Month: March 2023

The Crookston Masonic Lodge #141 will hold a free will donation breakfast fundraiser for the Crookston High School FFA on Sunday, March 26.  The breakfast items served include waffles, french toast, gluten-free pancakes, and a beverage.  They will serve from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge at 112 West Robert Street on Sunday, March 26.  The proceeds will help with travel to the state FFA convention. 

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The Crookston Fire Department (CFD) responded to the following calls on 3/23/2023 –

At 9:27 a.m., the CFD responded to the 2300 block of Sahlstrom Drive for a report of a fire alarm activation. Upon arrival, it was found that humidity from the pool area had caused the alarm to activate. There was no danger present. The CFD reset the alarm panel and cleared the scene. 

The post ARREST/FIRE REPORT – MARCH 24, 2023 appeared first on KROX.

The Crookston School Board hopes the second search for a Superintendent is a charm and it is off to a good start.  The first time the school district opened up applications for a new superintendent, they had four candidates, and one took a job before the interview process, which forced the school board to shut down the process and try again later.

On Thursday afternoon, the school board met at the District Office and was joined by Lee Warne from the Minnesota School Board Association. Warne said they had 11 candidates and suggested five finalists for the board to consider. Warne said he was thrilled with the pool of candidates and said the five he suggested met most of the criteria, if not all the criteria, and they were excellent candidates.  “It was a night and day difference from the first go around,” said School Board member TimDufault. “This time, we had 11 candidates, five solid candidates.  The five we are going to interview, from the paper (the board received with their credentials), any one of those would make a good superintendent for us, so it will be exciting to see them in person and see what they are made of.”

Dufault asked the board if they wanted to go with the recommended candidates.  The board agreed to go with all five before board chair Frank Fee made a motion to interview all five candidates, and Patty Dillabough seconded.  The board unanimously approved interviewing all five candidates.

NAMES (current job)
Jason Stanoch – Hight School Principal at Bemidji
Randy Berquist – Superintendent at Osakis
Jill Louters – Superintendent at New Rockford-Sheyenne, ND
Kevin Wellin – Superintendent at Menagha
Nate Walbruch – High School Principal at Rochester Century

After selecting the five candidates, the board discussed the interview process.  The board will ask the candidates 15 questions, and the interviews will take place on March 28, with the first interview at 12:30 p.m.  “We will bring them in, and Dave Kuehn will give them a tour of the school and show them a tour of the community and bring them in for interviews with us,” said Dufault. “We will have some citizens in attendance and get their feedback and spend the day with those five candidates, and we will see what happens at the end of the day.”

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The post CROOKSTON SCHOOL BOARD TO INTERVIEW 5 CANDIDATES FOR SUPERINTENDENT appeared first on KROX.

On Tuesday morning, the Polk County Board of Commissioners met inside the Polk County Government Center for a regular meeting.

PROPERTY RECORDS-SAM MELBYE

Property Records Director Sam Melbye recommended a list of people to be appointed Election Judges for Polk County during the Testing, Validating, Tabulation, and Technical support for the 2023 Special Elections.
The appointed judges include; Casey “CJ” Wilde-Olson, Kayla Schumacher, Julie Sandman, Connie Desrosier, Breanna Wavra, Janet Mattison, Amy Erdmann, Annalee Jones, Andrew Dessellier, Harrison Boucher, Diana Amiot, Jennifer Perreault, Patty Frydenlund, Michelle Erdmann and Kendall Wahouske.

Absentee/Mail/UOCAVA Ballot Board for 2023 

Melbye asked the board to establish the Absentee Ballot Board for the 2023 Primary and General Elections. This would allow the appointed Election Judges to take the position on the Ballot Board for the special District 1 Commissioner election. “This will be the people that we use for validating, tabulation, testing, technical support, that kind of stuff here at the county to prepare for the election,” Melbye explained. “They will also be a part of our ballot board for Absentee and mail-in ballots that come in for the two elections.”

2023 Primary and General Special Election Canvassing

Melbye asked the board to approve the canvassing the ballots for the 2023 Primary Special Election for the District 1 Commissioner seat on Wednesday, May 10, at 1:00 p.m., and the General Special Election on Wednesday, August 9, at 1:00 p.m. in the Polk County Board room.  “We canvass the results of the election, which we do for each election. Usually, we get a couple of days to prepare the results. For this one, with it being a special election, it’s statutory that we do it the day after,” Melbye explained. “They are open to the public. The other people that will be part of the canvassing board are the County Auditor, Court Administrator, the Mayor of the largest city in the county, and two County Commissioners, and any of those people can also designate people in their place.”

