The Sherburne County Board last week honored the late Ewald Petersen with a proclamation of his service to the community during his time as county commissioner. Petersen died Dec. 6 at age 82.

Board Chair Raeanne Danielowski read the proclamation, which recognized Petersen’s service to the county. 

“He represented his district admirably... The board wishes to express its sincere thanks and appreciation for Ewald’s dedication and outstanding performance of his duties.

“This [proclamation] will serve as a reminder that Ewald will always be remembered as a dedicated public servant to this community. Be it further resolved, that we, the Sherburne County Board of Commissioners, do hereby proclaim today, Dec.21, 2021, a day of remembrance for Ewald Petersen and affirm through this act the faithful and dedicated services which he performed for 12 years as county commissioner”

Each board member took a moment to say a few words about Petersen.

The most  memorable came from Commissioner Felix Schmiesing, who served with Petersen for the entire 12 years Petersen was on the board.

“I was fortunate to serve with Ewald. He was a valuable ally to me over his years on the board and we had a lot of fun together. We traveled together, and as we moved through the halls of Washington ... and San Francisco, I’m sure when they saw us coming we made a pretty odd couple. We had short and slender Ewald and fat and tall Felix. But we were a pretty convincing pair when we worked together. I really appreciated my time working with him. I’m going to miss him.”

He spoke to members of Petersen’s family who were in attendance. “He leaves behind lots of memories... you are his legacy and you can look and see he did a damn fine job of that.”

Other Business

After a 15-minute discussion, the board agreed on the county’s top three legislative priorities for 2022. 

1). Construction funding for an interchange at Hwy. 169 and Co. Rd. 4 in Zimmerman; 

2.) Seek state funding for possible regional park planning, land acquisition and development; 

3.) Support county cost share exemption for individuals committed as mentally ill and dangerous.    

The board approved a contract that will allow the YMCA to continue to provide on-site child care within the Sherburne County Government Center for the purposes of providing safe and nurturing care for children when their parents are conducting business on-site at the Government Center. The contract amount is $34,954.

The board approved a contract with the Department of Human Services to accept a grant of $38,954 that will assist Sherburne County Health & Human Services and Community Corrections complete mental health screenings on eligible youth/children and use funding to assist with supportive services that are not covered by medical assistance or other insurance.

The board approved a $10,000 contract with Influencer Hotspot to provide cultural liaison services for agency staff when serving families from the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Community. The service will help bridge communication and cultural understandings between staff and BIPOC families. Interpreter and translation services are also included in the contract.

The board renewed a contract for Guardian/Conservator Services with Presbyterian Family Foundation, Inc. for 2022-2023 with a budget of $260,000.

The board approved an agreement with Braun Intertec to oversee and manage the 2022 roofing and masonry projects at the Government Center, at a cost not to exceed $54,000. Five roofing sections are expected to be repaired in 2022 along with some minor masonry work near Door B of the Government Center.

The board approved a two-year Agreement for Professional and Technical Services with Houston Engineering for hydrogeologic services to the Planning and Zoning Department for the various solid waste facilities located within the county.

The board approved the appointment of the following township representatives and alternates to the Planning Advisory Commission for the term of Jan. 1, 2022 through Dec. 31, 2024: Big Lake Twp. Representative Bruce Aubol, and alternate Mark Hedstrom; Blue Hill Twp. Representative Roger Nelson and alternate Francine Larson; Clear Lake Twp. Representative Terrance Vandereyk and alternate Gary Gray; Orrock Twp. Representative Bryan Adams and alternate Gregg Felber.

The board approved the appointment of Kodey James Shaw of Big Lake to the Board of Adjustment, and the re-appointment of Steve Demeules of Palmer Twp. for three-year terms.  

The next county board meeting is Tues., Jan. 4 at 9 a.m.