Third Quarter - Beltrami County

Beltrami County
Minnesota
News and Highlights
www.co.beltrami.mn.us
3rd Quarter 2012
Helping Veterans
Did you know that there are 3,338 Veterans living in Beltrami County and approximately another 15,906 Veterans residing in our nine surrounding counties? There
also 340 military retirees living in our community. All of us here in Beltrami know
at least one Veteran (or more). However, what do you tell a Veteran who has
come upon hard times and they and their family are in need of help? Hopefully,
what you tell them is to contact their local County Veterans Service Officer at 218333-4177/4178 or go see them at 616 America Avenue, NW, Suite 140.
local Armory in Bemidji. Free Services include meals, clothing distribution, haircuts, employment assistance, VA benefits claims processing, and many other services. Please help get the word out to all our Veterans.
~submitted by Scotty Alison,
Veterans Service Officer
[email protected]
218-333-4178
We have several programs that this office believes are currently being underutilized. One is the State Soldiers Assistance Program (SSAP) which is managed by
the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA). Through SSAP, Veterans
and their families can receive dental, optical, subsistence benefits (such as personal needs, shelter assistance, and utilities) and special needs (on a case-by-case
basis) support. As an example, a Veteran with a spouse and two children and a
monthly income below $2368 qualifies for dental/optical support. This would
provide each of them a $1,000 grant towards dental treatment and a $400 grant
towards optical care. The great thing about this program is as long as you qualify
you can use it every year.
Support our Area Students’ Success!
Students First is a community initiative to help students reach their full potential by pursuing their Success Plan goals with support from a caring adult.
The time commitment is small but the potential impact on our students, the
community, and your own life will be abundant!
Another program we need to promote is spearheaded by the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans. Their primary focus is to provide assistant to Veterans
and their families who are homeless or experiencing other life crises. Services
include rental/mortgage, utility,
transportation and food assistance, employment help, sobriety aftercare and legal counseling. If you know a Veteran who
is behind on his/her mortgage
or rent tell him/her to come see
us right away. We can get them
the help they need but like everything else if they are too far
down a certain road, the help
we might be able to obtain for
them will probably be limited.
Time commitment: One half-hour meeting with your student match per
month. Students First is a school term program, so there is no time commitment over the summer months.
When: Monthly meetings with the incoming 7th grade class will commence
in February 2013. There is additional need for some coaches to be matched
with 8th graders in the Fall Term— October 2012.
Who: We are looking for caring adults from a variety of professions, hobbies,
and interests so that we can make the best match possible with our students’ and goals for their futures. The program is currently for students at
Bemidji Middle School and TrekNorth Junior High School.
If you are interested in becoming a Success Coach, please email Coordinator, Lara Gerhardson, at [email protected] or call 218-333-8042.
There are answers to most Frequently Asked Questions on the website
www.studentsfirstmn.com under the “About” tab. Should you request it, we
are also available to discuss Students First with your employer.
Don’t forget, on September 26th
from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, the
Veteran Supporter Community
will conduct a Veterans
“Standdown” right here at our
Some of the information you will find inside includes:
Services in the Community Service Center
Building
2
Kelliher Community
3
Rognlien Park Fishing Pier
4
Enhanced 911 Addressing
4
Beltrami County News and Highlights
3rd Qtr 2012
Government 101
5
Community Watch
6
Making Roads Safe
7
Lake Protection Grant Study
7
Protection of Vulnerable Children & Adults 8
page 1
What Services are in The Community Service Center Building?
In the 2nd Quarter Issue of the News and Highlights, we featured the County Administration
Building and what offices/services are located there. In this issue, we will feature the Community Service Center616 America Ave NW, Bemidji. In this building are the following offices and
most office hours are:
Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
On the First Floor
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)
Health & Human Services/Family Health
Beltrami Area Service Collaborative (BASC)
Veterans Service Office
Northwoods Caregivers
Early Childhood Family Education and
Early Childhood Special Education
Sue: 218-333-8329 or Vicki: 218-333-8334
The Bemidji Area School programs hold classes for children birth– five years old and their parents. Classes are
offered to families in the Bemidji School District.
Health & Human Services/Family Health
218-333-8140 or 888-881-7801
[email protected]
Beltrami County Health and Human Services consists of a variety of services and
programs focused on people having the resources they need to be safe, healthy
and independent. Family Health includes:
On the Second Floor
6.
7.
8.
Bemidji WorkForce Center
Health & Human Services/Income Maintenance
Ninth Judicial District Administration
(WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children is a
health program designed to improve the nutritional status of those participating.
Ample income guidelines allow many working families as well as those on public
assistance to WIC’s benefits.
Immunization Services provides low-cost child and adult immunizations (shots) to
people who don’t have adequate health insurance, and no cost to those with
Medical Assistance, MN Care and Medicare.
