Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM LAVENTURE
Hurley — The Iron County Board of Supervisors on Monday rejected a resolution to join a multi-county bond issuance to support financing for a company to install broadband infrastructure in rural areas.
The board voted 13 against the final resolution for an unconditional county guarantee of a pro rata share in a multi-county agreement for $8 million in taxable revenue bond financing for the Bugtussle 1 LLC project to install communication towers and fiber optic lines for rural broadband. Board member Opal Roberts was the only yes vote and Ken Saari abstained, citing his employer’s policy on the agenda item.
“I just believe that everybody on the board was thinking that it was too much of a commitment to put into a local private entity,” said Joe Pinardi, board chair. “We just had two weeks to think about all the information, and I had a few concerned people talking about us going out for that amount of money for a local entity.”
The board had approved a non-binding resolution in September to study the bond issue and held a public hearing earlier this month. The bond question would have required 12 of 15 members to approve the resolution.
The board 15-0 approved the construction of a 160-foot communication tower in Pine Lake to include the demolition of the former 70-foot fire tower at the same location. The county finance committee approved up to $220,000 for the construction and materials with funds that will come from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act, according to Pinardi.
The new tower will increase the range of communications, he said. The county sheriff’s office will install new equipment on the tower and GogebicRange.net, which leases space on the current tower, will install electrical power and new equipment on the new tower, he said.
Iron County Health Officer Katie Hampston has advised the Iron County Department of Health Board that she has accepted a position in Michigan, according to county board member Brandon Snyder, who chairs the health board. Hampston’s last day on the job at Iron County Department of Health will be Nov. 12, he said.
The health officer position is being advertised, but the board anticipates the job will be difficult to fill in a very competitive nursing market, he said. The position requires a master’s degree in public health but the pay is comparable to the starting wage of a registered nurse.
Previous health officer Zona Wick, who has assisted the department with public outreach throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, is assisting the department with the transition process, Snyder said. A request to increase the salary of the position is being prepared for the finance committee, he said.
In other board member committee reports, Thomas Thompson Jr. said the county forestry department stumpage is currently at $1,632,487. This compares to $1,665,929 for the same time in 2020.
“It’s a little bit low, but we’ll get there,” Thompson said.
Pat Hanson said the current contractor is requesting new compactors for the Hurley and Mercer locations, with each compactor costing in excess of $24,000. The planning and zoning department is reporting they are 120 permit requests ahead of the same time last year, he said.
Larry Youngs reported that the county highway department is requesting flashing signs in the eastbound lanes of U.S. 2 to caution approaching drivers to reduce their speed from 55 mph to the 15 mph speed limit of the roundabout that recently opened at the intersection with U.S. 51. There have already been instances of drivers who are unaware and have had to decelerate suddenly from highway speeds at the roundabout, he said.
The department is also working out a plan for snow plowing the roundabout, Youngs said. The challenge is that the snow needs to be removed as it is plowed and may require additional equipment and different plowing methods.