Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RICHARD JENKINS
Hurley — Although the price isn’t set yet, visitors to Saxon Harbor will likely be able to buy firewood at the harbor this summer after the Iron County Forestry and Parks Committee approved a contract with a vendor Tuesday.
The wood will be sold through a self-serve kiosk where a series of lockers, similar to bus lockers or newspaper stands, are filled with wood and each user pays to access a locker and use the wood inside.
“The lockers are actually a little bit bigger than a bundle of wood. So what we’re going to do is figure out what we should be charging for that bundle once we actually get that thing,” Forestry and Parks Administrator Eric Peterson said. “(The vendor) is thinking it will probably be like $10 for a locker full of wood.”
The firewood will be supplied by George Dalbec Logging, according to Peterson, on a 60-40 split with the company keeping the larger portion of revenue. The company is also purchasing the locker, Peterson said.
The camping season will serve as something of a trial run for the county, according to information presented at the meeting, with the possibility of expanding firewood sales to other county campgrounds or a vendor agreement for longer than a year if things runs well.
In other action, the committee approved:
—Advertising for any vacant Saxon Harbor attendant positions, including the possibility of hiring a part-time cleaner for the harbor facilities.
—Purchasing a half-ton Dodge pickup truck for $25,644 from Ewald Automotive Group, the lower of two bids submitted. The department is expected to receive at least $2,000 for it’s current vehicle, Peterson said.
—A resolution giving Dan Love a road use permit to use a road through county land to access property he owns near Mercer.