Posted: 10/9/07
County Board takes a look at
ëBridges of Houston Countyí
By Charlie Warner
Argus Editor
"The Bridges of Houston County," could be an appropriate way to title a portion of the Oct. 2 Houston County Commissioners meeting.
County Highway Engineer Marcus Evans presented the board with three quotes to rebuild the County Road 20 bridge in Union Township. The county received three bids, with Minowa Construction, Inc., of Harmony, submitting the low bid. Minowaís bid of $449,644.10 was only $2,000 lower than a bid submitted by Brennan Construction for $451,559.55. The third bid was submitted by Lunda Construction for $499,835.85.
It was noted that all three bids were significantly higher than the engineerís estimate, which was $381,093.15. When asked why all the bids were at least $68,000 over the engineerís estimate, Evans explained all of the concrete items were higher than they had anticipated, possibly due to higher transportation costs. Most of the other components in all three bids were very close to the engineerís estimate.
The county board awarded the contract to Minowa Construction.
Evans also informed the board there are 26 bridges in the county that need to have new load ratings. Some of the bridges have old ratings that need to be updated, and some bridges were never rated.
LHB Engineering of the Twin Cities will be conducting the work for the county. LHB is a well-known structural engineering firm, according to Evans, and has done work for Mn/DOT, as well as Fillmore County.
The quote for compiling load ratings for the 26 bridges is $15,986.
When asked if all of the bridges are county-owned, Evans said they were not. Some of the bridges are township bridges.
"I checked with other counties in the area and they all conduct load ratings on township bridges with no cost to the townships. Iím recommending we do the same," Evans said.
The board approved Evansí recommendation.
Debris Grant discussed
At the Sept. 24 meeting, the county board learned part of the flood relief funding approved during the special legislative session last month was a debris management grant. Houston County received $500,000 to assist homeowners, farmers, and other property owners remove debris, and/or destroyed structures.
The state earmarked $2.5 million for debris removal for the area, with the largest portion of this going to Rushford where close to 100 homes will have to be demolished and disposed of.
Tim Comstock reported a committee was created that is comprised of various county department heads and Kermit McRae of the countyís Township Association, that is currently establishing the criteria for making monetary awards to property owners.
The program is for debris removal and burial costs not covered by private insurance or federal (FEMA) reimbursement. In order to be eligible, an applicant must have first applied to their insurance carrier, FEMA and SBA (Small Business Administration), and received a statement of benefits or denial letter before applying for this grant program. Farm owners must also have first applied to FSA/SWCD.
The application deadline is March 2008 and awards will be processed by June 2008.
Richardís contract extended
The board approved a five-year extension for Richardís Sanitation for the hauling of refuse from the five supervised drop-off sites in the county. The current contract with Richardís Sanitation expires December 31.
"As previously discussed, Richardís Sanitation is agreeable to renewing this contract for an additional five years," Houston County Environmental Services Director Rick Frank stated in the memo to the board. "Richardís cooperated 100 percent with the county during the recent flooding and it would be my recommendation that the county approve the extension."
The five-year extension includes an increase in service charges based on the rate of inflation index.
Variance requests approved
The board went along with the County Board of Adjustmentís recommendations and approved two zoning variances.
The first was submitted by Dean Mierau of Money Creek Township. Mierau wants to construct a garage within 75 feet of the centerline of CASH 26. The county zoning ordinance requires a 100-foot setback. The Board of Adjustment felt because Mierau has a small lot, his request was a hardship case and recommended approval.
The second was submitted by Pete Rosendahl of Spring Grove Township. Rosendahl requested a 20-foot variance to meet the required 50-foot setback from the north property line to build a pole shed. The adjoining land is crop land.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com