Caledonia Argus

I.D.s now a requirement at drop sites

Posted: 7/9/02

by Jane Palen
Managing editor

If you take your recyclables and garbage to one of the countyís supervised drop-off site, be forewarnedóyou may be carded.

At its meeting of Tuesday, July 2, the county board implemented a new policy whereby employees of the drop-off sites are now authorized to check identification of those using the sites, and to turn away non-county residents.

Planing, zoning and solid waste director Rick Frank, who requested the policy, told the board that the sites have been inundated with out-of-county waste. While there is a charge for dropping off garbage, it represents much less than the actual cost of disposal, Frank explained. Those additional costs are subsidized by county taxpayers.

Signs will be posted at each site alerting residents to the new policy.

In other business, the board agreed to repair an area of blacktop adjacent to the recycling center in Houston which belongs to Sanden Realty.

Frank explained to commissioners that the area is used by the recycling center because it has to be crossed to enter the parking area. It is an inconvenience to the owner, but he has continued to allow the use of it. The blacktop is now damaged from use by the county. Commissioners agreed to accept a quote of $12,400 from Mathy Construction to repair the blacktop.

However, before making the commitment, the county board wanted assurances that it would be able to continue to use the blacktop. One suggestion was to ask for a right of first refusal in case the land comes up for sale.

Frank said that he would seek a guarantee but wanted the boardís approval to proceed because the blacktop plant is in the area and is scheduled to move to another location. The board agreed that Frank would keep commissioners Kevin Kelleher and Dave Corcoran apprised of the situation and proceed once an agreement is reached.

Canoe landing planned

County commissioners reviewed an agreement with the DNR to allow the construction of a public access canoe landing on the old right of way on County 25 in Mound Prairie Township. The state will construct and maintain the landing. According to county engineer Allen Henke, construction may get underway this summer.

Henke also reported that the bridge project in Butterfield Valley in Hokah is now complete.

Henke also reported that paving of County #3 (Brownsville Road) is scheduled for next year.

County board meets as board of health

In other business, the board agreed to submit letters of support from the Public Health Nursing service and Human Services to Semcac, which is applying for a $10,800 caregiver grant. The county has pledged in-kind donations of $600 from each department. Other contributors to the $3,600 match will be Fillmore County and Semcac.

According to PHN director Linda Grupa, people who need care in their homes are being taken care of, but the caregivers, often family members, are not.

ìPeople tend to wait too long before asking for help and hurt their own health,î she said.

The purpose of the grant is to develop and expand programs and services for caregivers, increase the skill of caregivers and reduce the burden on the caregiver. Increasing support for caregivers will also reduce demands on the public health nurses and social workers.

The board also heard details of a clinical dental innovations grant from the Minnesota Department of Health. The grant would be a collaborative effort between Houston, Fillmore and Winona Counties with Houston County being the fiscal agent. The current program targets the underserved population in the rural areas.

The amount requested is $135,500.

The lack of dental care among rural poor in the state can be blamed to some extent on the low reimbursement rate for Minnesota Health Care Program. According to a handout distributed at the board meeting, reimbursement for MHCP participants is only 54 cents for each dollar in services. For patients with insurance, reimbursement averages 80 cents on the dollar.

The grant would provide clinical experience for 165 dental students, while providing care to the under-served population.

Darla Zahn is the countyís oral health educator. She explained to the board that the grant would be an expansion of the current program.

There are currently three clinics scheduled which will be staffed by students from the University of Minnesota. The clinic will be held in Lewiston where a local dentist has offered use of his facilities.

The board gave its approval to the grant application.

The county will also apply for a $60,000 state grant to increase the demand for substance abuse treatment in the county. The grant would include increasing public awareness of the signs of substance abuse and reduce the stigma associated with seeking treatment.

The Houston County Family Services Collaborative is the lead agency on the grant application.

Also as part of the board of health meeting, Grupa informed the board that numbers at the WIC clinics are up. The state set a target for the county of serving 286 families, and currently 300 families are served through WIC every month.

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