County News

The Koochiching County Board is expected to hold a public hearing on a road vacation requested by the Northwoods Bible Church when it meets Tuesday.
The board meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in the courthouse boardroom.
The public hearing is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
The church, located in Ray, is requesting a portion of Unorganized Township Road 179 to be vacated for use by the church as a parking lot. The county has received from Ray residents several letters both in favor and against the request.

Koochiching County will soon own the former Army Reserve armory building in International Falls. This week the U.S. Senate unanimously passed Rep. Jim Oberstar’s bill to transfer the property to county control. Pres. George Bush is expected to sign the bill in the next two weeks.
The armory is expected to be used mainly for county business, Commissioner Wade Pavleck said. The building has four garage bays, a conference room and a large enclosed yard, which will be used by the Sheriff’s Office and Highway Department, he said.

Families able to donate in name of a veteran

Koochiching County’s veterans memorial is expected to be completed this fall while the county is beginning a campaign that would allow families to honor a veteran.
Commissioners agreed Tuesday to proceed with a proposal that calls for moving the memorial from the inside the courthouse to property between the courthouse and TruStar Federal Credit Union on Fourth Street.
The board approved landscaping of the area at a cost of $14,000 more than the budgeted cost.

County plans to begin Island View sewer project

Koochiching County is beginning to take steps to expand sewer service east of Rainy Lake’s Tilson Bay, after area residents expressed a desire for it, if it’s affordable.
The Koochiching County Board agreed Tuesday to begin looking at sources of funding for the new sewer project, named the Island View sewer project, while a committee of residents is expected to be formed to discuss the project as it moves forward.

A new Koochiching County development ordinance is moving toward adoption with the completion of public information meetings and the planning of formal public hearings.
County officials have been working to renew the development ordinance, which was last updated in 1975. Representatives of CR Planning, a consultant from Minneapolis, are helping the county in the development of a new ordinance.

The Koochiching County Board is scheduled to discuss the next step in the expansion of a sewer project east of Tilson Creek when it meets Tuesday.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in the courthouse boardroom.
The board is scheduled to discuss the sewer project at 10:40 a.m.
The board is also scheduled to hear a status report on the county’s veteran memorial project at 10:15 a.m. The county is in the process of moving the memorial from inside the courthouse to the outside, on property east of the courthouse.

Workers have begun installing E911 signs at rural residences in Koochiching County.
The signs are a part of the E911 system intended to help emergency services respond in a quick and reliable fashion, according to Sheriff Brian Youso, who is leading the effort.
Koochiching is among the last counties in the nation to install the E911 system, a network which traces the location of 911 calls by using global position system coordinates. The system was needed, according to Youso, because emergency responders had difficulty finding some residences under the former system

The Koochiching County Board in a brief meeting Tuesday approved to renew a lease agreement with the city of Big Falls for a TV system tower.
Mike Ward, new superintendent of Voyageurs National Park, introduced himself to the county commissioners during their meeting.

Koochiching County will collect 3-percent more in property taxes in 2009 than it did in 2008,
The Koochiching County Board set a 3 percent increase in the levy for the 2009 levy. The county can’t exceed the limit, but it can reduce it, according to board Chairman Wade Pavleck.
Counties were given a levy limit of 3.9 percent for 2009, set by the state Legislature.

A recent safety audit of Koochiching County’s highways revealed that safety issues in the county are similar to those in other Minnesota counties.
After reviewing 127 miles of County State Aid Highways and 18 intersections, Howard Preston, senior transportation engineer with the CH2M Hill firm, said the county’s highways are in “pretty good shape.”
But the team of safety experts collaborated on a list of general items the Koochiching County Highway Department staff can complete to increase the safety on the roads.