County may rescind option on property

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — Nobles County commissioners on Tuesday tabled a motion to rescind their earlier decision regarding a second option on a 60-acre parcel owned by Elden and Janice Bartz.

The property, located along Minnesota 60 north of Worthington, was made available to the county as a potential site for business development. In April, commissioners voted to take a second option on the property that would have them paying $7,500 to, in essence, have first rights to the land if someone came forth to develop it.

“At one time, we really needed this,” Commissioner Marv Zylstra said. However, two parties that had once been interested in the parcel have both backed away from it.

Commissioner Diane Thier added that with the county’s budget, the $7,500 saved was a good idea.

Following Zylstra’s motion, Commissioner Norm Gallagher suggested that perhaps the Worthington Regional Economic Development Corp. may be interested in the land. Commissioners then opted to table the motion until its June 17 meeting.

In other action, the board:

• Received an update from Veterans Service Officer Brock Brockberg on benefits paid to Nobles County veterans.

• Received an overview on the highway department’s annual budget from Public Works Director Stephen Schnieder.

• Directed Schnieder to approach the City of Worthington about three-tenths of a mile of County State Aid Highway (CSAH)-designated roadway the city has. With the reconstruction of Minnesota 60 in the coming years, the board’s hope is to use the designation for a different road in the county.

  Also, the board approved on a 3-2 vote designating 1.3 miles of CSAH status to Nobles County 55 at Dundee, and a half-mile to Zeh Avenue in Brewster. The designation requests will now be sent to the Minnesota Department of Transportation for approval.

• Approved the following conditional use permits: H&S Bus Lines LLC of Worthington to operate a bus and automobile storage/repair business at 26724 Read Ave.; Henning Construction of Adrian to operate a gravel pit in the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 29, Westside Township; Trey Davis of Worthington to operate a small engine repair shop at 30607 200th St.; Weg’s Blue & White Dairy of Bigelow to expand its building site in the northwest quarter of Section 24, Ransom Township; Son-D-Farms of Adrian to construct two swine barns in the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 24, Ransom Township; and Myron Grussing of Rushmore to construct a new swine barn in the north half of the northeast quarter of Section 34, Olney Township.

• Appointed Rita Domagala of Adrian to a three-year term on the Nobles County Library Board; and Dale Peterburs of Lismore to a twoyear term on the Revolving Loan Fund Committee.

• Appointed Jason Beckmann as the Public Safety Communications discipline representative on the Emergency Management Planning Advisory Committee.

• Approved the closing of CSAHs 1 and 14 in the City of Brewster from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. July 19 for its Fun Days parade.

• Approved the following annual appropriations: $1,200 to Civil Air Patrol; $1,400 to Travel Southwest; $1,250 to Southwest Minnesota Arts and Humanities Council; $5,250 to the Southwest Initiative Foundation; $3,600 to the Southwest Minnesota Workforce Council; and $5,000 to the Veteran’s Memorial Park.

Tags: news, bartz, property