County pushes Hwy 73, masks

For the fourth time in the last 40 years the Carlton County board of commissioners declared their support for necessary funding by state and federal action to rebuild Highway 73 in western Carlton County, particularly the 8-mile stretch south of Cromwell.

There was little discussion before the unanimous vote during the county board meeting Monday, Jan. 24. Federal funding is available through the new infrastructure initiative and the state of Minnesota has a budget surplus of more than $7.5 billion. County highway engineer JinYeene Neumann pointed out that transportation projects are now being earmarked. Last year was the first time in many years when there was earmark money possible for needed transportation projects.

A new Hwy 73 action committee has been formed by activists in western Carlton County, including local officials, businesses, schools and concerned residents.

Letters can be sent to:

Sen Jason Rarick, Minnesota Senate Building, Room 3411, St. Paul MN 55155;

Rep. Mike Sundin, 417 State Office Building, St. Paul MN 55155;

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, 425 Dirksen Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510;

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, 461 Cannon HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515 or 5094 Miller Trunk Highway, Suite 900, Hermantown MN 55811.

Additionally, Jacob Warkentin, field representative for 8th District Congressman Pete Stauber, has been active in the group. Email submissions may be sent to [email protected].

“Many people have died or have received serious injuries traveling on this road,“ wrote 5th District county commissioner Gary Peterson, the current board chair, in his personal letter of support. “There is absolutely no shoulder to forgive a driver’s slight mistake. There is no way to pull over for an emergency vehicle or even a simple flat tire. Parts of 73 have very poor visibility, blind spots, and the 90-degree turns are a nightmare.”

County continues Covid measures

Omicron continues to cause Covid-19 levels in Carlton County to rise, with 57 new cases reported Monday, Jan. 24. Cars were lined up on the south side of the Gateway Clinic in Moose Lake for Covid-19 testing, with 23 cars in line at one time, according to clinic staff.

The county board extended mandatory mask wearing in county buildings per the policy passed in early December 2021. The masking policy will be reassessed in about two months. Commissioner Mark Thell again voted “no” to the measure. In a phone interview, Thell again said that he voted “no” because the constituents of his district will wear masks, but do not believe it has to be mandated by a governmental order.

Busy year for roads and bridges

Highway engineer Neumann gave an overview of the 14th Street (CSAH 3) project from Prospect Avenue to Tall Pines in Cloquet scheduled for this summer. Part of the high cost is due to the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Washington Ave. and 14th Street. With part of the construction costs being carried by the City of Cloquet due to major utility work, Ulland Brothers was the low bidder on Nov. 22 at $4,245,993.45, which is 19.73 percent below engineer estimates.

Coupled with another successful Ulland Brothers bid of $2,287,455.01 on Jan. 24, at 27.54 percent below engineer’s estimate, the total construction costs came in at roughly $7.1 million.

The second bid round covered:

1. County Road 137 in Moose Lake from Interstate-35 to the east side of the state park.

2. A CSAH 1 project from the Hwy 210 intersection in downtown Carlton, south to the railroad tracks.

3. The I-35 bridge on CSAH 4 to CSAH 5

4. From the Olson Road to the Nendick Road on CSAH 5 through Blackhoof and Twin Lakes townships.

The majority of work included full-depth reclamation and bituminous surfacing.

In order to do all this work and pay for it, Neumann requested the board approve asking for an advance of excess state CSAH construction funding.

Next year the county will have less state-funded road construction funds dedicated for roads with numbers less than 100 for their work in that cycle. The extra savings for construction this year with bids below engineering estimates made this a good move over the long run, Neumann said.

The cost of intersection work at the intersection of Minnesota Highway 210 and CSAH 61, known locally as Carlton Junction, to handle increased traffic from the new justice center/jail out of Old Highway 61 has doubled. The county’s share rose from $120,000 to $291,000, according to the latest figures and talks with MnDOT, Neumann said. It appears engineering costs will come in around $300,000.

Most of the project work is in the MnDOT right of way. Neumann said she will continue to negotiate and will report back to the board.

In other matters

• Zoning and Solid Waste administrator Heather Cunningham got approval for a cashier position at the Transfer Station to be increased to full-time. Retaining qualified people to run the Transfer Station was given as the reason. Cunningham said that the days of having excess fund balances in her department are coming to an end.

• Carlton County jailer Paul Coughlin received permission from the board to head a small team to inspect a third type of prefabricated steel cell at a plant in Georgia, as recommended by the architects and engineers on the justice center/jail complex. A final choice would be made from one of the three sources.