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County commissioner's minutes June 25-26
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July 24, 2012 |
***Monday, June 25, 2012, Commissioners met in
regular session with Chairman Ron Smith,
Commissioner Walt Kirby and Deputy Clerk
Michelle Rohrwasser. Commissioner Dan Dinning
was out of the office for the week tending to
personal matters.
9:00 a.m., Road and Bridge Superintendent Jeff
Gutshall joined the meeting to give the
departmental report. Boundary County Emergency
Services Incident Commander Bob Graham also
joined the meeting.
Mr. Gutshall presented a written report. Mr.
Gutshall informed Commissioners he had been
using five new traffic counters and two of them
were stolen from the Highland Flats area at the
four corners.
Mr. Gutshall said he spoke to Rusty Leahy from
David Evans and Associates about the slide near
the golf course. Three separate remedies are
being submitted under emergency program and the
options are: re-pave and provide new rock, put a
fairly large French drain below the railroad
bed, or rebuild all the way from the railroad
slope.
Those present briefly discussed alternate routes
if something were to make the Kootenai River
Bridge unusable.
Mr. Gutshall discussed placing fabric down on
Pine Island Road and informed Commissioners the
situation is the same as far as culverts and
ditching on Fawn Lane. Mr. Gutshall said he
doesn’t want to start work on District 5 Road
and not be able to gravel it so he will wait for
chip sealing. These roads will all get a shot of
dust palliative materials, according to Mr.
Gutshall.
Mr. Gutshall said he had two graders working
today.
Mr. Gutshall said the Mission Creek Bridge is
not considered an official bridge because it is
less than 20 feet long and currently Mission
Creek is backed up approximately three feet over
the bridge.
Road and Bridge will begin mowing and patching
soon.
Mr. Gutshall said the Army Corps’ permit is good
for Deep Creek Bridge #4. C.E. Crane and
Contracting is the unofficial low bidder, but he
has not seen the award yet. Mr. Gutshall said
this project will be nip and tuck and the bridge
decks need to be ordered. A temporary bridge
will be in place for equipment and emergency
vehicles. The resident in that immediate area
will also be accommodated, but that is due to
her circumstances.
Chairman Smith mentioned the flood issue at Glen
Fodge’s road. The plug was repaired in order to
stop the water from seeping, but it’s not
working and it isn’t certain how water is coming
in. It was mentioned this is a private road.
Chairman Smith said in past flooding incidents
near Eastport there were private roads having
the same issue and the County provided sandbags
to the affected homeowners. It was said that
Glen Fodge had put more gravel on his road and
just because it is a private road it should not
be ignored.
Chairman Smith said he thought the sandbags were
provided and placed on Mr. Fodge’s road. Mr.
Fodge was given assistance, but he should
understand sandbags and/or sand is available and
he needs to be responsible for having the work
done. Mr. Graham said Mr. Fodge had been out of
town, but had just put the gravel down last
week. Mr. Fodge thinks the water is coming
underneath the plug, but it is not, according to
Mr. Graham. Mr. Graham said Mr. Fodge contacted
him yesterday and said he would take care of it.
Mr. Fodge has materials and an end loader to add
to what has been bagged. The slough just keeps
increasing to where it comes over the road. It
was said Mr. Fodge had done minimal work to
extend the bagging work yesterday. Mr. Graham
said it is his thinking that Mr. Fodge may call
for help tomorrow.
It was said this is private property and the
County has been sufficient in what has been
provided. Mr. Graham said Mr. Fodge needs to
find a permanent solution such as another foot
or so of rock to keep water from coming over his
road.
Mr. Gutshall asked if Mr. Fodge’s house had been
in danger. Mr. Graham said boats on the river
cause sloughing of the river banks and each time
this happens Mr. Fodge and Toby Schnuerle lose
property. Mr. Graham mentioned notifying the
newspaper about boating and the need for boaters
to slow down.
Mr. Gutshall spoke of the few places that were
built in the wrong spot and he questioned
liability.