Child and Teen Check-ups are provided for all children receiving Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare. Periodic health screenings are offered to children and
teens under the age of 21.
Maternal & Child Health Home Visiting is a service designed to assist individuals
and families in promoting healthy outcomes for pregnant women and their infants. Nurses make visits to the family home.
On the Third Floor
9. Health & Human Services/Social Services
10. University of MN Extension—Nutrition Education
Beltrami Area Service Collaborative (BASC)
218-333-8190
[email protected]
Becky Secore, Executive Director
BASC is a Joint Powers Entity established in 1994,
whose priorities are to combine financial and service
resources that support programming for Behavioral
Health, Education Success, and Maternal and Child
Health in Beltrami county. BASC provides financial
support and employment to numerous community
projects. The Beltrami County Truancy Case Manager
and the Students First project are located in the BASC
office .
Veterans Service Office
218-333-4177 or 333-4178
The mission of the Veterans Service Office is to provide advocacy for
county Veterans and their families as they seek and obtain federal and state
benefits earned as a result of military service. We work one-on-one with Veterans and their families to access benefits and entitlements. This office also works
with and supports the “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon” campaign and the efforts to
establish a Veteran’s home in Bemidji.
Northwoods Caregivers
218-333-8264 or 888-534-4432
[email protected]
A nonprofit organization committed to Connecting, Enriching
and Empowering the lives of northwoods individuals and their
families. With our qualified volunteers and paid caregivers, we
offer Grocery Shopping Assistance, Homemaking, Respite Care,
Transportation, and Chore Services to seniors and individuals
living with a disability. We also provide Supervised Visitations
and Safe Exchanges to children and families through our First
City Visitation program.
University of MN
Extension
Nutrition Education
218-33-8109 or 333-8120
Ninth Judicial District Administration
218-755-4500
The Ninth Judicial District Administration office manages the financial, human resources, training, jury
and technology functions for the courts in the seventeen counties of north central and northwestern
Minnesota. In addition district staff assist local
courts with scheduling, policy matters, data collection and media outreach.
Bemidji WorkForce Center
218-333-8200
Hours: 8:00 am—5 pm
The WorkForce Center is an Employment and Training partnership among
Rural Minnesota CEP, Rehabilitation
Services, State Services for the Blind
and the Department of Employment
and Economic Development (DEED includes services for Veterans, Businesses, and individual who are exhausting their Unemployment Insurance).
Health & Human Services/ Income
Maintenance
218-333-8300
Income Maintenance determines
eligibility for various public assistance
programs such as MFIP (Minnesota
Family Investment Program) Food
Support, Child Care Assistance, and
Medical Assistance. Eligibility varies
for each program and is based on
income, assets and other qualifying
factors. Individuals need to complete
an application process in order to
have eligibility determined.
Our main mission is to help job seekers
and employers. While some services
are eligibility based, our Resource
Room provides jobs and training assistance to the general public including
free workshops to help people make
career decision, fill out applications,
develop resumes, interview, penetrate
the hidden job market and network.
Beltrami County News and Highlights
A research-based, peer
nutrition education program
geared to limited income
audiences.
Health & Human Services/Social Services
218-333-4223
Reception Area—Information and intake for all social services
Children’s Services includes child protection investigation of reports of suspected abuse or neglect, and arranges for placement
out of the home when child(ren) are in imminent danger.
Family Preservation Services are provided to families who are in need of additional support. Services include in-home counseling, in-home skills, and parental support.
Adoption Services provide information and referral services for people interested in adoption of children who are Wards of the
State.
Foster Care licensing and continuing training is available for individuals who want provide adult and child foster and respite
care.
Chemical Dependency Assessments and treatment for a full range of services is available to residents of the county who are
identified to be in need of such services. This is done with the least restrictive level of treatment/care appropriate to meet their
needs.
Child Support promotes the well-being of children, who are without the care of an absent parent. Working with parents and
Courts, Child Support Services assures basic financial, medical and childcare support is available from both parents. This service
works to locate parents, establish paternity, identify supporting obligations, monitor and enforce those obligations. These
services are available to all Beltrami County parents/caregivers of minor children.
Home Care—218-333-8300
Home Care Services provide medical and health-related services and assistance with day-to-day activities to people in their
home. It can be used short-term for people moving from a hospital or nursing home back to their home, or it can also be used
to provide continuing care to people with ongoing needs.
Waiver Services are services provided to a variety of individuals such as adults and children in need of home and communitybased services who would otherwise require the level of care provided in a nursing facility, or who are chronically ill. Also included in waiver services are home and community based services for people age 65 and older who are eligible for Medical
Assistance, children and adults with mental retardation or related conditions, and children and adults who have an acquired
traumatic brain injury.
