Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
The Eddy County Commission plans to remodel an upstairs court meeting room, purchase a new walk-through metal detector and install a keyless entry system using grant funds approved by the State of North Dakota. The announcement was made at the regular Eddy County Commission meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 19.
The grants are provided as part of the Court Facilities Improvement and Maintenance Fund, which are allocated to counties to improve or maintain court facilities. The fund receives revenue from a share of a fee that is applied to all criminal cases. The state then receives applications and makes awards for projects that qualify for the grant funding.
The improvement or maintenance projects must be a necessary improvement to court facilities or essential to remodel or maintain existing court facilities. The county is required to provide allocated funding for the project in an amount equal to at least 25 percent of the projects total cost.
Previously, the grant program has provided funds for Eddy County to purchase and install new courthouse windows, install new carpeting, purchase new chairs for the courtroom and remodel a basement room and bathroom in the courthouse.
All three commissioners and Eddy County Auditor Patty Williams will be attending the North Dakota Association of County Officials Academy on March 11 and 12 at the North Dakota Heritage Center.
The commissioners have been looking at replacing the elevator and lift system in the courthouse. The elevator that comes in the back door of the courthouse and carries a person to the main level of the courthouse and the lift chair that brings a person from the main level to the upstairs is old, not trustworthy and in need of replacement. It is necessary to replace the elevator since it has become obsolete, making repairs and finding parts very difficult. The commissioners asked Williams to see if the company has installed similar elevators that they could look at.
Interviews for the position of Eddy County Road Supervisor were planned Feb. 19 and 22. The commissioners will meet again on Monday, Feb. 25.
New business for the commission included the following:
• Garrison Diversion Matching Recreation Grant Program: Williams received a notification from Garrison Diversion that the county is eligible to apply for matching grants. They will forward the grant information to Eddy County Extension Agent Tim Becker, to explore the possibility of using the grants for improvements to the Eddy County Fairgrounds.
• National Association of County Engineers (NACE): The commissioners again declined the request to become a voting member of NACE.
• Sale of county snow equipment to the city: The county was approached about selling some equipment that is currently not used by the county. The commissioners will wait with this request until the new county road superintendent is in place.
• Lake Region Law Enforcement Center (LEC) Security Project Loan Agreement: The LEC is in the process of doing a security upgrade with an estimated cost of $811,320. Ramsey County and the City of Devils Lake will each pay $275,000. LEC will obtain a loan to cover the remaining $261,320, which will be repaid by Benson, Towner, Nelson and Eddy Counties.
Eddy County’s 10.45 percent share of that is $27,320, which can be paid in one payment or in five equal annual payments with a three percent interest rate. The commissioners approved the payment with the agreement that they will pay the entire bill in one payment, to avoid the interest payments.
The next meeting of the Eddy County Commission will be held on Tues. Mar. 5 at 9 a.m.