HIGHWAY-RICHARD SANDERS

The board approved a payment to furnish a 2023 Zero Turn Mower from Service Pro of Crookston for $12,993.80.

County Ditch 54 Maintenance Request

Highway Engineer Richard Sanders asked the board to allow the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to line the culvert through Trunk Highway 220 at County Ditch 54 in Grand Forks Township. “In 2023-24, MnDOT is going to reconstruct Trunk Highway 220, North of East Grand Forks, and our County Ditch 54 crosses Trunk Highway 220,” Sanders explained. “So they put in a maintenance request to line their pipe with fiberglass. It’s a new process, instead of replacing the pipe.”
The board approved both motions unanimously.

PLANNING AND ZONING-JACOB SNYDER
Assistant Environmental Services Administrator Jacob Snyder asked the board, specifically District 2 Commissioner Warren Strandell, to nominate Mike Powers to the Polk County Board of Adjustment. The board approved the nomination unanimously.

Corrective Resolution Screening Condition PUD Request

Snyder brought forward a request to amend section 2.5 on the original Plan Unit Development (PUD) for the Backlot Developments Second Common Interest Community for Isaac Larson to state that screening will be accomplished by an 8-foot-high fence instead of offsetting vegetation. The resolution had never been recorded, so Snyder requested the board to pass the resolution to tie it to the property. Snyder also reported the fence would be completed in the spring, and the vegetation would be planted soon after.

SOCIAL SERVICES-KAREN WARMACK

Social Services Director Karen Warmack requested that the board approve the replacement of an Eligibility Worker position in their Income Maintenance unit under the supervision of LeAnn Holte.

Minnesota Department of Human Services contract for adult and children crisis grant
The board approved a $1,153,008 contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Service after the Department received funding through Home and Community Based Services Federal Medical Assistance Percentage and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CCA) Mental Health Block Grant (MHBG) to enhance their Mobile Crisis Services with 24-hour mobile crisis lines. The contract will be in effect until the end of March 2024.

Alluma contract for adult and children crisis grant
Warmack brought forward a similar contract with Alluma for $1,067,172, effective until the end of March 2024.

Sanford contract for adult and children crisis grant
Warmack brought forward a similar contract with Sanford for $85,836, effective until the end of March 2024.

Minnesota Department of Human Services contract to provide support to Medicaid Home and Community Based Services
Warmack brought forward a $145,422 contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Services after they received funding through the American Rescue Plan Act to provide support to Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services until the end of March 2024.

Alluma contract supporting Medicaid Home and Community Services
Warmack brought forward a similar contract with Alluma for the same amount to provide support to Home and Community-Based Services, with plans to use the funding to renovate Northwest apartments, purchase technology for telemedicine, and a vehicle to assist individuals accessing rehabilitative services. The board approved all contracts unanimously.

POLK COUNTY SHERIFF JAMES TADMAN

Polk County Sheriff Jim Tadman asked the board to approve the resignation of a Patrol Deputy and allow the Sheriff’s Department to begin advertising and hiring for the vacant position.  The board approved the request.

Tadman reported they had an update on the replacement for K9 Buffy, as they had been working with the past trainer of their K9 units and have received a few recommendations for Buffy’s replacement. However, they were waiting for a grant to pay for the dogs and their training, but no official motion has been made.

MIS-LEVI WEBSTER

MIS Director Levi Webster requested the board approve HPE SimpliVity’s yearly lease payment of $53,211.32. This is the fourth out of five payments over five years for the lease on the HPE SimpliVity Nodes the county uses to run MIS’s virtual server infrastructure. The board approved the payment unanimously.

Upgrading Audio/Video in Boardroom for Online Streaming
The board also approved a payment of $16,756.58 for HB Sound to install and upgrade new audio/video equipment to the boardroom, including four new speakers, microphones for each commissioner, a camera in the back of the room, and hardware to allow online streaming of the meetings.

CONSENT ITEMS
The board’s Consent Agenda was to approve the Board minutes from their meeting on March 7 and the Commissioner’s Warrants and Sign Audit List. It also included approving a payment of $112,733.13 to the US Bank in St. Louis, Missouri, and to Roger Corbin in Crookston for $3,170 for painting the Island and Records area at the Sheriff’s Office. The board approved all items unanimously.

The Polk County Commissioners will meet next week on Tuesday, March 28, in the Polk County Government Center.

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