Month: October 2022

At approximately 2:19 p.m. on Thursday, October 27, the Grand Forks Fire Department was dispatched to 2700 S. 25th St for a report of smoke coming from the basement of an apartment building.

When fire crews arrived on the scene, they found the fire coming from under the ground-level apartment. The fire was quickly extinguished, and damage to the structure was minimal. The fire was determined to be unintentionally caused by improperly discarded smoking materials.

The Grand Forks Fire Department responded with five engines, one truck, and one command vehicle with seventeen personnel. There were no injuries to the public or fire service personnel, and no building residents were displaced. The Fire Department was assisted by the Grand Forks Police Department and Altru Ambulance.

The post GRAND FORKS FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPOND TO APARTMENT FIRE ON S. 25TH STREET appeared first on KROX.

Hi, I’m Heraldo. I might possibly be the most distinguished cat you have ever met (see the photo of me in a bowtie for reference). They say that orange cats don’t have a lot of brains, but I am orange and white…so I am clearly superior. I have been told that one day, I might be able to find a home that is worthy of my presence. I sure hope so. Everyone is nice here at the shelter, but I have some noisy neighbors, and I would like to have a place where I can meditate in peace. I enjoy surveying the land through windows and watching the bird videos the staff here play for me sometimes. I also appreciate sitting on human shoulders to remind them they are but a stepping stone to my greatness. If you think you have what it takes to win me over, be my guest. I will admit I am ready to get out of here!

The post SCRUFFY TAILS PET OF THE WEEK appeared first on KROX.

The Polk County Board of Commissioners met inside the Polk County Government Center on Tuesday morning.

POLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT-JAMES TADMAN

The board began the meeting first hearing from Polk County Sheriff James Tadman, who began with the Monthly Sheriff Report for September. He reported that for the Document Service Statistics for September, the department had 102 paid services for $3,794,34 and $1,819.34 for no-charge services. He then reported that they had traveled 6,042 miles for their transport log, which was a significant decrease from their September miles in 2021 and gave them a total of 65,735 miles transported for the year. He also reported that they had received 2,690 calls, with 690 for emergencies and 2,000 for non-emergencies. He also reported that they had made 223 calls for service for Civil Process, 66 for School Patrol, and 209 for Traffic Stops, for a total of 823 calls for the month.

1997 Camper Trailer Request

Tadman then came forward with a request from the County EMS to take over the responsibility of the 1997 camper trailer that the Sheriff’s department had received after the spring floods and utilize it for medical services at the Polk County Fair. The board approved the request unanimously.

HIGHWAY-RICHARD SANDERS

The board was then approached by County Engineer Richard Sanders, who came forward with an Agency Agreement with Grove Park Township to replace a culvert with a box culvert on one of their bridges. The board approved the request unanimously.

BNSF Railway Agreement

Sanders then came forward with an agreement with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway Company for upgrading and fixing the signals and gates at the railroad crossing on County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 41 in McIntosh. Sanders reported that due to them having three tracks that crossed at that location, the electrical system under one of the rails kept faulting and caused the gates to close when a train wasn’t coming. So, BNSF planned to move the system over the two main tracks rather than under the third and would need the Polk County Highway Department to change the pavement markings and signage that need to be done. The board approved the agreement unanimously.

County Ditch 85 Maintenance Request

Sanders then came forward with a maintenance request to replace the culverts that had been washed out on the field approach for County Ditch 85. The board approved the request unanimously.

MOA between NDDOT and NDSHOP

The final item Sanders brought forward was an agreement between NDDOT and the North Dakota State Historic Preservation Office as part of the process for the replacement of the Climax Bridge. “Like the Thompson Bridge and the Nielsville Bridge, the Climax Bridge is historic on the North Dakota side of the river. Because of that, there’s a memorandum of agreement between the North Dakota DOT and the North Dakota State Historic Preservation Office on how they’re going to handle the Climax Bridge,” Sanders explained. “Because Polk County is part owner of the Climax Bridge, we needed the Polk County board to approve the agreement and have the chair sign it so the North Dakota DOT and the North Dakota State Historic Preservation Office can get that agreement approved as well.” The board approved the agreement unanimously.

PUBLIC HEALTH-SARAH REESE

The board was then approached by Polk County Public Health Director Sarah Reese and Wellness Coordinator Sarah Shimek with a request to establish a Polk County Opioid Settlement Advisory Council. Reese reported she had participated on the Minnesota Attorney General’s Advisory Panel for Opioid Settlement and Distribution. She noted that a lawsuit was settled this summer for $300 million, and Governor Tim Walz had signed a bill directing how the state will spend its opioid lawsuit settlement to fund the fight against opioid addiction and overdose deaths. Reese reported that Polk County’s share of the settlement was about $1.9 million that had to be dispersed over 18 years and would see its first payment of about $62,000 in November, but some of the funds would be front-loaded in the next five to seven years but was waiting to hear more about the timing and amount of the payments. In preparation for the incoming payments, Reese explained that the department needed to establish a dedicated fund within Polk County so the funds would only be used for prevention, treatment, recovery, harm reduction, research, and training, which they had done. But the other part of the State’s Memorandum of Agreement was to establish an Advisory Council for the county and Public Health to advise how to spend the funds. And in the Memorandum of Understanding, the Public Health Department is listed as the convener to do that. So, the Public Health Department will seek multi-sector partners and community members to participate in a Polk County Opioid Settlement Advisory Council. “We will be starting a process to establish our Advisory Council. We previously had an Opioid Workgroup and Taskforce, so this’ll be similar to that albeit different because it is based on settlement funds that are available,” Reese explained. “The way that it will be similar is we will be looking at evidence-based strategies, and we will be looking at what our community needs and what funds are available to meet those needs.” Reese explained that she had reached out to Polk County Sheriff Jim Tadman, Social Services Director Karen Warmack, and previous members that participated in the previous Opioid Workgroup and Taskforce. The department has since made a live website giving more information about the Opioid Settlement and how individuals can apply for the council. The board approved the request unanimously. The website’s link can be found here: https://www.co.polk.mn.us/546/Opioid-Settlement-Advisory-Council.

ADMINISTRATION-CHUCK WHITING

The board finished the meeting hearing from County Administrator Chuck Whiting, who came forward with another update for the 2023 Budget. Whiting reported that he had been trying to add in the wage numbers from the presentation they had agreed on with David Drowns last week, and hopefully, they would begin to go out later this week. But there was still some fine-tuning left to do to ensure they were all correct and learn what impact it would have on the levy. Whiting then showed the board a comparison of their cash balances for the third quarter of the year and where they were in preparation for the end of the year. “We’re looking fairly healthy as an organization, but we’ve also got bond money that’s sitting there that we haven’t used yet because we’re waiting for bid lettings on the Justice Center’s improvements and ARPA money that’s still internal. So, at this time of year, we’re sitting relatively well, and we’ve still got some things in the budget this year that we’re taking care of.” Whiting reported that the county’s general funds for the year were up by $4,270,343 from 2022 to $31,372,856, with departments like the Public Health and the Regional Library increasing their general revenue for the year, while the County Landfill and Public Works Department decreased. However, Whiting felt confident could come up with a final budget for the final hearing in December over the next few weeks. 

The Board of Commissioners will next meet on Tuesday, November 1, at the Polk County Government Center.

The post POLK COUNTY COMMISSIONERS APPROVES ESTABLISHMENT OF COUNTY OPIOID SETTLEMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL appeared first on KROX.