Public meetings tackle road projects

Eight years have passed since the Carlton County Board of Commissioners approved the half-cent sales tax and the yearly $20 fee per vehicle licensed in Carlton County. In 2022 the net receipts of this funding mechanism has risen to more than $2.55 million, much higher than first anticipated.

Originally, the funding was promoted as a way to rehabilitate and repair county roads numbered above 100, whether they were tarred roads or would remain gravel thoroughfares. State aid, coupled with federal aid, focuses on the county state aid highways (CSAH) numbered below 100. The half-cent sales tax funding stream has made a big difference in the county road system, yet there is a long list of needs to work on.

County officials have scheduled two public hearings at 4:30 and 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, during the committee of the whole meeting at the Carlton County Transportation meeting. The 4:45 p.m. hearing will focus on a list of possible local option sales tax projects including county roads numbered above 100, along with state aid roads and deficient bridges ready for replacement. That list can be found at the Carlton County website. The entire list of projects is under the heading of possible funding from the half-cent sales tax and the vehicle excise tax. This appears to be a request to use this funding stream for any transportation project the county engineer wishes to do. The public is asked to comment on this proposal.

At 4:30 p.m., county officials are asking for public comment on a proposal to vacate two pieces of county road.

• CR 107, also known as the Kampground Road or the Old Carlton Road, has a portion of that road set for vacation. It would become a county cartway.

• CSAH 8 in Holyoke near the Wisconsin state line has seen a major upgrade in which a section of that roadway was straightened, leaving the old roadbed now in the shape of a triangle. Located in Section 16 of Holyoke Township, plans include making the old road bed a county cartway and a private road. A utility ROW is being reserved in both road vacations.

All affected landowners have been contacted in both cases.

Justice center update

County project manager Paul Coughlin said the justice center is 21-percent completed. The building has been constructed with premade cement panels, trucked in from western Minnesota, and erected with cranes. With the placement of steel girders for the roof and an installation of a metal subroof, it gives the observer the impression that the building is almost completed.

The bulk of the work is yet to be done and takes the most labor and is costly. Coughlin said the building is within cost estimates and is remaining within budget.

A change order was approved to build a water fire pump room on the back of the building in order to contain a 15,000-gallon tank in case of fire. The old plan did not meet state building codes for this type of structure. The $32,000 plus architectural fee for the change and any additional costs are covered by money set aside for project overruns.

Other county news

• Frontier Communications has a fiber optic line on the Soo Line Trail from the Aitkin County line to Moose Lake. Land commissioner Greg Bernu proposed a 25-year lease for $9,500 that is comparable to what St. Louis County charges. The board approved a 10-year lease instead, which can be re-evaluated after that period, and authorized the lease to be prorated using the earlier proposal. Inflationary pressures on the cost of the lease was of concern to the commissioners.

"I brought this up because a lot can come up in 25 years," said commissioner Gary Peterson. "In 10 years we can make adjustments."

• Willa Hanson of Cloquet was appointed to the Human Services Advisory Committee. Rachel Isham of Cloquet, who works as a mental health professional for Fond du Lac Human Services, was appointed to the Extension Committee.