3rd Qtr 2012
page 2
You opinion and feedback is important to us… tell us how you feel and return this clip to:
Beltrami County Administration
701 Minnesota Ave NW
Bemidji, MN 56601
OR e-mail to: [email protected]
1.
Did you find the information in this Newsletter helpful?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.
What would you like to see in future issues of the Beltrami County News and Highlights?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3.
A question I have of the County Board is:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4.
A suggestion I have for the County Board is:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kelliher Community Acquires New Services
The Kelliher community and many of its
residents have benefitted from an influx
of new services during the past year. These services, improving the quality of life
for local individuals, have come into existence largely due to the support of Beltrami County. Without such support in the
form of local grants, many residents
would be traveling many miles for care.
Gift and Thrift Store. Plans are in the works to
lease space to Northern Access Dental Center
to provide basic dental services to those who
quality based on income.
With such recent growth, the Kelliher OSC Committee decided to change the name of the
building to the Kelliher Health and Resource
Center (KHRC) to better reflect the types of services offered within the building. The building
also serves as a site for residents to walk/jog
and to participate in Bone Builders programming. The additions to the building have not
deterred from its use as a location for commuworkout center, a community resource center, and a nity plays and wedding receptions.
sheriff’s satellite office. However, for the five years, no Because of its efforts, the Old School Center Committee
new tenants have moved in until this year. During the (now the KHRC Committee) won the Beltrami Electric
past twelve months, the OSC has seen a myriad of Touchstone Energy Award – an award given to civic
changes.
organizations for excellent work supporting civic efforts.
The story of Kelliher, and its attempt to
provide an infrastructure that supports its
residents, dates back to 1997 with the
building of a new school. The new school
resulted in the vacancy of the old school
site. Kelliher found itself supporting a
school district that owned a building which no longer
served a purpose. Working together, the residents and
school officials formed the Old School Center (OSC)
Committee which sought grants to renovate the old
school structure so that it could serve as a viable center
for community services. Once the building was ready, Thanks to a USDA Rural Development Grant and a Dethe committee sought tenants to lease space.
partment of Energy stimulus grant, the dream of a community library became a reality. With grants from BelThe first tenant was Meritcare/Sanford Health. For
trami County, the OSC now leases space to Choice Physnearly ten years, residents have benefitted from a local
ical Therapy, Kelliher Chiropractic, and the new Kelliher
clinic. The city was able to acquire a grant to open a
According to Beltrami Electric, the vision of committee
members and the support of the community and county have made this dream possible.
~submitted by, Tim Lutz, Kelliher School
Pertussis (Whooping Cough) is on the rise
Record numbers of pertussis cases are occurring in all age groups and outbreaks are happening in upper elementary and middle school youth. Minnesota has over 2100 cases this year so far, far exceeding the 661 total cases reported last year in 2011!
Adults and youth are particularly likely to spread the bacteria to the more vulnerable. By boosting our immunity to pertussis through a vaccination now, we are not only
protecting ourselves, we are protecting others like our very young and those whose immune systems cannot fight off the infection. The disease is most severe for infants;
leading to hospitalizations in half of them, and it can be deadly.
Pertussis is a severe disease. The illness usually starts with cold-like symptoms. After 1-2 weeks, a cough with spasms sets in, and the illness may last for weeks, leading to
exhaustion.
All adults and adolescents over 10 years should get one Tdap (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis) booster shot. Pregnant women in the last half of their pregnancy (over 20
weeks) should get a Tdap immunization to protect themselves and protect their newborn after delivery.
Beltrami County Public Health located in the Family Health Unit of Health & Human Services, Suite 130, Community Services Center, has Tdap immunizations for all ages for
un-insured, under-insured, and persons insured with MN Health care programs such as MA or MN Care. Others are encouraged to request a Tdap shot at their doctor’s
office.
Family Health: 333-8140. Walk-in hours for all immunizations, including Flu shots which are available now, are Monday’s 8:00am-4:30pm.
Beltrami County News and Highlights
3rd Qtr 2012
page 3
Rognlien Park Fishing Pier
If you visit Beltrami County’s Rognlien Park on Grant Lake, you will see it has a new
recreational offering. Located on the north side of the parking lot is a handicap accessible 75-foot fishing pier. The T-shaped pier was donated to the County by the
Minnesota DNR last fall and, upon completion of a County constructed handicapped
accessible ramp, was installed this spring. The County is responsible for long-term
maintenance and minor repairs of the pier while the DNR is responsible for signing
and structural maintenance and repair.
The fishing pier is an additional amenity to a County park that offers a public swimming beach, picnic tables and shelters, rest rooms, a park host, and a boat ramp, all
at no-charge. Grant Lake is one of the region’s best pan fishing lakes. If your family
has the opportunity to fish off of the new fishing pier they are almost assured to
catch some great sunfish.
