Gogebic County takes action on fairground

By PAMELA JANSSON

pjansson@yourdailyglobe.com

Bessemer — At an Oct. 11 meeting of the Economic Development and Capital Improvements Committee of the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners, members voted to award a $23,400 bid to Kitto’s Property Management of Ironwood.

Owner Brycen Kitto and Andrew Knaack were present and agreed to the company’s responsibility to facilitate the preparation of a base for new, portable grandstands.

Terms of the bid include remove existing concrete and debris; hauling material to set the grade height to road level; and leveling a pad, including compaction.

Two days prior, on Oct. 9, the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners already had voted to authorize the committee to make the bid decision with advance board approval.

Commissioners also hope to install portable bleachers before the next Snowmobile Olympus, which is expected to occur at the fairgrounds in January of 2025.

In other news, commissioners also voted to approve funding to compensate for a 50% reduction in funding from the fiscal year 2024 Emergency Management Performance Grant Agreement to the county’s emergency services/911 office. This year’s grant was $5,580.

Heidi DeRosso, the emergency services/911 director, explained that the lost funds traditionally are issued by the state but actually come from the federal government.

She added that the funds help to pay her salary.

“I think we need to step up and make her whole,” said Commissioner Joe Bonovetz.

Commissioners also:

— As recommended by the board’s Ambulance Committee, which also met on Oct. 9, approved the extension of the county’s contract with Beacon Ambulance. Dated Oct. 9, the new contract now applies to Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2027, with the county paying Beacon $468,038.20 for services in the first year and then increasing 3% each year to $496,541.70 in the third year.

— Approved the authorization of the county board chairman’s signature on a permit that allows the Gogebic Range Trail Authority to be contracted by the state Department of Natural Resources to maintain an ORV route on Old U.S. 2 from Ramsay to Wakefield.

— Approved the appointment of Ali Khan, M.D., a physician board-certified in internal medicine, as the county’s medical examiner and David Stockman, M.D., who is board-certified in pathology, as the interim county’s deputy medical examiner. The board also voted to remove previous medical examiner Dr. Roshan Mahabir and previous deputy medical examiner Dr. Donald Higgs.

— Voted to file a Sept. 23 letter from trial court administrator Susan M. Mitchem to the board, announcing the hiring of Michelle Ledvina as the county’s civil/jury clerk. Mitchem added of Ledvina, who began her new role on Oct. 7, “We are excited for her to join our team and know that she will be an asset to our courts.”

— Voted to schedule only one meeting in each of November December, with those dates being on Nov. 20 and Dec. 18 and including a directly prior meeting of the Finance, Budgeting and Auditing Committee.

The commission’s next regular meeting will be on Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. in the Gogebic County Courthouse.