people who use it. They did comment on how lowering the speed limit through this area has helped the situation greatly already, as has the lighting along this area of US Highway 2, according to the Sheriff’s department, which reported no new accidents or tickets issued. Comments to the DOT on this project are due by June 1.
Also, the steps on the south end of the Courthouse complex, near the Armory, are in need of repair or replacement. There have been some concerns about deterioration and unevenness that could potentially cause accidents for people using the stairway. It was decided to replace these steps with similar materials to those that were used on the front steps into the Memorial Building. Bids will be requested for this project.
Announcements at the end of the meeting included the North Central Planning Council will be conducting a study to look at livestock development in the region. this is planned for Tuesday, May 26 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Armory.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Ramsey County Commission will take place at 8 a.m., Tuesday, June 2 in the Courthouse.
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