Rognlien Park was acquired in 1937 from the M. A. Rognlien family of Wilton who
stipulated that the land was to be a memorial to their son who had recently died. The
park was originally developed by the Civilian Conservation Corp into a day use area
used primarily by the local people of Wilton. Today the park attracts people from
throughout Beltrami County.
~John Winter, Recreation Resource Manager
Enhanced 911 Addressing
Why do County residents have blue and white house 
number signs in their driveways? The County adopted
an ordinance in 1998 that established a process for
naming all streets and roads and assigning address num- 
bers to structures. The main purpose of the ordinance
was to establish an effective way to locate your proper- 
ty in an emergency situation.
If you are planning to build or move a home onto your
property you will need to complete the following steps
to obtain an address:

Contact the appropriate agency for an application
(City of Bemidji - 218-759-3595, City of Blackduck 218-835-4810, Red Lake Indian Reservation - 218679-2416, all other areas - Beltrami County GIS/
Mapping Department at 218-333-8457).




If you are applying for an address with the County
your approach needs to be constructed before you
submit your application.
Staff will travel to your property to verify and collect the location of your approach.
Information is reviewed internally and an address is
assigned.
A notification is sent to you, your local post office
and utility companies regarding your address.
The County’s mapping systems are updated with
the new address information.
County staff requests a GopherOne utility locate for
your driveway where your house number will be
installed.
County staff installs your new blue and white house
number sign in your driveway. (Note: Because of
frost house number signs are not installed during
winter months.)
Area utility companies will require an address before
services can be provided. It usually takes two weeks
from the time you submit your application until you
receive your new address. Contact the GIS/Mapping
Department at 218-333-8457 with any further questions.
~Jane Mueller, GIS Department Director
2013 Platbooks
Beltrami County has contracted with Mapping Solutions to produce a new edition of the county plat book. Potential advertisers will be
contacted by a representative of Mapping Solutions in the near future. Your support of the project is appreciated. For more information
or to reserve your space in the book contact Susan at 816.528.4336 or [email protected]. Watch for the new book to
publish in the spring of 2013.
Beltrami County has a supply of the previous edition (2009) books and is offering them at a reduced price of $30/book which includes
sales tax. Books can be purchased at the GIS/Mapping, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Services and Real Estate & Tax
Services departments located within the County Administration building at 701 Minnesota Ave NW in Bemidji or by calling 218-333-8457.
Beltrami County News and Highlights
3rd Qtr 2012
page 4
Government 101
TOWNSHIP – Township government is made up of
elected officers referred to as “supervisors”. Most
townships have 5 officers consisting of a Chair, Vice
Chair and 3 supervisors. They take care of the day to
day issues like snow plowing, grading gravel roads and
many other projects within the township. They also
have the authority to build, pave and upgrade roads
from the tax money marked to be distributed to townships. LGA or Local Government Aid is distributed from
the State on a formula basis primarily linked to population.
Commissioners can be contacted by phone or e-mail:
District 1 Commissioner Jack Frost
trict #5 consists of 2 townships, Northern & Turtle Lake
and one Ward of the City of Bemidji, with approximately 8,500 residents.
Other offices include a County
Attorney, County Auditor, Assessor, Engineer, Planning,
Zoning & Solid Waste, and a few more.
STATE – The State of Minnesota consists of 175 Representatives and 67 Senators. Legislative Districts follow
the Census process and are revised every ten years.
The Governor , the State Auditor and the Attorney General are among the most visible elected offices. There
are numerous other departments and divisions that tax
CITY – City government is made up of city council mem- the citizens of the state and then redistribute based on
bers & a Mayor. The size of a City Council varies with any number of formulas, processes and methods.
the size of a City, ranging from 5 to 9. Bemidji has a
FEDERAL – The United States of America is broken
Mayor and 6 council members consisting of 5 City
down into states and each state has Federal RepresentWards and one “At-Large” councilor. The wards divided
atives and Senators representing them. There is a total
evenly based on population and are adjusted every ten
of 99 Senators and 151 Representatives. The President
years following the census. The city administrator is a
and Vice President are the most visible elected offices
public employee that answers directly to the city counand many appointed positions on down the line.
cil and is there to serve the general public. Other offices include a City Attorney, City Assessor, City Clerk, City There is a great deal of information available on the
Engineer and a few others. Other cities in Beltrami WEB regarding the size, formation and function of GovCounty include Blackduck, Kelliher, Funkley, Solway, ernment at all levels. We encourage you to get involved, stay informed and become a part of the governTurtle River and Wilton.
mental process. The only way to affect change is to
COUNTY – County Government is made up of a board of
step up and participate.
