Jail plan moves ahead; Extension revamped

The Carlton County Board of Commissioners selected a firm to do the preliminary work on architectural and engineering concepts for the new Carlton County jail during Tuesday’s meeting. Adolfson & Peterson Construction has its main office in the Twin Cities but also has a branch office in Duluth.

Several firms were interviewed before a final choice was made. Adolfson & Peterson worked on the Minnesota Sex Offender Program facility in Moose Lake and the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth. Their contract as a Construction Manager at Risk will carry a price tag of $37,000-plus, and will give the county board choices for what type of jail complex it wishes to build and the potential cost.

As of Tuesday’s meeting, Carlton County has not received word if the Minnesota Legislature will give permission for the county to ask voters for a half-percent sales tax to pay for the new jail. Carlton County residents must still vote for a sales tax funding approach or to use property taxes to pay for the work.

Extension changes

Commissioners approved a restructuring of the Carlton County Extension Office into an independent department, supervised daily by Craig Taylor, the regional director of the University of Minnesota Extension program. Along with county commissioners Mark Thell and Gary Peterson, the local Extension committee will provide more oversight with help from Taylor.

The Soil and Water Conservation District governing board approved teaming up with the Extension staff at the Carlton SWCD office.

Details are yet to be worked out before the move is supported by the county board. Under the current plan, the volunteer coordinator/horticulture assistant (who now handles the Master Gardener program) will be situated in the Community Initiatives office. The county board noted that this position will need to have a continued presence at the county fair and commit the time needed in the past.

“The Extension program provides a needed service to the people of Carlton County,” said county coordinator Dennis Genereau. “Yes, there are some budget issues to be worked out, but this new effort needs to be given a chance. For example, the ash coming out of the Cloquet Sappi mill helps many of the local farmers improve the productivity of their fields.”

During the Committee of the Whole meeting on April 6, more than two dozen farmers and those who are part of the agricultural economy urged the county to continue the Soil Improvement Program. It was noted that there is a six-month waiting list for ash from Sappi. Commissioner Dick Brenner said that since the program is run by Carlton County, he feels ccounty farmers should come first for products offered.

Other county news

• Commissioners approved a plan presented by auditor/treasurer Kathy Korteum to create a new exit for the office by getting rid of an existing closet between the treasurer’s office and the auditor’s office. Minimal renovation is needed. During certain times of the year, such as the final day to pay property taxes, a long line stretches into the hallway. The new exit avenue would solve crowding issues as people go in and out of the treasurer’s office.

• The coordinator/human resources office and the economic development office are being moved to the county’s health and human services annex in Cloquet, formerly the Cloquet City Hall. Remodeling is now in progress at the annex to house the Community Initiatives department.

The moves create what commissioner Marv Bodie called “very temporary” space for the court system, as follows:

1. Public defender staff will move to the second floor of the courthouse, two security-related offices will be on the first floor, and three conference rooms will be created to be used primarily by county departments.

2. The space vacated by the public defender staff on the fourth floor will become robing rooms for visiting judges.

3. Space vacated by court security on the fourth floor can become a conference room for the courts and court administration.

• R. L. Larson Excavating of St. Cloud was the successful bidder for the upgrade of 14th Street from Cloquet Avenue to Prospect Avenue. The bid came in at $3.06 million, which was 12 percent under engineer’s estimate. Approval must yet be given by the Cloquet City Council. If approved, the job would be Larson’s first for the county and the city.

• A part-time custodial maintenance relief position was made a full-time position to cover cleaning and maintenance of the new Barnum county garage. Commissioner Thell voted no to the successful motion, saying the board should continue to evaluate the cost to the taxpayers for each job added.