The Sherburne County Board Tuesday passed a resolution to enter into an agreement with the Trust for Public Lands to purchase 430 acres of land in Palmer Twp. for a future county park.
The land is adjacent to Big Elk Lake and has a mile of lakeshore. It will be open to the public as a nature-based park. Property owners first made contact with the county in 2019 about a potential sale for parkland. Since that time, the county has sought funding for the purchase.
The total purchase price for the land, which includes four parcels to be combined, is $2,390,000. The county has already been awarded $500,000 through the Minnesota DNR’s Natural and Scenic Areas Grant and another $1.25 million through the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission to purchase the land.
The grant match obligation for the county is up to $640,000. That amount will not come from property taxes, but rather from a transfer of funds from the Solid Waste Ash fund.
HHS Grant
The board accepted a Health & Human Services grant award for Adult Protective Services in the amount of $7,889.56, funded through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021
The grant funds will be used for short-term emergency services that include food, shelter, clothing, transportation, financial management, counseling, advocacy and case management.
ARPA Expenditures
The board approved ARPA expenditures in the amount of $42,521.40. Of that total, $35,927.40 will be used to replace the uninterruptable power supply (UPS) for the county’s Dispatch Center. The remaining $6,594 is for replacing storage receptacles for inmates at the jail to help prevent the spread of illnesses.
Other Business
In other actions the board:
• Approved a gambling premises permit for Big Lake Sno-Cruisers to be utilized on March 11 for an event held at KJ’s Refuge Bar & Grille in Orrock Twp.;
• Authorized a call for bids for selection and designation of the Official County Newspaper for the upcoming year. Notice will be published Dec. 3, 10 and 17 in the official county newspaper;
• Set a public hearing date of Dec. 8 on the issuance of an On/Off Sale w/Sunday Liquor License for Bailey Ray’s Roadhouse in Santiago Twp. due to change in ownership;
• Approved a contract with AVIVO to administer the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) and Diversionary Work Program (DWP) for employment training and services with state and federal funds totalling $386,174;
• Accepted third quarter donations received by the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department in the amount of 5,732.06 from various donors;
• Approved the purchase of a Pavement Management Program from ESRI GIS Mapping Software at a cost of $49,792 to replace the existing program;
• Approved a joint powers agreement between Sherburne County and the City of Elk River for improvements to Co. Rd. 33. Total design costs are estimated at $163,413, with the county’s share at $26,642.
• Approved a resolution to prohibit parking along portions of Co. Rd. 8 within the St. Cloud city limits from 9th Ave. SE to 21st Street on the east side and from 9th Ave. SE to 24th Street on both sides;
• Approved the lease of a new printer for use by the Jail Clinical Corrections Social Workers in the area of the jail where the two new positions work. The cost is $46 per month plus printing costs;
• Proclaimed November as Adoption Month in Sherburne County.