commissioners. The county administrator is a public
employee that answers directly to the board and is ~Commissioner Jim Lucachick
there to serve the general public. Most counties have 5
commissioners based on districts. For example, Beltrami County’s population is roughly 44,000 people. Divided by 5, that means that each district consists of 8,800
people. The districts are then divided by townships to
equal that number of people. So, Beltrami County Dis-
218-335-6773
[email protected]
District 2 Commissioner Joe Vene
218-444-6734
[email protected]
District 3 Commissioner Richard Anderson
218-467-3275
[email protected]
District 4 Commissioner Quentin Fairbanks
218-835-4184
[email protected]
District 5 Commissioner Jim Lucachick
218-586-3523
[email protected]
For additional information and detail, visit the County Board of Commissioners at
www.co.beltrami.mn.us/Government/Board_of_Commissioners.html
Bemidji Library— Back to School Days
As the summer turns to autumn, and vacations become
“back to school days”, it is a good time to remind everyone of the wealth of information resources available at
the Bemidji Public Library. For your convenience, we
provide access to you at home or your office through
our web site www.krls.org to many of these information
services. The services are not generally accessible to
just anyone, but with your public library account from
both the Bemidji Branch or Blackduck Branch, you have
access to literally hundreds of magazines, newspapers
from around the world, academic journals, several versions of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and many other
information resources.
Just follow the link to
“eResources” and select from the long list of subscription services. And for those that prefer the traditional
book method to gather information, we are continually
adding new materials to our collection and staff are
available to serve you.
Beltrami County News and Highlights
note this autumn are two events that blend history with
music that you will not want to miss.
On Monday October 15, at 7:00 p.m.is a special presentation “Woody Remembered : 100 yrs of Woody Guthrie” performed by Charlie McGuire, Pop Wagner & Tony
Glover. Watch for an announcement about the location
of this event.
On Saturday November 17, at 7:00 p.m., Prudence
Johnson and Dan Chouinard will present “The Times
They Are a'Changin : the history and music of the
1960s”. This event will be located at the Bemidji High
At the Bemidji Library, we are proud of our rich sched- School Auditorium.
ule of events, including four storytime sessions each ~Paul Ericsson, Branch Manager, Bemidji Public Library
week for pre-K children, special afterschool events for [email protected]
school age children, plus literary and cultural events for
all ages. Our printed monthly calendar of events is available at the Library, as well as from our branch web page
http://krls.org/branches/branch_bj.html
Of special
3rd Qtr 2012
page 5
A Community Looking Out for Each Other & Watching You!
(On March 1st of this year Beltrami County Sheriff’s Sergeant Jason Riggs had the opportunity to meet with citizens concerned with crime in in their Wildwood Rd. neighborhood in Beltrami County. Resident Thomas Reise invited several neighbors to an
organizational meeting to consider options for creating a neighborhood watch committee. Sgt. Riggs was asked to attend to offer insight into home protection, crime
prevention and an overview of the Community Watch Program.
neighbors.
The Community Watch program was designed to bring a community or neighborhood
together to prevent criminal activities by problem solving with Law Enforcement and
taking note of suspicious or peculiar activity. Attendees were informed to record as
much detail as possible to report to the responding authorities. Sadly enough, about
80% in attendance had been the victim of a property crime in this immediate area.
Sgt. Riggs provided a short presentation on how the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office They were encouraged to not surrender and know their actions will make a differmaps criminal activity and provides these details through the Sheriff’s Office Website. ence.
He also outlined the steps for the Sheriff’s Office
Problem solving was discussed among the neighbors
house watch program. He discussed the imand solutions presented were a neighborhood teleportance of being vigilant and just being a good
phone call tree and purchasing Crime Watch signs for
neighbor. He provided the Wildwood neighbors
the area. Sgt. Riggs was impressed with their enthusiinsight as to what burglars look for when tarasm to make positive changes.
geting a house as a potential to hit.
The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office encourages partSgt. Riggs fielded questions about the effectivenerships with communities for crime prevention and
ness of Crime Watch signage. He advised anyreporting. If you would like additional information on
thing done to let people know you care about
Safe Neighborhoods and Community Watch programs
what happens in your community has a positive
please call the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office and a
effect on reducing crime. They were told a sign
deputy will be happy to meet with you and your comby itself was not going to just stop crime from
munity.
happening. To truly make an impact on crime
~Sergeant Jason Riggs, Sheriff’s Office
would require vigilance and caring about their
Auditors/Treasurers, Recorders and Assessors are finding
ways to work more closely together than ever before to provide better customer service to our citizens and greater access
to real estate information. The real estate industry has been famous for its mountains of paperwork. This is about to change in Beltrami County. During the next two years
counties will be offering e-recording as an option for those wishing to record their real estate documents. E-recording will greatly reduce the time between the closing
where an individual signs the appropriate documents and the documents are actually recorded and available to the public. No more opening mail, postage, writing checks,
scanning documents, no more running stacks of paper between offices – saving time and money.
