The Grant County Board of Commissioners has approved to proceed with an engineering feasibility study for a new exhibit building being proposed at the 4-H grounds in Milbank. At Thursday’s meeting, Grant County 4-H Youth Program Advisor Sara Koepke presented the commissioners with a proposal for the building of a new 80 X 180 foot multi-purpose building at the 4-H grounds at an estimated cost of $544,000. The issue was first brought before the commission back in March, but was revisited again Thursday with the hope of better enhancing the local 4-H youth program. Sara noted that the current structure, which was built in the mid 1970’s, is in need of repair and does not provide adequate storage, bathrooms and space for both the archery and shooting sports programs. The commission, as a whole, expressed concerns as to whether the county would be able to set aside enough money to make the project become a reality. When asked whether grant funding would be a feasible option for offsetting some of the costs involved with carrying out the project, Sara indicated the idea was something that could possibly be looked into as the project begins to take shape. The commission as a whole remained firmly committed to the idea of having an engineering feasibility study performed for the building project before any monies are set aside by the county toward its overall completion.
In other business, the commissioners approved a series of agreements involving road, bridge and drainage tile work on behalf of the Grant County Highway Department. The board approved a request from Jerald Zubke for the installation of new drainage tile running through County Road 4 north of Milbank. The commissioners also approved a special road haul agreement on behalf of Dakota Range Wind, formally authorizing the company to operate heavy duty machinery and other motorized equipment on certain roads within the county while completing its current wind energy project. A series of agreements were also approved with the South Dakota Department of Transportation for four bridge projects being completed within the county. A bridge replacement project has been approved near Revillo for later this year with renovation projects involving three other bridges also planned in the near future, as well. County Highway Superintendent Kerwin Schultz also discussed the need for removing silt and other debris from the main outlet at Lake Albert located south of U.S. Highway 12 between Milbank and Big Stone City. An excessive buildup of silt and debris at the base of the outlet has led to flooding in areas located near the lake. After further review, the board agreed to have the county look into cleaning the outlet in an effort to return the lake to its normal water level.
In another matter, the commissioners approved setting aside $40,000 from the Grant County Courthouse Maintenance Reserve Fund Account for a proposed window replace project at the courthouse. The project would involve 46 windows located along the west and north sides of the courthouse. Two windows had previously been replaced to determine if the problem of air loss would be improved, which it has.
The commissioners also conducted an official canvas of the 2018 Primary Election results for Grant County with the final results being approved and then signed by the board. Grant County Auditor Karen Layher noted that the election went very smoothly with county-wide voter turnout being reported at slightly more than 22 percent.
