It was National Train Your Brain Day, Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, the birthdays of singer/songwriter Paul Simon, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, and Lake County Board Chair Rich Sve’s grandfather, and the anniversary of the Continental Navy’s founding in 1775. It was also the date of the first October Board of Commissioners’ action meeting last week.
The Board began by hearing a weighty list of projects on the docket for the local branch of the U.S. Forest Service, courtesy of Drew Stroberg, Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Superior National Forest. Thye Blatnik and the sale of school trust land were the two major intertwined topics, with the chance of a sale before the next appraisal seeming less likely. This would be detrimental to the County, as having the land handed over to the Forest Service before the appraisal would result in a net increase of money for the County. Other matters discussed included progress on recovery from the fires this past year and possible future updates to permitting and fees for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).
Afterwards, the meeting temporarily recessed for a public hearing on the proposed Ekstrom Land Exchange, with a brief presentation from Lake County Land Commissioner Nate Eide. The exchange is intended to be mutually beneficial by essentially placing like with like, physically. As of now, some of the parcels in question owned by the state of Minnesota in care of Lake County (County Trust land) are surrounded by private parcels, while other parcels owned privately by Ekstrom are surrounded by parcels owned by the state. The situation would be further complicated if a landlocked private property changed hands to, say, become a primary residence with no ready access to their home through the County trust land.
By transferring ownership of certain parcels and consolidating land types, it also makes forest management far easier, Eide explained. As is, attempting to separate out a single Ekstrom parcel surrounded by County trust land would, for example, result in a lot of paint to mark the territory and keep it from accidental involvement in timber sales. Parcel data for the exchange had the County trust land value at $73,700 and the Ekstrom land value at $64,100 for a difference of $9,600. Ekstrom would make up the difference for the exchange.
There were no public comments to the surprise of Commissioner Rick Goutermont, who said he had received comments from nearby property owners who were concerned about the potential change in ownership. He declined to give details as the parties had chosen not to make a public appearance.
The next step, Eide continued, would be for the Land Department and County Board to approve land and timber values in a future resolution and for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to give their approval. Title work would follow along with special legislation due to the deal needing to bypass the need for equivalent exchange of river frontage. Eide does not see the special legislation being an issue and believes the exchange could be completed as early as 2027, though 2028 is likely.
The meeting reconvened with County Administrator Matthew Huddleston giving his report. He began with congratulations to Two Harbors for their agreement with Pulsar on a proposed rare gas facility. The County will be working on a related project, making the Dunka River Road ready as access for a possible helium extraction site for Pulsar. Goutermont added his “compliments to everyone involved,” crediting Janelle Jones as one of those who “kept this conversation going” and calling the agreement a “huge benefit for the County, the City, and the constituents.” Sve also added his congratulations and appreciation for the work involved in making the agreement.
The County is currently preparing for the next legislative session that will follow the midterm elections. Huddleston noted current state legislation must be amended to allow for gas processing to move forward, making gas processing rules, taxing, and related issues a high priority. He went over a few items on the day’s agenda in more detail, such as a grant contract agreement between the State of Minnesota’s Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation (IRRR) and the County for Wildfire Economic Relief Grant funds for damages relating to the Stewart Trail Fire, which he hopes will get money to folks impacted by the fire as soon as possible.
The Highway Department’s purchase of office furniture is for additional cubicles with the goal of being more efficient with office space use, taking “something that we’ve just used for temp staff in the past and making that a little more permanent.” Huddleston clarified the purchase “won’t impact the bottom line of our budget” as the County is currently well under budget and can account for the expense.
Other issues in the works are hiring several snow plow operators, a recorder/auditor transition, and potentially setting money aside in the budget for aggregate study of County lands. “We kind of have an idea where gravel may be; let’s invest in some boots on the ground,” Huddleston said, to determine exactly what there is versus just a map of what might be. The result, he explained, would better inform zoning.
Interim Auditor/Treasurer Ronelle Radle gave an election update, having just done a public accuracy test earlier that day on tabulator equipment that will be used in the general elections. Election judges participated in the test and will continue training leading up to November 3rd. Early in-person voting starts this Friday, and Lake County residents can vote at the Lake County Courthouse up until the day before the election.
Property taxes were due last week on the 15th, meaning there is now a penalty for any delayed payments. The County will send out a courtesy notice in November to anyone who has not yet paid.
Lake County Emergency Management Director Warren LaPlante followed up on a topic the Forest Service had covered: The Fernberg Corridor Landscape Management Project. Several agencies, from local to state to federal, will be discussing plans for the project and its goal as a firebreak to stagger further fires in the area. He also covered the approval of a Coastal Boundary Grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Lastly, reimbursements for the Camp Fire are pending the Governor’s signature, and LaPlante expects them to be approved soon. Once approved, the County will be eligible for 75% reimbursement of expenses incurred under protection services.
Commissioner Joe Baltich recounted his recent events, including the Little Marais Community Club Potluck and continued involvement with Fall Lake involving accountability for funds given for marketing via the Lake County Lodging Tax. Baltich commended those involved for staying professional and will continue to monitor the situation.
Goutermont relayed concerns on trail care given a temporary shortage of grooming equipment in Finland, which should be resolved by next year. The Board will be looking into the issue.
Sve had more information for the Board regarding a potential data center tour or two in Duluth. He expressed that the purpose would be purely to stay informed on the matter, with Goutermont in agreement.
Other consent agenda items approved and of note included: replacement for one of the Rescue Squad doors; the appointment of several election judges; a Sunday sales liquor license for Superior Shores Bev LLC spanning to the end of 2027; a cooperative agreement with St. Louis County for a joint project providing pavement marking maintenance on Lake County State Aid Highways and non-state Aid roads next year; amending a value in the minutes for the August 25th meeting; a Professional Services Agreement with Bolton & Menk for the City of Silver Bay’s Citywide Street and Utility Improvement Projects, Phase 1A and Phase 1B; a grant agreement for a Towards Zero Deaths (TZD) Safe Roads Grant Funding Award; purchase of winter road salt from Morton Salt, Inc.; and a Professional Services contract to LHB Corp for work on Waldo Road over Stewart River pending County Attorney review.
Other resolutions approved included a 2026-2028 Labor Agreement between the County and Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) for the Sheriff’s Department, several staff changes including new job openings, and a step towards the creation of a Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) in Lake County in coordination with the Lake County Forestry Department, Minnesota Land Trust (MLT), MN Department of Natural Resources (MnDNR), and private property owners.