Mr. Graham said the flow to the reservoir was 64
feet and outflow at the same time was 37 feet
and that is a big difference. Mr. Graham said up
until today the Corps was predicting the pool
would come within five feet of filling and then
settle down. As of now there was 6.5 feet of
free board left. Mr. Graham said more of the dam
is actually allowed to pond to become higher
than 1,759 in order to be considered full pool,
but the International Treaty states the
reservoir cannot be filled any further. If too
much water is spilled, it creates nitrogen
bubbles below the dam and that affects sturgeon.
Mr. Graham said today’s information is looking
at 1.7 feet of free board by July, which is a
drop from 5 feet to 3.5 feet to 1.7 feet.
Mr. Graham said the biggest problem is the major
storm expected to come tomorrow. Mr. Graham said
he has been getting phone calls from John
Livingston with the National Weather Service
that the area could get up to two inches of rain
tomorrow from sunrise to evening.
Mr. Graham said he spoke to the Kootenai River
Inn again and he doesn’t think they will need
help, but if the Kootenai River reaches over
1,765 they will give local government a call.
Due to tomorrow’s rain prediction, the Corps
increased the water release over the spillway.
The inflow has not decreased, but has increased,
according to Mr. Graham. The snowtel supervisor
in Canada said one of their three snowtel sites
is way above average and the other day Sheriff’s
deputies noted there is still plenty of snow
above Copper Creek. Mr. Graham said that tells
him the elevation in Bonners Ferry will stay
close to 1,764 or so for another week or two.
The Corps is doing what they can, but they’re
limited because of nitrogen. Chairman Smith said
once the dam gets full, there is no choice, but
to let the water go.
One option is to let water back up into Canada.
When there were problems in year 2006, the
Canadian dam was spilling as much as they could.
Kootenay Lake in Canada backs water into the
United States. Mr. Graham said 1,762 is the
normal high level for most years and that can
decrease to 1,755.
Mr. Gutshall said he shows the weather warming
to 55 degrees and getting hot next week.
The meeting with Mr. Graham and Mr. Gutshall
ended at 9:50 a.m.
Commissioner Kirby moved to sign the In-kind
letter for the Boundary County Youth Crisis and
Domestic Violence Hotline. Chairman Smith
yielded the chair to second. Motion passed
unanimously.
Commissioner Kirby moved to authorize the
Chairman to sign the Panhandle Area Council
Professional Services Contract, Amendment #1 for
the Community Restorium Elevator Project
#ICDBG-12-I-10-PF. Chairman Smith yielded the
chair to second. Motion passed unanimously.
10:10 a.m., Clerk Glenda Poston joined the
meeting at Commissioners’ request to discuss
various matters. Clerk Poston left the meeting
at 10:15 a.m.
10:30 a.m., Property owner Glen Fodge stopped by
Commissioners’ Office to discuss issues he is
having due to the flooding.
Mr. Fodge said last week he hauled in several
loads of gravel for this road. Mr. Fodge
explained that he and his wife had been out of
town until he returned on Sunday and he noticed
a few sandbags left and that others were used.
Mr. Fodge said he learned from someone that
sandbagging had been called off and he asked to
know why.
Chairman Smith said he heard Mr. Fodge would
probably lose some gravel from his road.
Chairman Smith said Mr. Graham mentioned that he
couldn’t get a hold of Mr. Fodge and that he
said to go ahead and get a hold of Road and
Bridge to bring in the machine used for
sandbagging and to call volunteers. Mr. Fodge
said this was the first time he happened to have
his cell phone turned off. Mr. Fodge said he had
raised his road two feet last year and another
foot this year. Mr. Fodge said he does
appreciate the work that was done.
Mr. Fodge said Toby Schnuerle probably lost a 50
foot wide section of river bank on his property.
Boaters and people don’t understand, according
to Mr. Fodge. The number of boats has quadrupled
and he has seen 12 boats on the river in one
day.
Mr. Fodge left the meeting at 10:50 a.m.
