During a quick meeting on Tuesday, March 17, the Murray County Commissioners questioned County Engineer Randy Groves on the progress of the Valhalla Road/CSAH 13 construction project heading into spring.
Groves said the final lift on the road and trail need to be done, along with signage, shoulders and some restoration work when the project nears completion. The completion date for the long-awaited project was last fall, but weather issues and a starting date after the 4th of July slowed down the process.
“It shouldn’t take a lot of time to wrap it up,” Groves said.
With what everyone hopes was the last blast of winter weather, Groves also reported that four of the county’s newer plow trucks ended up sitting in the shop with electrical problems.
“It’s very frustrating,” he said.
Groves got approval from commissioners to list several items as surplus. The equipment has already either been replaced or had replacements ordered. Included on the list is a 2012 International plow truck with plow equipment, two pickup trucks, a 1998 John Deere tractor with mowing equipment and a ripper attachment for a motor grader.
Also approved were bid openings for overlay projects, seal coat and fog seal and striping for the west half of the county. The commissioners approved a resolution to advance federal aid funding to a 2026 project to take advantage of combining some projects and a resolution for a list of deficient bridges. Groves said the list gets updated every couple of years.
Jean Christoffels and Sarah Soderholm requested approval of a 2026 AIS Watercraft Inspection contract with Waterfront Restoration. This will be the second year the county has contracted with the business that spend time on Murray County launches checking for AIS infractions.
Christoffels said they received good comments about Waterfront Restorations last year.
“They were very respectful, and helpful in getting the word out and educating boaters,” she said.
The contract is for an amount not to exceed $35,000.
A 2-year lease agreement was approved with the Murray County Racing Association for the racetrack. Parks Director Justin Hoffmann gave a brief update on the lighting project at the track, stating most of the materials have arrived and the plan is to start removing the old lighting soon – yet another project that took a backseat to weather in the past few days.
In other county business, Jeff Cheskie was appointed to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board and a 3-year agreement for the animal pound was approved.