E-Recording Coming to Beltrami County
Why is this important? One of the most important segments of the economy is the Real Estate Market. In order for the marketplace to operate effectively buyers and
sellers need access to information that they can use to determine who owns a certain piece of real estate and all encumbrances that may exist against it. Making this information public as soon as possible helps make the real estate market function smoothly. This improved process will help avoid fraud by greatly accelerating the timely recording of real estate documents.
Real estate is no longer the old paper world of the past because the E-world is alive and well in Minnesota.
~Charlene Sturk, County Recorder
Newsletter Costs
Beltrami County 4-H
The results of the County wide survey indicated
that the folks in Beltrami County wanted more information from County Government. The county
board explored a number of avenues on how to let
the residents of Beltrami County know what was
happening in County government and determined
that a newspaper would be the most cost effective.
Television was not a viable option due to the size of
our county and assuring that every resident had
equal access was not possible. This is the 3rd edition of the County Newsletter and has been received quite well. It has been circulated as an insert
in the Pioneer and the Advertiser on the 1st Sunday
of the Last Month of the Quarter; March, June,
September & December. The newsletter has proven to be a “very” cost effective way to get the word
out. Since those papers are already being delivered, we save delivery costs. We are currently
printing 18,000 papers at a cost of $1,554 or roughly 8-1/2 cents per paper. We believe that this is an
extremely cost effective way of letting the constituents of Beltrami County find out what is happening
in County Government. Please let us know if you
have any suggestions on how to improve, articles to
share are always welcome and any other comments
regarding the publication.
Beltrami County 4-H youth came out in full force at
the 2012 Beltrami County Fair with a record number of youth exhibiting, 252 total. Beltrami County
4-Hers attended the Minnesota State Fair for Livestock Encampment, August 22-26 and for General
Education Encampment August 30-September 1.
For detailed results on the Beltrami County Fair or
the results of Beltrami 4-H Youth at the Minnesota
State Fair, check out www.extension.umn.edu/
county/beltrami.
Photos of 4-H events can be found at
www.picasaweb.google.com/beltramicounty4h
Beltrami 4-H youth are in grades Kindergarten to
grade 13 and participate throughout the year in a
variety of project areas learning by doing. October
1 is the start of the new program year. To enroll in
4-H log into www.4honline.com chose Beltrami
County.
~Ann Marie Ward, 4-H Program
Coordinator
218-444-5722
[email protected]
Beltrami County News and Highlights
2012 Dog Project
Most Improved
Hallie Winters & Milky
3rd Qtr 2012
page 6
In the Beltrami County Resident Survey back in August,
2011, the number one problem facing the Beltrami
County area was jobs and economic development. Four
of five county residents believe economic development
is the county’s greatest challenge.
their needs.
market the region to new and expanding compaThe mission of Greater Bemidji is to grow our region’s
nies.
economy, increasing private investment and jobs. How?
Greater Bemidji recently chose to focus on four key areEntrepreneurship and Innovation- If you look at the
as:
largest and strongest companies in northern MinneAccess to Economic Development Resources- Greater
sota, they all had a tie to the community they are
Bemidji is the front-door for accessing the relocated in. Our strongest economic growth is likely
sources companies need to start-up and expand in
to come from the small businesses and entreprenorth-central Minnesota. Often the number of proneurs who already call our region home. We need
grams and what they do can be confusing for comto do all we can to support them.
panies and entrepreneurs. It is our job to make it
easy to do business in our region.
Growing, Retaining and Attracting Talent- Increasingly,
Marketing the Region- Our region a business-friendly,
and is a great place to live and work. Unfortunately, we also are a too-well-kept secret. We need to
economic development has become a race for talent. Companies locate where they can find good,
talented, hard-working employees that can meet
The next step for Greater Bemidji is to start moving
ahead on the most promising ideas in each area. By the
end of summer, Greater Bemidji will have a clear agenda
for action that will include a way of measuring our progress.
Creating jobs and prosperity will require everyone--every elected official, business leader, community leader, and private citizen--- to do all they can to create an
environment where economic development can flourish. To be successful, job creation must be everyone’s
number one focus.
If you have ideas to grow our region’s economy and
create jobs, please contact Greater Bemidji. You can
reach Dave Hengel at [email protected] or
(218) 444-5757. If you have an interest in receiving updates on the region’s economic development efforts, go
to www.greaterbemidji.com and add your email to our
mailing list.
Making Roads Safe in Beltrami County
There is an average of 16 severe crashes in Beltrami County every year, 16 crashes
that result in death or a life-changing injury. A large percentage of the crashes are
caused by driving while intoxicated, distracted driving, aggressive driving or speed
related. These crashes and the deaths or injuries could have been prevented. The
Beltrami County Highway Department is one of many entities that are working to
help reduce and prevent these severe crashes.