Commissioners tended to administrative duties.
11:25 a.m., Clerk Glenda Poston and Chief Deputy
Clerk Tracie Isaac joined the meeting.
Commissioner Kirby moved to go into Executive
Session under Idaho Code #67-2345(1)b, to
consider the evaluation, dismissal or
disciplining of, or to hear complaints or
charges brought against, a public officer,
employee, staff member or individual agent, or
public school student. Chairman Smith yielded
the chair to second. Commissioners voted as
follows: Chairman Smith “yes” and Commissioner
Kirby “yes”. Motion passed unanimously. 11:55
a.m., Commissioner Kirby moved to go out of
executive session. Chairman Smith yielded the
chair to second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chief Deputy Clerk Isaac left the meeting.
Treasurer Jenny Fessler and Assessor Dave Ryals
joined Commissioners and Clerk Poston and those
present discussed the July Fourth holiday.
The meeting with Clerk Poston, Treasurer Fessler
and Assessor Ryals ended at 12:00 p.m.
There being no further business, the meeting
recessed until tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.
***Tuesday, June 26, 2012, Commissioners met in
regular session with Chairman Ron Smith,
Commissioner Walt Kirby, and Deputy Clerk
Michelle Rohrwasser. Commissioner Dan Dinning
was out of the office tending to personal
matters.
9:00 a.m., Chairman Smith and Commissioner Kirby
attended a brief meeting at the Bonners Ferry
Visitor’s Center with Jay Huggins and
representatives of North Idaho Essential
Industries, Inc., the company working with Mr.
Huggins to start a business to manufacture
essential oils. Also present were: Economic
Development Specialist Mike Sloan, City of
Bonners Ferry Assistant Administrator David
Sims, Extension Office Educator Jennifer Jensen,
Dave Wattenbarger, and Deputy Clerk Michelle
Rohrwasser.
Those present were informed of the process to
make essential oils using wood debris from slash
piles, etc. Mr. Huggins said the process doesn’t
call for marketable timber. Chairman Smith asked
if lumber from the landfill could be used and
Mr. Huggins said lumber from that source would
have to be separated. Commissioners said they
felt the proposed business was a good thing to
have in the County.
The meeting ended at 9:10 a.m.
Commissioners tended to administrative duties.
Deputy Clerk Nancy Ryals joined the meeting at
9:30 a.m.
9:30 a.m., Commissioner Kirby moved to stipulate
to hold off on an appeal hearing for indigent
application #2012-21 until eligibility
determinations have been made for disability and
subsequently Idaho Medicaid as requested by the
appellant. Chairman Smith yielded the chair to
second. Motion passed unanimously.
Deputy Clerk Nancy Ryals left the meeting at
9:30 a.m.
Commissioners tended to administrative duties.
Clerk Glenda Poston joined the meeting to
discuss budget matters.
Treasurer Jenny Fessler joined the meeting at
10:20 a.m.
Commissioners briefly discussed ambulance
services in the County and how they were waiting
for Boundary Volunteer Ambulance to submit a
letter extending their deadline for service.
Commissioners said they had been told Boundary
Volunteer Ambulance would be submitting this
letter today. Commissioners felt the Master
Agreement with Bonner County and Bonner County
EMS should be signed whether or not Boundary
Volunteer Ambulance submits their letter
offering an extension just in order to have it
in place should it be needed.
Commissioner Kirby moved to sign the Master
Agreement with Bonner County and Bonner County
Emergency Medical Services. An agreement for the
provision of emergency and non-emergency medical
transport services in Boundary County. Chairman
Smith yielded the chair to second. Motion passed
unanimously.
Treasurer Fessler and Clerk Poston left the
meeting at 10:24 a.m.
There being no further business, the meeting
adjourned at 10:30 a.m.
/s/
RONALD R. SMITH, Chairman
ATTEST:
/s/
GLENDA POSTON, Clerk
By: Michelle Rohrwasser, Deputy Clerk |
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