Pipeline staging area plan dropped; jail plans continue

It took 12 minutes for the Carlton County board of commissioners to meet Monday, Oct. 26. Chairman Marv Bodie chaired the meeting, which was livestreamed and attended virtually by commissioners Tom Proulx and Dick Brenner.

A permit for the use of the Alex Omar land on the Bromfield Road in Atkinson Township for pipeline construction staging needed no board action, because the company withdrew its permit application after residents living near the proposed staging area voiced concerns at the board’s Oct. 13 meeting. The negative neighborhood feedback made Enbridge pipeline construction firm Precision reassess that particular site.

Jail ongoing

The Minnesota Legislature has passed a bonding bill that dedicated $2.5 million to study a women’s programming initiative in conjunction with the new proposed Carlton County jail. This programming is lacking in northeastern Minnesota and would make the jail more of a regional asset.

Planning for the new jail continues with the county board hoping that legislative approval for a half-percent sales tax funding mechanism will be approved in the 2021 session. Local voters would still have to vote on the issue: whether to approve a half-percent sales tax countywide or use property tax levy money to fund a $30-$40 million new jail.

The north parking lot and buildings are being studied for site issues for the new jail; e.g., bedrock is close to the surface in that particular building site expansion. The fate of the Carlton High School property, adjacent to the current Carlton County jail, has not been decided by the Carlton school board.