The gravel road of the Cloquet Line is a given, but the loose gravel on the Winton Road and then the grooved pavement on the Kawishiwi Trail on the way to the Fall Lake Township for the Lake County Commissioners’ meeting of the whole Tuesday evening was a sure sign it was road construction season.
Only two of the five Lake County Commissioners were present – Joe Baltich and Chair Rich Sve, along with county administrator Matt Huddleston and Highway Engineer Jason DiPiazza.
And there was a small crowd to welcome them, including supervisors Craig Seliskar and Roger Murawski, clerk Cheri DeBeltz and six citizens.
Huddleston reported IRRRB provided $100,000 in funding for landowners affected by the Stewart Trail fire. Huddleston said the county website was being updated, and he spoke about the helium project DNR comment period deadline of July 2.
DiPiazza reported on a couple big construction projects, one being the Tomahawk Road bridge project, replacing the bridge decking. It will be done by mid-September. Then MNDOT will be closing Highway 1 and detouring traffic to the Tomahawk Road to change out a culvert on Highway 1 due to flood damage in 2024.
Baltich made a comment that he will be driving extra far to Two Harbors, but DiPiazzo said Highway 2 project was done, which Baltich said was very nice. Sve agreed.
Baltich reported he met with the Ely Area Ambulance Service and sat down with a billing company person. He said there is a new company that is working very well.
“We’ve got higher ratings than other nationwide systems, as far as transports from the hospital, non-emergency transports,” said Baltich. “We do 700 to 800 total runs a year that includes emergency and non-emergency. It’s very busy for a small area.”
Baltich is also on the Arrowhead Library Board. He said they offer a lot of services, such as finding a book you want and mailing it to you.
“I made a motion to make a $30,000 upgrade for the 29 libraries in our system for their computer book accounting system,” said Baltich. “The software is called Horizon. It’s a statewide system.”
Baltich is working on getting more audio books.
“What we don’t have is a bookmobile,” said Baltich. “I’m working on it.”
Chair Sve said he has been using the library more and has been impressed with all it has to offer with books, videos, club space, computers and programs.
Huddleston said the intergovernmental land management team meetings with the Forest Service, DNR, Lake, St. Louis and Cook counties are going again. They had stopped with Covid, but are back on. They are meeting quarterly to discuss forest land management issues and also Boundary Waters issues.
“It means a lot,” said Sve. “We have a seat at the table. Here you have the discussion with the people that are going to make the decisions.”
Ernie Seliskar asked if Locust Lane could be rerouted through the county pit for safety reasons with the future development of Silver Rapids. There will be and informational meeting at Silver Rapids Lodge on Monday at 4:30 p.m. about their scaled back development plan.
Sve asked how active the pit is, and DiPiazza said it is about to get really active.
“It’s a good source of gravel,” said DiPiazza, “with the contractor that’s working on the Sunset Road project. They will be hauling gravel and sand out of there for the project.”
Township supervisors will have to present a request or resolution for access through the county pit for Locust Lane.
