11-17-2003 Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Schepp, Joyce H. From: Berndt, Keith D. Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2003 4:57 PM To: {Cass} - Commissioners; Scott Wagner (wagnerlgl~9@msn.com) Cc: Johnson, Bonnie O.; Schepp, Joyce H. Subject: Casselton Elevator Expansion Commissioners, I'm writing to give you an advance notice of a request that you r~ay receive soon from a group of citizens or the Governor's Office in the near future. I attended a meeting today in Casselton regarding construction of a unit train grain loading facility at Casselton. There is a group working to put together a projec, to expand the elevator on the south side of Casselton to accommodate unit trains. The project advocates feel it will be necessary to construct a new access road about 3000 feet long. The group has approached the State about potential funding assistance with the road construction. The Department of Transportation's position is that the new access road would have to be on the Cass County Highway system to be eligible for any State or Federal funding. The Department of Transportation has not indicated if they would make any specia funding available for the new road if it were on the Cass County Highway system. However, understand the Lieutenant Governor is pushing the project so I'd expect some special fun¢ing might be made available. I expect any special funding that would be made available would require significant local cost share. The proposed new road would run between old highway 10 neer the underpass south of Casselton north to the elevator. The elevator is currently accessed from the north, but the group and City of Casselton don't feel that route will provide adequate access due to its proximity to residential development in Casselton. I'm not making a recommendation one way or the other at this Point as to what position the County should take. I did want to advise you though that if the 'oad were going to be constructed with any Federal Funds in 2004, the environmental field work a id surveying would have to be completed prior to snowfall this fall. Real estimate appraisal work would have to start in the very near future for the project to have any possibility of being comp eted in 2004. I have not done any detailed investigation or estimate work on the read. For discussion purposes, I expect the cost of the road to be in the $500,000 ball park. Please contact me with any questions. Keith Berndt