County board approves grants to battle aquatic invasive species
News | Published on March 25, 2024 at 11:59am CDT
By Melanie Stegner
Reporter
The Pope County Board of Commissioners approved grants for four projects toward the eradication of aquatic invasive species at this week’s meeting. The funds were approved for the Grove Lake Association and the Minnewaska Lake Association.
The Grove Lake Association requested funds to aid in the control of curly-leaf pondweed and to assist in paying a portion of the salary for their watercraft inspector. The total requested is $9,696 and is coming out of the AIS Prevention Aid Fund.
The Minnewaska Lake Association requested funds to aid in the control of starry stonewort and Eurasian watermilfoil. The total amount requested was $22,467 and will also come from the AIS Prevention Fund. Pope County is receiving $85,124 from the state for AIS prevention this year. The current balance in the fund is $364,779.
A habitat easement certification was granted for Tom Walsh property in Rolling Forks township. The US Fish and Wildlife Service will oversee the habitat easement and the property will be used for grazing and haying.
An advertisement for bids was approved for seasonal pavement marking maintenance. The estimated cost for the project is $157,000 and will provide markings for roughly half of the county’s highways.
Mark Sand and Gravel was awarded the contract for placing the final bituminous surface on CSAH 15 between CSAH 28 and the north county line. The company was also awarded the contract for the production and stockpiling of class 5 aggregate surfacing material. Midwest Contracting was awarded the contract for a culvert replacement project on CSAH 8 between the south county line and CSAH 10.
The Carbon Reduction Program is a new federal program created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. These funds are available to projects that utilize recycled pavement. An upcoming project planned for 2025 would be eligible for these funds and project funding of 50 percent is being requested in the amount of $725,000.
In other business, Clark’s Service and Rental located in Sauk Centre was approved as a licensed solid waste hauler in Pope County and Roberta Terhaar was appointed to the Pope County Extension Committee.
The next meeting of the county board of commissioners will be held on Tuesday, April 2 in the third floor meeting room of the courthouse.