The Beltrami County Highway Department is in the process of developing a County
Roadway Safety Plan. This statewide initiative, sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, will review the County road system and crash history. At a
recent workshop representatives from the four E’s discussed and prioritized proactive
strategies to be used in the effort to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and life
changing injuries in Beltrami County.
Providing safe roads to drive on is the main goal of the County Highway Department.
Roads are built and maintained with safety in mind. Strategies such as installing
shoulder rumble strips, enhanced pavement markings and delineation signs on sharp
curves have been used to help prevent vehicles from leaving the roadway. Strategies
such as constructing safer slopes, removing trees and other obstacles, and mowing
brush are used to minimize the impacts when a vehicle does leave the roadway.
Again, Beltrami County Highway Department is only one of many entities working to
help reduce and prevent severe crashes. The statewide initiative Towards Zero
Deaths includes those in the four E’s – Education, Engineering, Enforcement, and
Emergency Medical and Trauma Services. However, the most important ‘E’ is Everyone. It takes everyone to do their part in making our roads safe and to achieve the
goal of zero deaths! Drive Safe.
~Bruce Hasbargen, County Engineer
County’s Lake Protection Grant Study
The County submitted a grant proposal to the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) for a Large Lake Assessment on 19 of our largest lakes in the County.
The grant was approved in 2011 by BWSR. Names of the lakes involved in the study were: Andrusia, Beltrami, Bemidji, Big Bass, Big Turtle, Big Wolf, Black, Deer, Fox, Grace,
Irving, Julia, Lindgren, Little Bass, Little Turtle, Long, Marquette, Movil, North Twin, Plantagenet, Swenson, Three Island and Turtle River. The purpose of the study was to
compile all available data on these lakes from the different sources, evaluate this data to see if there are specific water quality trends that can be determined and to identify
gaps, and, lastly, provide recommendations to the County Board of Commissioners.
Here is a snapshot of findings of this study:

Transparency Data, Secchi Disk – Only nine of the 19 lakes had enough data for a trend analysis.

Chemical Data – Six out of the 19 lakes evaluated did not have enough data for the required two years of chemical data necessary for completing a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency water assessment. None of the 19 lakes had enough data for any
trend analysis.

Inlet Outlet Data are sparse and outdated on any of the 19 lakes with rivers or streams coming and going out of them.

The study strongly stated that there were just too many data gaps.
Therefore, the overall conclusion was that the County needs to initiate a new Citizen Lake Monitoring Program.
For more specifics contact William Patnaude, Beltrami County Environmental Services Department at 218-333-4158.
ACH Payments are accepted for your property tax payments
ACH – Automated Clearing House; a pre-authorized and automatic transfer of funds from your account to the county’s.
The Real Estate and Tax Services division of the Auditor-Treasurer’s Office, wants to remind you that we are now able to accommodate ACH payments for property
taxes. This is in response to requests we have received from customers. Paying by an automatic bank process will not only give taxpayers the freedom from having
to remember to mail or drop off a payment, but it removes the risk of paying a penalty for a late payment. This can be set up for all types of tax payments, (real estate/mobile homes), and for only one or all of your parcels. Information and forms were mailed this March with the 2012 tax statement/2013 valuation notice. If
you have any questions, please call the Real Estate and Tax Service Office at 218-333-4102 or 218-333-4107. Second half payments are due by October 15, 2012.
Beltrami County News and Highlights
3rd Qtr 2012
page 7
Perspective on Protection of Vulnerable
Children and Adults
County staff recently presented information to the Board of Commissioners regarding work being done by
social work staff within the Health and Human Services social services division. Overall, efforts are continually
geared towards the protection of children and adults who are at risk of or victims of physical/sexual abuse,
neglect and/or exploitation. Maltreatment takes many forms and together with law enforcement, the courts,
and medical professionals, social workers are called upon to intervene to ensure the health and safety of our
most vulnerable citizens. Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 626, has sections within it that outline specifically
what the responsibility of the county is regarding reports of maltreatment. Some of what the Board heard
from staff is that more cases are becoming extremely complex to investigate, there is an alarming increase in
the number of children born to mothers actively using and testing positive for chemicals at the time of delivery, and more children are diagnosed with disorders such as autism and fetal alcohol syndrome/effect. In
addition, with the closure of state-run hospitals and community nursing homes, more vulnerable people are
now living in the community and thus more susceptible to maltreatment. This has put increasing pressure on
counties to provide more oversight to ensure that those entrusted with care-giving responsibilities carry
those duties out.
