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MITCHELL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS â€“ Monday, August 28, 2023

By Terry Bailey

The Mitchell County Commissioners conducted their weekly meeting at the Courthouse, Monday morning, August 28th. All Commissioners and the County Clerk, Heather Weston, were present.
Mitchell County Attorney Mark Noah was present to discuss two matters of importance with the Commissioners. First, Noah told the Commissioners that he had reviewed the Road Use agreement with Grain Belt Express energy transmission line with Public Works Superintendent Marty Hernandez. Neither he nor Hernandez had any issues with the contract. This contract stipulates that after Grain Belt has completed the construction work of erecting towers and lines, the County roads will he returned to the same, if not better, condition as before the work was started. Grain Belt understands that the County's gravel roads will be carrying a significant larger loads during the construction and some damage will occur. This agreement insures that Mitchell County roads will be in the same, if not better condition than when the work began.
Commissioner Tom Claussen said, "The transmission line is a ‘done deal.' The line is going to be built. This agreement protects the County's roads."
The Commissioners voted to accept the contract.
Noah told the Commissioners that he had not received any word about the sale of a parcel of land adjacent to the ambulance barn. The County wishes to buy this property so they can enlarge the barn to ensure that the newer, larger ambulances will fit in the structure. The new ambulance planned for purchase in a couple years will fit in the current building. After that, the newer style ambulance will be larger and require the additional parcel of land for the expansion.
The Commissioners asked Missy McGinnis, EMS Director, to attempt to contact the owners of the land and attempt to open a positive pathway of communication about the sale of the land. In an earlier exchange, the landowners commented that "they did not HAVE to sell the land." Noah told the Commissioners that the land title, as it currently is written, prohibits the sale of the land to anyone. It needs "fixing" before anything can be done with the land. McGinnis told the Commissioners that everything is a "go" on the ceiling replacement project at the ambulance barn. The work should begin by September 1 and will take two months to complete. The contractor will seal off one room, complete that work, then move on to the next. There will be no access to that room by anyone except the workers.
The Commissioners approved a Neighborhood Revitalization Grant for Bryan Garmann for a 40'x64'x14' Treb building in the amount of $60,000.
Having addressed all items on the printed agenda, the meeting was adjourned.

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