by Jeanne Larson

At its August 18 meeting at the Public Works Building in Sandstone, the Pine County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation from Lezlie Ballis, Housing Rehab and Public Facilities Project Manager from Lakes and Pines, a Community Action Council serving seven area counties. According to Ballis, last spring the cities of Willow River and Finlayson as well as the townships of Kettle River and Sturgeon Lake came to the Lakes & Pines Community Action Council, Inc asking for assistance in applying to the Small Cities Development Program which helps them get grants to rehabilitate owner-occupied housing, rental housing and commercial buildings in their area. These improvements might be such things as weatherization, new windows, roofing, etc. Later on, Bremen and Pokegema Townships and the city of Sturgeon Lake asked to be included in the application for these funds. These grant funds are allocated to the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development (DEED) every year from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The purpose behind the project is to benefit low to moderate income families in areas that do not already receive funds from HUD. This year, DEED informed applicants that if a community or other entity that is applying for the program has money left from past payments or repayments to such a project, these funds must be used toward the new project or provide an explanation as to why they are not being used. Pine County currently has around $100,000 in such funds which was repaid from former projects and cannot be used in the county’s general funds. As was pointed out by Commissioner Curt Rossow, who serves on the Lakes & Pines Committee, if our county doesn’t use the funds available, some other area will. He added that if these standing funds are not used, it will be almost impossible to get any new grants. If all of the $100,000 sitting there is used up, the county can ask for more grant money. Ballis said she already has 25 or 30 people ready who are qualified to receive home improvements through this funding. Commissioner Stephen Hallan said that he thought this was a great program, but was somewhat concerned about the county stepping on the toes of those who have already been working on the program. Ballis explained that a joint application from the county would be more favorable to the State than to have each little town apply for grants separately. County Attorney John Carlson told board members that when this program started many years ago, it was basically used by senior citizens fixing up their homes. Since many of those homes have now been sold, money from those sales has been returned to the county and thus there is money in these grant funds that cannot be used for any other purpose.

The grant application for these funds is due September 3, 2009, and Ballis asked if the county would be the sponsor for the grant. Because a public hearing would be required before the grant application, a motion was made to hold such a hearing at 10:45 a.m. at the September 1 meeting of the Pine County Board at the Courthouse in Pine City. This motion passed by a vote of 4-0, Commissioner Doug Carlson being absent.

In other business, the board heard a presentation from young people involved with the Central Minnesota Jobs and Training youth project. About 80 teens participated in the program throughout the summer and results were very positive.

The board approved compensation for Emergency Management Director and Emergency Management Coordinator being paid to the Sheriff as HSEM Director and to the Chief Deputy as HSEM Coordinator. The two positions combined would cost $8,000 which would not be considered a salary increase for the Sheriff’s Department, but as money that goes with the job of emergency management. It will be a savings of about $30,000 per year for the county. County Coordinator Mark LeBrun said he thought the new system was working well.

The City of Pine City asked to meet with LeBrun and board members to discuss what to do with the vacant old courthouse building. Board Chairman Ed Montbriand appointed Hallan to negotiate for the board in this matter, since the old courthouse is in the area he represents.

The board also approved an agreement with the St. Croix Valley Railroad Company to close the 2nd Avenue East railroad crossing in Pine City and upgrade the crossing signals at the intersection of 3rd Avenue East.