Richard Peterson was re-appointed Mower County Assessor at Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Mower County Board of Commissioners.

The re-appointment was required by Minnesota statute and was one of the year-ending house-keeping duties of the county board.

Michael Hanson, Mower County engineer, received the commissioners’ approval of a contract with Minniowa Construction for a bridge project in Red Rock Township.

The firm’s low bid was near the engineer’s estimate of $215,000 for the bridge replacement project.

Work will begin in the spring.

Hanson also updated the commissioners on progress made in the south block of the two-block area of downtown property being cleared for the new Mower County Jail and Justice Center.

The contractor stopped work for the Christmas and New Year holidays, but is expected to resume next week.

“We’re getting to the point where it’s only a matter of days needed to get the rest of the work done,” Hanson told the commissioners.

Lee Hansen Excavating and Hauling is making soil corrections to the site.

Only Steve’s Pizza remains in the south block. That business will move in March to the former Granle’s Custom Framing and Art Gallery building along North Main Street.

The county plans to build a two-story, 128-bed jail and justice center in downtown Austin.

The city is acquiring nine properties on the two-block site for the project.

Meanwhile, the county is preparing bid specifications for the removal of asbestos materials in the Robbins Furniture and Design Gallery building and the demolition of that building across First Street Northeast from the Mower County government center and courthouse.

A geothermal well field and parking lot will be constructed in the block.

The county commissioners hope to take bids in April for the new jail and justice center project.

Contracts for the asbestos abatement and demolition of the Robbins building will be awarded this month.

The county is still negotiating with a lone property owner to acquire the northeast corner of the Robbins block.

The commissioners denied a request of John Akkerman to refund taxes and penalties the farmer paid the county.

The dispute arose from yet another case of a landowner losing the agricultural homestead classification.

At the same time this happened, Akkerman saw his real estate property valuations increase dramatically.

Two weeks ago, he went to the county board to complain.

Mower County Assessor Richard Peterson defended his actions, and the commissioners assigned the matter to the finance committee for a recommendation.

Ray Tucker, 2nd District county commissioner and chairman of the finance committee, announced the recommendation would be to assist Akkerman in filling out pay 2009 tax forms and to reclassify any of his properties as necessary to reflect active farming on the sites.

Also Tuesday, the county board unanimously endorsed the finance committee’s recommendation to prohibit the Austin Main Street Project’s representatives from salvaging anything from the Robbins Furniture Store and Design Gallery and other businesses in the Robbins block.

Concerns about liability issues were the main reason for the rejection.

The AMSP request was the only one of its kind. A representative of the Mower County Historical Society had inquired of Richard Huffman, owner of the Thoroughbred Carpet business, if the MCHS could claim an ice cream-making machine in the former Tower teen center above the Thoroughbred Carpet business.

George’s Pizza, the last business to occupy space in the Robbins block, has closed and is preparing to move into a new building at the former South Central Athlete location along North Main Street.