Related specifically to children and families, the Children’s Defense Fund of Minnesota periodically issues
statistics on measures of child well-being. The latest numbers are for the year 2010 and compare Beltrami
County with state-wide numbers/percentages. Some key measures highlighted are:
Measure
Statewide
Beltrami County
Percent of Children in Poverty, Age 0-17
15.0%
29.6%
Teen Birth Rate Per 1,000 Population (3-year estimate)
11.5%
36.4%
Child Abuse and Neglect Rate Per 1,000 Population
3.5%
7.5%
Child Out-of-Home Placement Rate Per 1,000 Population
8.7%
22.4%
The future holds more of the same challenges that staff are facing today, as the county continues to grow in
population, the federal and state governments continue to place more responsibility on local communities,
and families continue to struggle to maintain stable living situations. The Board also heard there are new
resources and service delivery models which will be considered and/or implemented in the near future to
assist staff in their work. The hope is that with the challenges will come new opportunities to improve outcomes for individuals and families and make our community a healthier one to live in.
~Diane Boben, Health & Human Services, Social Services Division Director
www.co.beltrami.mn.us
Board of Commissioners
District 1—Jack Frost ............................ 218-335-6773
District 2—Joe Vene ............................. 218-444-6734
District 3—Richard Anderson ............... 218-467-3275
District 4—Quentin Fairbanks .............. 218-835-4184
District 5—Jim Lucachick ...................... 218-586-3523
Administration Building
701 Minnesota Ave NW, Bemidji MN 56601
Administrator—Kay Mack, Interim ..... 218- 333-4157
Assessor—Duane Ebbighausen ............ 218-333-4116
Auditor/Treasurer—Kay Mack .............. 218-333-4175
Environmental Services—Bill Patnaude 218-333-4158
Facilities Manager—Steve Shadrick ...... 218-333-8475
Geographic Info Systems (GIS)-Jane M . 218-333-8457
Human Resources—Linda Tran ............ 218-333-4155
License Center— Debbie Reierson ....... 218-333-4148
Mgmt Info Systems (MIS)—Ron Pula ... 218-333-4151
Natural Resource Mgmt—Dick Moore . 218-333-4210
Real Estate & Tax Services—Cindy Burr 218-333-4138
Recorder—Charlene Sturk .................... 218-333-4170
Community Service Center
616 Minnesota Ave NW, Bemidji MN 56601
Health & Human Services
Social Services ....................................... 218-333-4223
Economic Assistance............................. 218-333-8300
Public Health ......................................... 218-333-8140
Veterans Services.................................. 218-333-4177
Law Enforcement Center
613 Minnesota Ave NW, Bemidji MN 56601
Citizen Lake
Monitoring
Program
Sheriff Phil Hodapp ............................... 218-333-9111
Bemidji Police Chief Mike Mastin ......... 218-333-9111
Judicial Center
600 Minnesota Ave NW, Bemidji MN 56601
The County Board of Commissioners and the
Beltrami Soil & Water Conservation District
Board of Supervisors are fully committed to
preserving and protecting our lakes, streams
and rivers. Our citizens have said loud and
clear they want their water quality in our area
preserved for future generations. Water
quality start-up dollars for the new program
were approved unanimously by the County
Board of Commissioners at their May Board
Meeting. A call went out for citizens who would volunteer to collect water samples five different times on the
following lakes: Andrusia, Beltrami, Bemidji, Big Bass, Big Turtle, Big Wolf, Black, Deer, Fox, Grace, Irving,
Julia, Lindgren, Little Bass, Little Turtle, Long, Marquette, Movil, North Twin, Plantagenet, Swenson, Three
Island and Turtle River.
title
Citizens also conduct a secchi disk reading each time to measure the lakes clarity. Once collected, water samples are transported to a laboratory for analysis. The following chemical parameters are tested: Chlorophyll A
and Phosphorous.
As of to date we have completed three rounds of water collection by volunteer citizens collecting water samples from 23 lakes. The dates for water collection are June 18, July 9, July 30, August 20 and September 10.
Environmental Services Director, Bill Patnaude, says with this new permanent lake monitoring program in
place, the County is being proactive in protecting our lakes and rivers water quality. Without the major role
of citizens volunteering as lake monitors, we would not have been able to initiate this program.
Beltrami County News and Highlights
3rd Qtr 2012
Attorney—Tim Faver ............................ 218-333-4219
Court Administration ............................ 218-333-4120
County Jail
626 Minnesota Ave NW, Bemidji MN 56601
Main phone number ............................. 218-333-4189
Highway Department
2491 Adams Ave NW, Bemidji MN 56601
Highway Engineer—Bruce Hasbargen .. 218-333-8173
County Extension
7223 Fairgrounds Rd NW, Bemidji MN 56601
Extension Secretary ............................. 218-444-5722
State Government Contacts
Office Of Governor, Mark Dayton ......... 651-201-3400
Senate
John Carlson ......................................... 651-296-4913
Rod Skoe ............................................... 651-296-4196
House of Representatives
John Persell ........................................... 651-296-5516
David Hancock ...................................... 651-296-4265
page 8