Perham-based business to complete wastewater improvements

By Robert Williams

Editor

The Otter Tail County Commissioners voted unanimously to support bonding for wastewater improvement projects by Bongards Creamery in Perham at the most recent meeting of the board on Tuesday, July 23.

The county approved the resolution for a request from Bongards Creamery for an issuance of a tax exempt conduit revenue bond to support wastewater facilities improvement as part of their larger investment that is currently taking place at the Perham facility.

“A quite significant project that is underway,” said Community Development Director Amy Baldwin. “The waste-specific component of the project that would be financed with these conduit bonds is the wastewater improvements, which are actually located in a township area, so that is why we at the county are asked to help facilitate this versus the City of Perham.”

According to the resolution, the county has a reasonable expectation that it will issue one or more series of tax-exempt bonds in the estimated maximum principal amount not to exceed $35,000,000 to finance the Project and that the borrower will make reimbursement allocations with respect to such original expenditures for the project from the proceeds of such Bonds.

There is no responsibility to the county or liability for non-payment to the county, according to Baldwin. The State of Minnesota has an allocation pool of this type of bond that Bongards would be pursuing this fall or later in 2025.

Bongards Creamery CFO Chris Freeman gave some background information on the project.

“Over five years, Bongards is spending $220 million on the site to make it a state-of-the-art, modern cheese plant,” he said. “This part of it is for building a new wastewater holding pond for all of the water treatment from the facility and then rebuilding the two existing ones to make them safer and modernize them, as well as, rebuilding our old DPW dryer inside the plant in the City of Perham and making it a new whey protein dryer. The entirety of this is to modernize the entire facility and to add about 25 really good paying jobs to the area.”

Bongards has already secured an $81 million tax credit financing program and are hoping to secure waste treatment bonds to help pay for this last part, Freeman noted.

District 2 Commissioner Wayne D. Johnson moved to adopt the resolution stating this is good for the entire county and upgrading the facility for environmental reasons is good for everyone involved.

The resolution was passed unanimously.

Freeman did explain that the facility is its own waste treatment facility having 350 acres on the site. Pretreatment is done inside the plant, then in the ponds prior to the water that is left being spray treated onto Bongards land. 

“We handle all our own waste stream ourselves,” he said.

Highway Department

2024 Construction 

Program Reconstruction

• CSAH 80 (Main Street) in Perham – Follow this project at https://www.perham.com/2024msrp/

• CSAH 35 (Underwood to CSAH 18} – Substantially complete pending punch list work.

• Single T Curves Reconstruction – Bid opening date of July 31, 2024. Anticipated to begin this fall.

• HSIP Edgelines – Bid opening date of August 28, 2024. Anticipated completion in October.

Resurfacing

• CSAH 24 Resurfacing (Hwy. 59 in Erhard to CSAH 3)-Scheduled to begin in early-August.

Bridges/Culverts

This season’s federal contract awaiting clearance to advertise for bids with most locations expected to carry over to spring/summer 2025 considering current timing of box culvert production.

• Bluffton Town Bridge on Leaf River Rd. – Box culvert pre-ordered for installation this fall.

Other

• Perham Garage – Anticipate opening bids in September with some site work starting this fall.

• Centerline Rumble Stripes – Awaiting contractor availability.

• Seal Coat- Awaiting contractor availability.

Highway Maintenance

• Crack sealing nearly complete for this year.

• Paver patching, roadside mowing, and shouldering continue in August.

• Culvert maintenance contracts in progress.

• Currently recruiting for one full-time position based in Henning.

NY Mills Garage

The New York Mills Garage Roof Replacement was awarded to Herzog Roofing of Detroit Lakes for $107,500. This contract has been completed and the total cost amounted to $120,022.40 which is an increase of $12,522.40. This increase was due to overruns.

The cost could have been as high as 162,000 to remove and replace all the insulation, according to County Engineer Krysten Foster. The old roof needed to be removed before total cost could be quantified.

Housing and 

Redevelopment 

Authority (HRA)

HRA Commissioner Leland Rogness’ term on the HRA Board ends in August 2024. The commissioners adopted a motion to reappoint Commissioner Rogness to another term on the HRA Board effective August 2024, for a term of 5 years.

Current membership of the HRA Board is: (Name, Term Begins-Term Ends)

• Chair Wayne Johnson, August 2022-August 2027

• Member Jeff Ackerson, August 2021-August 2026

• Member Betty Murphy, August 2020-August 2025

• Member Leland Rogness, August 2019-August 2024

• Member Kurt Mortenson August 2023-August 2028

Ackerson is fulfilling the term vacated by John Lindquist in December 2022.

Planning Commission

The board accepted the recommendation of approval of three applications from public hearings, including:

• A Preliminary Plat of “Boe’s Beach 1st Addition,” consisting of 4 Single Family Residential Non-Riparian Lots, 1 Block. The proposal is located West of 46956 Boe’s Dr., Pelican Rapids, MN, Section 31 of Dunn Township, Lizzie Lake.

• A Conditional Use Permit request for the Sheyenne Commercial Condos project which consists of twenty (20) non-dwelling storage units. There will be six (6) – 72’x40’ units, and fourteen (14) – 60’x40’ units. The site will be accessed off the east side of 205th Ave, approximately 930’ north of State Highway 34. There will be no water or septic services per the accompanying Declarations. The proposal is in Section 24 of Scambler Township on 205th Ave, Pelican Rapids.

The approval was with the following conditions: County Board with the following conditions:

1. Screening/Trees and/or shrubs planted as a natural buffer along 205th Ave.

2. Down cast lighting on the buildings.

3. A sign which cannot exceed 4×8-feet in size.

4. Approved Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan.

Commissioner Johnson abstained from the vote due to owning land adjacent to the north.

• Brady Kaye – A Conditional Use Permit Application request to rent a single unit Recreational Vehicle (RV Camp) site to the public. The proposal is located at 23925 Rokmar Rd., Battle Lake MN, Section 25 of Everts Township, Molly Stark Lake and West Battle Lake. With the following conditions:

1. Sign to be placed restricting access beyond the RV site.

2. No customers or guests of Rokmar RV Retreat can park along Rokmar Rd. This condition needs to be a part of the contract.

3. The Hammer Handle turn-a-round in the campsite needs to be extended to the north 15 feet.

Donations

The West Battle Lake LakeShore Association donated $500 to the County on behalf of the Land & Resource Office to assist operational costs of two Internet Landing Installed Device Sensors.

ARPA Funds

Otter Tail County received $11,410,722 of funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA); and the board adopted a resolution to elect the standard allowance available under the revenue loss provision of the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund established under the American Rescue Plan Act on July 12, 2022. The authorized standard allowance available under the revenue loss provision of $10 million will be applied towards public safety operating expenses; and the county must report how the remaining $1,410,722, was utilized in accordance with federal guidelines.

That amount will be utilized on:

• Detention Facility Body Scanner project completed in 2022

• Solid Waste Landfill Closure Project obligated to complete the project through December 31, 2025

• Detention Facility Social Worker Salary and Benefits obligated through December 31, 2026

• Coordinated Crisis Response Social Worker Salary and Benefits obligated through December 31, 2026

• Workforce Navigator Salary and Benefits obligated through December 31, 2026

• Consulting and Audit Fees associated with ARPA funding obligated through December 31, 2026