Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By ZACHARY MARANO
Bessemer — Following a study of the county fairgrounds by U.P. Engineers and Architects, the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners decided to prohibit the use of the grandstand and poultry and exhibition buildings unless authorized by a structural engineer.
The county contracted the Houghton-based architecture firm to perform a buildings study earlier this year. The study recommended against further use of the fairgrounds’ poultry barn. It said that the building should be repaired in “great detail” or demolished. The stable was also marked for repairs.
The board agreed to notify the fair board of their decision to prohibit access to these buildings as soon as possible. Board member Dan Siirla raised doubts about whether the repairs could be completed before the fair is over. The Gogebic County Fair is scheduled for Aug. 11-14 this year.
“We are already in the process. We know about all of this stuff, but just like everything else, it moves at a snail’s pace,” fair board member and county commissioner Jim Byrns said.
County chair Jim Lorenson said that if the buildings can’t be repaired in time for the fair, they shall not be accessed. At their meeting on July 19, the Gogebic County Economic Development and Capital Improvements Committee discussed the possibility of erecting pole buildings in their place.
The board approved the Gogebic County Search and Rescue Team’s request to purchase a new Matrice 30 Series drone at an estimated cost of $17,300 to replace their existing drone. According to the request form, the move to an M30 drone is considered an upgrade in several ways.
The M30 drone was built specifically for search and rescue use and is about half the price of previous search and rescue drones. It includes a camera that can switch between daytime, nighttime and infrared-thermal views, a global positioning system, weatherproofing, longer flight times and an obstacle avoidance system.
The team currently operates a six-year-old Inspire 1 drone, which is still one of their most used pieces of equipment despite its perceived limitations. After purchasing the new drone, the team will continue using the Inspire 1 drone for training and practice.
Ottawa National Forest Supervisor Darla Lenz appeared at the meeting to ask for the board’s assistance finding candidates to serve in their Resource Advisory Committee. Lenz explained that this committee must be established to review forest projects funded through the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act.
Lenz said that the SRS funds can be used for a wide range of projects, so RACs are intended to have 15 members representing a spectrum of interests from businesses to tribal governments. She said that the United States Department of Administration did not approve their last project proposal and asked that they represent more user groups on their committee.
Lenz requested that the board assist the forest service with community outreach to find new RAC representatives. Specifically, they are searching for people who can represent local governments, union, non-timber forest products and fishing interests. Board members recommended several individuals for Lenz to contact and Siirla expressed interest in serving on the committee himself.
Lenz said that the Black River Harbor recreation area is an important local and tourist destination in the county. She said that the forest service has been working with their stakeholders to secure funding for improvements to the trails, waterfall viewing areas and parking lots along the Black River run. She said they will work with the Gogebic County Road Commission on any road improvements. She said they were aware that the Copper Peak Board of Directors also has “very large plans” for the near future and the forestry service will make attempt to coordinate their trail improvements with them.
Lenz added that the forest is seeing increased use and there has been “a small uptick” in the number of people getting lost. In order to provide the best possible search and rescue services, forest staff have been reviewing their policies with local governments and law enforcement agencies. She said they will continue working together on the best ways to overcome the additional challenges of searching for lost people in the forest, such as the large number of nonmotorized trails.
The county board also:
—Made a one-time election of $10,000 of the American Rescue Plan Act’s Local Fiscal Recovery Funds as lost revenue.
—Authorized the chairman to sign a letter of support for the Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency’s senior programs, such as home delivered meals, congregate meals, homemaker aide, home care assistance and respite care.
—Authorized the chairman to sign the Emergency Management Performance initial work agreement.
