The Sherburne County Board Tuesday approved a lease agreement with Tri-CAP for vehicle storage and office space at the county’s Jackson Street building in Elk River.
Tri-CAP (Tri County Action Program) is a federally designated community action program for Benton, Sherburne and Stearns counties in central Minnesota. Tri-CAP currently provides transportation bus service in all three counties plus Morrison County.
The organization was looking for immediate space within the county for its buses, and the county was already planning to upgrade and possibly re-purpose its Jackson Street facility, which currently houses the public works engineering and surveying staff.
Tuesday, Public Works Director Andrew Witter said the agreement is an interim lease.
“We still occupy the Jackson Street facility with our engineering and surveying staff. This lease agreement allows Tri-CAP to come in,” he said. “In the summer months they will be storing their vehicles outside, with some small office space that we’re partitioning off the existing lunch/meeting room we have there.”
In the winter, the county will swap vehicle space to allow Tri-CAP to store three buses inside and a fourth spare bus outside.
Under the agreement, the summer (May through October) lease rate is $848, which includes a 16’x10’ office space, 4,000 sq. ft. of outside parking area plus $100 for common space and utilities.
In winter (Nov. through April), Tri-CAP will pay $1,287 per month, including the office space, 2,120 sq. ft. of indoor parking, 1,000 sq. ft. of outside parking and $200 for common space and utilities.
“This is an interim agreement until we’re able to proceed forward with a more formal agreement in fall of 2018,” said Witter.
Other Business
In other action the board:
• Approved a change order in the amount of $322,970 in the miscellaneous metals contract for the Government Center Expansion project;
• Approved a one-year joint powers agreement with the MN Dept. of Corrections to reimburse the county for the costs of prosecution. The cap has typically been $15,000 per year;
• Approved the purchase of Real Asset Management software for the auditor/treasurer’s department for a one-time conversion/training fee of $17,625 and an annual license and support fee of $1,875;
• Approved entering into a contract with WSB Engineering to complete the 2017 long-term transportation plan in the amount of $174,963.51.
