10-20-2003 Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Road Advisory Committee Minutes--October 20,2003 1 ROAD ADVISORY COMMITTEE OCTOBER 20, 2003--1 :00 PM 1. MEETING TO ORDER Commissioner John Meyer called to order a meeting of the Road Advisory Committee at 1 :00 PM, Monday, October 20, 2003, in the Commission Room, Cass County Courthouse. The following members were present: Robyn Sorum, Vern Bennett, Scott Wagner, John Meyer, Darrell Vanyo, Keith Berndt, Rich Sieg, Jurgen Suhr, Dennis Rust and Mark Johnson. Also present were Bob Walton, North Dakota Department of Transportation; Ed McConnell, Mayor, City of Casselton; and Sid Mauch, Manager, Prosper Farmers Elevator. 2. PROSPER FARMERS COOPERATIVE ELEVATOR, Reauest for new road Mr. Berndt received a letter from Mr. Mauch regarding construction of a shuttle train grain loading facility at Casselton. The plan is to expand the elevator on the south side of Casselton to accommodate the trains. The proposed project will require a new access road about 3,000 feet in length. The state was contacted about potential funding of the road; however, it would have to be within the county's highway system to be considered for state or federal funding. The new road would be between old Highway 10 near the underpass south of Casselton and run north to the elevator. The estimated cost to construct the stretch is $500,000. He said the committee needs to decide whether or not to support placing the road within the county's system, the level of county funding toward the project and routine maintenance and future reconstruction costs. Mr. Mauch said the Prosper Farmers Elevator, Chaffee-Lynchburg Farmers Elevator and AGP Grain are in the process of forming a LLC to better serve the local agriculture community. He said the expansion will bring in approximately 17,000 trucks per year that would use the road to access the elevator. The new road would be about ~ mile from existing Highway 10 to the dump site. The City of Casselton is willing to help with the road costs and snow removal. The LLC has budgeted money for road construction and would like to have access to state and federal funding through the county. He said the facility will not be operable until November 2004. Mr. Wagner is concerned where county funds would come from and said money would have to be taken from another road project to cover expenses. He feels this essentially is a private road and the county has to prioritize needs of the entire county. He asked if the area is in the extraterritorial boundaries of the City of Casselton and if the city is willing to help pay for the road. Mr. McConnell is confident the city could tap into CDBG funding and possibly establish a tax increment financing district to help with costs. Mr. Walton said in order to be eligible for state and federal funding, the road would have to be within the county or state system. He said a city must have a population of 5,000 in order to be eligible for funding and Casselton does not have this large of a population. Mr. Berndt said if the expected cost is $500,000, with 80% federal funding and 20% local funding, the local match would be $100,000. Mr. Bennett feels this is a significant economic development project within the county.