By Robert Williams

Editor

The future of Eagle Lake Park is now in the hands of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, according to discussion at the latest meeting of the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, May 5.

Commissioner Phil Hansen reported that the City of Frazee has finalized the sale of Eagle Lake Park and the non-profit corporation known as the Eagle Lake Association has been put in touch with DNR Area Parks and Trails Supervisor Dave Schotzko, in hopes that the DNR will purchase the park. Should the DNR do so, in the future, the county would likely manage the property.

According to Hansen, in the past Schotzko was able to make such decisions on his own. However, that is no longer the case and the discussion has been sent “up the food chain.”

Appointments

Jeff Moritz, a manager of the Cormorant Lakes Watershed District, has been appointed to the county’s Zoning Ordinance Review committee by Commissioner Barry Nelson. Moritz will fulfill the term of the District 5 representative Mandy Erickson.

Fair

This year’s Becker County Fail will be held July 29-Aug. 1. The rodeo will be held the first two nights and the derbies the following two evenings.

Highway

Becker County Highway Engineer James Olson has completed his four-year appointment; and Commissioners unanimously reappointed him for the next term of employment from June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2030.

Planning

Commissioners approved a Conditional Use Permit for a 260-foot guyed tower with a nine-foot lightning rod on behalf of Justin Aschnewitz of Frazee. The project site is located on State Highway 87 near the intersection of County Road 33 and will be used for new wireless service support. The request was approved unanimously by Planning and Zoning prior to the commissioner’s vote.

A second tower was approved to be installed in rural Ponsford on County Highway 44.

Recycling

Finalized numbers of the tire recycling event were approximately 1,400 tires (54 tons) received at a cost to the county of around $10,000, according to Commissioner Hansen’s report.

Commissioners also approved a new truck driver position on a recommendation from the Environmental Services Committee. The driver is needed to help offset solid waste transfer disposal costs by reducing staff overtime. The volume has been increasing (cardboard, metal cans) and the volume of heavy recyclable materials has been decreasing, resulting in the total volume of recyclables by weight staying flat, but increasing the site service trips. The number of stops per year has increased from 17,740 to 18,383 from 2023-25. This trend is expected to continue.

“Year over year, through the middle of April we’re collecting 40 tons more, w hich doesn’t sound like a lot until you’re picking it up,” said Environmental Services Administrator Steve Skoog.

Skoog noted the tonnage has also consisted of far more cardboard than glass and paper, like in the past.

The Source Separated Organics (SSO) collection program—the SSO program was rolled out to Audubon, Detroit Lakes, Frazee, and Lake Park. There have been public requests with (township support) to expand the SSO program to the southwest area of the County. The program is now doing collection at six public drop sites and for 22 businesses. The current collection rate is more than two tons per week.