Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Storm shelters were the big topic of discussion at the Eddy County Commission's regular meeting on Tuesday, July 5.
Eddy County Emergency Manager, Lisa Thompson, told commissioners that she's been working with the American Red Cross about public sheltering in case of major storms and power outages.
Sheyenne, she said, already has a good shelter in Ostby Hall, but New Rockford's current shelter, the NR-S Public School, is becoming a less desirable location given recent trends.
"The schools are becoming less and less desirable as shelter places because, honestly, they don't want many people in and out of the school anymore," said Thompson to commissioners. "... In light of every-thing that's happened in the last 10 or 20 years, schools have just gotten to be places that need to be locked up all the time."
As she searched for viable alternatives, Thompson said she kept coming back to one location: the Brown Memorial.
But before it could be used as a shelter, some issues would need to be addressed. According to Thompson, the building doesn't have showers, wireless internet or a generator, all of which would be necessary for residents seeking shelter after a devastating storm.
She added that addressing these issues could knock out three birds with one stone.
The Brown Memorial is often used during elections, and Eddy County Auditor Patty Williams says running elections has become difficult in a building without wireless internet.
The City of New Rockford and the NRABC, meanwhile, have been looking into updating the Brown to make it capable of housing a daycare center.
Thompson suggested having the respective boards of Eddy County and New Rockford somehow coordinate a path forward for the Brown Memorial that could equally address everyone's needs.
"We were hoping that, between the city and the county, we could pull something together that would make it beneficial for all of our uses," said Thompson, "and use the Brown for more than what it [currently] gets utilized for."
Also discussed at Tuesday's commission meeting was an update from Randy Linderman on roof repairs following a wind storm this spring, which tore shingles from the courthouse roof.
Linderman said the roof wasn't shingled properly - such as shingles not being correctly nailed to the roof - which he believes led to shingles flying off in the wind, and which could continue to cause issues. He added that small leaks have been coming in from around the courthouse tower.
The commissioners seemed to agree that, while a large-scale roof repair is likely necessary, the only course of action in the short term is to patch the roof as needed.
Much of the remainder of Tuesday's meeting regarded updates from various county officials on budgets and their recent activities.
Eddy County Veterans Service Officer Julie Shrock, reported that recent activities, such as the trip to Dauphin Island for local veterans, was a major success, and that more trips are being planned.
She added that she's working on updates to the maps for cemeteries in the area, as well as working with the state to update the list of veterans in Eddy County. According to Shrock, the list in Fargo doesn't even include her own name, nor the names of some other Eddy County veterans.
Before adjourning, commissioners carried a motion to increase the mileage rate to $0.625 per mile, and carried another motion to increase the yearly police contracts for Sheyenne and New Rockford by 2 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
The Eddy County Commission has scheduled a special meeting on Tuesday, July 26, at 8:30 a.m. in the courthouse to continue going over budgets.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 2 at 8:30 a.m. in the courthouse.
