By Joanne Bergman The Murray County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. County Highway Engineer Randy Groves requested approval to dispose of surplus equipment via online bids. The 1970 forklift no longer meets OSHA requirements. It is being replaced with the prior approval of the board.
Groves next item of business was the adoption of a bridge replacement resolution. This action is taken annually to update the deficient bridges eligible for future replacement with State of MN funding.
The next item of business was the adoption of a resolution and approval of the bridge grant agreement for the bridge replacement project on CSAH 42 over Lime Creek. This project is slated for 2025. $215,305 will come from LBRP funding.
The date of February 27 was set for opening of bids for the maintenance striping project. Each year county roads in one half of the county receive a new coat of paint. This year the half of the county east of Highway 59 is slated for paint.
The date of February 27 was also set for opening of bids for the seal coating project. CSAH 6, 7, 30, 35 and 44 are included in the project. Approval was given to have bids submitted online in order to streamline the process for highway department personnel. Awards will continue to be approved at the following Board of Commissioners meeting.
Groves presented an overview of the construction of the new highway building especially for the newly elected commissioners. There were no tax dollars expended on the project even though that is the popular understanding of many of their constituents. State road aid monies and bonding proceeds were used for the financing.
There is a five year plan to complete the project with construction of a salt shed, fuel tanks and a cold storage building estimated at $4.1M, perhaps using the same funding methods. No decision has been made finalizing the plans.
