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Commissioners have approved a bid from Joseph Company for the building of a 5,400 square foot recycling center that would add on extra services including electronics disposal.

The low bid came in at $629,000 and the board unanimously accepted it. 

The price comes in over internal estimates of around $525,000 leaving the project short. However, earlier in the meeting, the board approved shifting $250,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money, originally earmarked for broadband infrastructure, to the project to account for the project. 

Currently, there is $800,000 in the infrastructure fund and the board agreed to ensure that money remains in the fund for future broadband projects.

Of the $250,000, $140,000 will be put toward the addition itself, while the remaining $110,000 will be dedicated to driveway updates.

County Road 2 bridge nearly construction start

A bid to replace a County Road 2 bridge east of Lansing has been accepted with construction eyed to start on Nov. 16.

The board accepted a bid of just over $1.4 million.

The project is expected to be completed by May 3, 2024.

The bridge in question was shut down suddenly in June of 2021 after an inspection by Minnesota Department of Transportation engineers discovered “critical issues with the steel piling that we’ve not seen before because of high water.”

“Right now we need to close the road due to the critical finding,” County Engineer Mike Hanson told the board at the time.

During the closure, county workers inspected the bridge to learn what repairs were necessary. Temporary fixes were put in place and the bridge was reopened again in July so as not to cause interruptions in harvest for area farmers.

The board also approved an additional $579,000 MnDOT contract that would refurbish funds put into the road. According to Hanson on Tuesday, the county would build the bridge, put the cash in and then be reimbursed by the state money after the project was completed.