At the January 24 county board meeting, Rick Grooters and Ann Koliha, Fillmore County Soil and Water Conservation District, discussed buffer law compliance progress.
Grooters stated that the Minnesota Buffer Law that was signed into law by Governor Dayton in June of 2015 has created a lot of controversy. The intention of the law is to protect water resources from erosion and to limit runoff pollution. Fillmore County has no public drainage ditches which are also required to be buffered.
A buffer is permanent vegetation adjacent to a lake, river, or stream. Grooters noted some buffer areas have less than desirable vegetation, like weeds and boxelder trees. Public water buffers are required to be 50 foot wide on average with a 30 foot minimum width on each side of the waterway. Buffers adjacent to public drainage ditches are required to be 16.5 feet wide. The deadline for compliance is November 1, 2017.
DNR inventory of waterways was made in the early 1980s. Dayton included in the Buffer Law anything that drains an area over two square miles.
Koliha said over 1,500 letters were sent out last July to educate landowners. Then initial field visits were conducted. The SWCD is now sending out compliance letters which include maps showing areas needing an additional buffer.
The county will need to make decisions about enforcement by March 31.
A little over 400 areas will need an additional buffer. About 85% of Fillmore County is already in compliance with the buffer law. Koliha explained that buffer areas can still be grazed or hayed.
Toward Zero Deaths
Brenda Pohlman, Fillmore County Safe Roads Coordinator, Jessica Schleck, SE TZD Regional Coordinator, and Fausto Cabral, District 6 State Aid Engineer, gave a presentation and update on the Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) program.
The leading causes of traffic related deaths in southeast Minnesota are lack of seatbelt use, speed and aggressive driving, and alcohol. TZD program committee includes enforcement, engineering, education, and emergency medical and trauma service personnel. The TZD goal is to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on Minnesota roads to zero. Schleck said a fifth “E” has been added which is “everyone else” who share the roads.
In 2003, at the beginning of the program, there were 655 fatalities on Minnesota roads. The number of deaths on Minnesota roads trended down year after year until about the last six or so years when the number has leveled out between 361 and 411. The goal for 2020 is no more than 300 deaths.
Ninety-three percent of accidents are caused by human error. To a much lesser extent, accidents are caused by roadway conditions and to an even lesser extent, by vehicle failure.
In 2015 there were two fatalities in Fillmore County. Chairman Randy Dahl said he believes new vehicles with all their technology give the driver information overload which causes distracted driving. Pohlman said the driver can’t do two things at once. Distracted driving happens when one’s eyes are off the road, when there is physical removal of one’s hands from the steering wheel to do something else, and/or when the driver is thinking of other things.
County Engineer Ron Gregg said chevrons were placed along 43 additional curves on county roads last year using Highway Safety Improvement funds.
Sheriff Tom Kaase added that over the years there have been initiatives to prevent drunk driving. He said a lot of people don’t grasp the danger of distracted driving, but more are starting to realize the magnitude of this problem.
Other business in brief
• The award of AcenTek’s large broadband grant ($1.78 million) for the greater Lanesboro area was noted. Commissioner Mitch Lentz hopes other providers will see the benefit of applying for the Border to Border Broadband Development grant to extend broadband coverage in Fillmore County. Commissioner Duane Bakke said as the county’s $75,000 trickles back to the county, it can be used like a revolving loan toward other broadband projects.
• Terry Schultz, Solid Waste, said there were two quotes to do the electrical work for the new ABM compactor. The lower quote of $3,250 from Morem Electric was approved.
• Approval was given for the purchase of survey equipment as requested by Ron Gregg. The purchase had been budgeted. The equipment will be purchased from Frontier Precision at a cost of $59,761.80.
Gregg discussed several road projects suggested by commissioners as candidates for soliciting federal 2021 funding. Based on a scoring process the priority for federal funding will be a concrete overlay of CSAH 21 from the intersection of CSAH 12 north to Trunk Highway 16. Ranking scores included average daily traffic, pavement rating, design standards, estimated cost and environmental impact. The 5.37-mile project is estimated to cost $2,689,481.
• Christopher Larson was hired as replacement custodian effective February 10.
Troy Case was hired as replacement property appraiser effective January 27.
A request to advertise for a full-time Dietician/PHN/RN was approved as recommended by Community Services committee.
Heidi Jones was hired as a temporary account technician in the Auditor/Treasurer office effective January 25. Interim auditor/treasurer Carrie Huffman said Jones is well trained and will not need additional training.
• An appropriation in the amount of $5,000 to Bluff Country Housing Re-development Authority was approved.
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