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County moving forward on land acquisitions for CSAH 5 project
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
“We’re making progress on the land purchase agreements. We still have three property owners we are negotiating with and we’re getting close. We hope to meet with them in the next week or so.”
That’s the report County Highway Engineer Brian Pogodzinski gave to the Houston County Board regarding the CSAH 5 project. The county has secured purchase agreements with 10 of the 13 property owners who would be impacted by the realignment project the county hopes to get underway next spring.
According to Pogodzinski, it is a federally-funded project that would make the county road that heads south out of Caledonia safer by straightening it, widening the shoulders, and cutting down several hills and filling in several valleys. A number of trees that are near the roadway and pose a safety issue, will also be removed.
The safety enhancement project would run from the Caledonia city limits three miles south to the intersection with CSAH 14. The majority of the new roadway would be 17 feet wider than the existing road, although there are portions of the project that will require more land where curves will be straightened out.
Pogodzinski said the project calls for 20 acres of new right of way and another 11 acres of temporary easements, which will just be needed during the project.
Commissioner Tom Bjerke asked what issues the three property owners had. Pogodzinski replied the straightening of several curves will require a number of acres of farmland. The landowners are negotiating with the county as to how much of a monetary impact the loss of ag production land will be.
CSAH 5, which is known as Winnebago Street once it reaches the city limits, will also be reconstructed from the city limits to Main Street. The county and city have been working out the details on that portion of the reconstruction project.
If all goes as planned, the project will get underway next spring.
In other board action:
Open house planned for CCS
An open house for the County Community Services building (CCS) will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 22. The CCS, located on Highway 44 and 76 is the former Meyer Furniture Store building. The county purchased the building last year and converted it into office space for three county departments.
The building houses Public Health Nursing, Veteran’s Services and County Extension.
There will be no cost to the county for the open house Veteran’s Services Director Rob Gross told the board. Gross will be able to use money from an outreach grant to pay for the advertising and the refreshments provided. The general public will get an opportunity to tour the main floor of the CCS and get acquainted with the various county employees working there.
CUPs are approved
County Zoning Administrator Bob Scanlan brought two conditional use permits (CUP) for the board to consider.
The first was submitted by Wayne Fitting of Money Creek Township. Fitting wished to move more than 5,000 yards of fill in an agricultural district. The work was a repair project from the 2007 floods. The Planning and Zoning Commission had reviewed Fitting’s request and recommended it be approved.
The second CUP request was made by Mary Kretzschmar of Sheldon Township. According to Scanlan, Kretzschmar wants to open a fiber mill, where she would wash and clean various wools and make yarn. She plans to locate the fiber mill in an insulated building.
Her request, which is for a level II home occupation, was also reviewed by the County P&Z and recommended approval.
Both CUP requests were approved by the county board.
More flood clean-up money
The board approved a cooperative agreement with Mound Prairie Township to receive $25,000 in flood recovery funds for repair and clean-up work that was conducted following the 2007 flood on Bush Valley Road.
Dropsite supervisor
County HR Director Tess Kruger requested the board approve Earl Klankowski as a 67-day temporary employee to serve as a dropsite supervisor at the county’s solid waste dropsites. A motion to approve the request was unanimously approved.
You can contact Charlie Warner at
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