Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By PAMELA JANSSON
Bessemer — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners voted on June 12 to enter an interlocal agreement with several other western U.P. counties in relation to materials management.
Board Chairman James Lorenson said that the Western U.P. Planning and Development Region will serve as the central planning agency for the interlocal group.
No discussion occurred on the decision, but board members had agreed in previous meetings that it made sense to team up with the other counties, which include Ontonagon, Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga and Iron.
The state of Michigan — in part via the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy — required in the past year that counties decide on how to develop a more comprehensive approach to materials management, one that includes solid waste disposal, recycling, handling of organics, etc.
The new system will require a regional materials management committee, along with regular inspections by EGLE.
In other news, commissioners also approved a cost of $106,602.50 for Superior Fence and Excavating in Marengo, Wisconsin, to replace fencing at the Gogebic County Fairgrounds. The understanding will include a 50% downpayment. The board’s Economic Development and Capital Improvements Committee already had approved the expense and then referred the matter to the board.
County administrator Juliane Giackino also said that electrical work at the fairgrounds is now in the hands of Xcel Energy.
“The (state) inspector was there yesterday and approved the work done by Wakefield,” she said of the June 11 inspection visit.
David Semenak, Wakefield’s water and electric supervisor, had taken charge this year of repairing electrical problems that resulted from a Sept. 26 fire at the fairgrounds.
The board also learned from county treasurer Lisa Hewitt that a walkthrough of the fairgrounds last week had gone well in relation to securing funds from the state Land Bank Authority to repair the two horse barns and the livestock pavilion.
Hewitt said the next step will be to process related paperwork and then seek Requests for Proposals for the actual construction work.
Committee members also:
—Appointed Joanne Ritter of Bessemer to the Board of Directors of the Bessemer office of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
—Approved a resolution supporting the transfer of $800,000 in surplus funds from the county’s delinquent tax revolving fund to the county’s general fund with the accompaniment of an appropriate budget amendment. State law provides for such transfers.
—Approved a resolution supporting a funding increase for 211 services administered via the U.P. Commission for Area Progress, known by its acronym of UPCAP. The resolution refers to a funding increase of $7 million in the 2025 budget of the Michigan legislature, as requested by the U.P. Association of County Commissioners.
All votes were unanimous with Joe Bonovetz absent.
During the public comment session, Tom Niksich of Ironwood Township repeated a request he had made during the board’s May 22 meeting, when he said the board should reconsider its decision to not allow the county fair to be held at the fairgrounds this year.
Commissioners voted earlier this year to approve the Pat O’Donnell Civic Center as an alternate site for the 2024 fair due to expected construction at the fairgrounds after last year’s fire.
At the June 12 meeting, Niksich added that construction is not likely to start in the near future. He said the fairgrounds currently are “extremely safe” and said runaway animals are more likely to occur from tents that will be used at this year’s temporary location.
The board’s next regular meeting will be on June 26 at 5 p.m. in the Gogebic County Courthouse in Bessemer.
