Workers were busy replacing windows at the Faribault County Courthouse last Tuesday. They had to cut their day short when it began raining early in the afternoon.

The Faribault County Board of Commissioners had a shorter than usual agenda to work through when they met for their first meeting of the month on Tuesday, March 4.

Public Works director and county highway engineer April Wellman was at the meeting and presented the County Board members with a map of the county’s five-year construction plan and a map of the Pavement Quality Index (PQI) for the county roads in Faribault County.

Although the information was for the commissioners to review so they could have a discussion on the county roads at the next meeting, Wellman did take time to point out the work which was scheduled for 2026.

“The majority of our funds for road construction next year will be to work on County Road 19 from Highway 109 south to County Road 16,” Wellman explained. “We have also received word that the county will be receiving federal aid for replacement of a bridge on that road.”

Wellman mentioned that the updated five-year plan pushes some of the road projects back in the timeline due to the availability of the necessary funds needed to complete the road construction.

In regards to the PQI map, Wellman pointed out that the figures were due to be updated this fall and that could affect the order of which roads are worked on in the coming years.

“Just to review, the PQI measures the ride quality of the road along with the surface quality,” Wellman commented. “It also takes into account how many cracks are in the road.”

Wellman also had some good news and bad news regarding the county’s purchase of a used shouldering machine.

“When the mechanic from our department was able to inspect the used machine we were considering purchasing he found a host of problems,” Wellman said. “There was water in the fuel tank and the fuel filter was frozen, the machine had transmission problems, the parking brake didn’t work and it was excessively rusty. And those were just some of the problems.”

However, Wellman said the same dealer had four used machines in South Carolina which still fit the county’s parameters in terms of budget and the machines specifications.

“So, I would like to get your approval to have our mechanic travel to South Carolina and check out these four machines,” Wellman requested.

The commissioners agreed that it was worth it to have the machines checked out before making a purchase and granted Wellman’s request.

Wellman shared that the cost to remove and install new flooring in the Public Works office building ended up going over budget.

“We had budgeted $17,000 but the final cost is going to be $21,850,” she said. “But we have funds available to cover the difference.”

The board approved replacing the office floor.

Wellman also told the commissioners that gravel crushing bidding is now open.

“We are looking to crush 100,000 tons out of the Baker Pit,” Wellman stated. “However, our boring samples indicate we may come up about 10,000 pounds short.”

Wellman said many companies have been interested in bidding on the gravel crushing and she was hopeful they would have some good bids to consider.

Sheriff Scott Adams and Emergency Management director Sue Jahnke attended the meeting seeking the commissioners approval of the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) which allows the county to keep its emergency plans updated on an annual basis while also allowing staff to attend trainings and exercises by paying for a portion of the emergency management wages.

“We will also be able to provide education opportunities to emergency response agencies in our county in addition to our public and private partners in our communities,” Jahnke commented. “Without the EMPG grant funds to assist with wages, we would not be able to devote as much time to emergency management duties.”

Adams noted the grant amount for this year is $18,781 and has already been through the approval stage and is ready to be issued following the board’s approval and signing of the agreement.

The board approved the grant by a unanimous vote.

While at the meeting, Adams was asked how much interaction the sheriff’s department has with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

“ICE is probably more active in our county than most people realize,” Adams said. “But, they are looking for criminals, they are not swooping down into schools and looking for people. We cooperate with ICE but we do not hold anybody longer than we can legally hold them.”

County attorney Cameron Davis reinforced the statement by Adams.

“Our law enforcement personnel are always good about making sure that someone’s constitutional rights are not violated,” Davis added.

The board also:

• Approved a request by Planning and Zoning director Sara Hauskins to arrange land use training for members of the Planning Commission, the Board of Adjustment, staff and commissioners at a cost of $2,500. The cost of the training would be covered with funds from the County Performance Credit awarded through the county’s feedlot program.

• Approved the requests of Amanda Shoff and Kayla Brummond of the Human Resources Department to attend a seminar on Public Sector Human Resources Basics.

• Granted the request of Merissa Lore, Luke Schonborn and Dustin Anderson of the County Drainage Department to attend the Minnesota Association of Drainage Inspectors Annual Conference.