NEW ULM — Brown County commissioners unanimously approved selling bridge 2110 on CSAH 8 over the Minnesota River to Washington County for $1 Tuesday.

Action came on a motion by Commissioner Scott Windschitl, seconded by Tony Berg.

“We’ve waited a long time for this day to come. This is a great thing for the county,” Windschitl said.

Indeed. Brown County Highway Engineer Wayne Stevens estimated it would cost several hundred thousand dollars to move the bridge that connects Brown and Renville counties several miles west of Fort Ridgely State Park.

With the bridge’s historic status, it needed to be marketed for sale to someone that would maintain the historical features of the bridge.

Aided by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Cultural Resources Unit (CRU) and a historian’s technical assistance, a marketing plan was developed and the bridge advertised to meet the Federal Highway Administration’s approval.

Brown County got one proposal by the June 30, 2021 deadline. The MnDOT CRU reviewed Washington county’s proposal and approved it.

In a letter to Brown County Highway Engineer Wayne Stevens, Washington County Deputy Public Works Director/County Engineer Wayne Sandberg wrote that it is Washington County’s intention to relocate the bridge to replace an existing bridge over a water outlet in Lake Elmo Park Reserve. The park is visited by more than 661,000 people a year that use the park’s 30 miles of trails.

The bridge would be used exclusively for recreational pedestrian and bicycle travel on the park’s 2-mile Bur Oak loop trail.

Commissioners unanimously approved

• A $12,794.10 proposal from Gemini Research, LLC, Morris, to photograph Bridge 2110 to meet approved Memorandum of Agreement requirements. MnDOT CRU proposed an 80/20 funding split for the cost with Brown County paying 20%, motion by Windschitl, seconded by Jeff Veerkamp.

• Brown County Human Services’ Substance Abuse Disorder (SUD) presentation by Human Services Director Barb Dietz, Chemical Dependency Assessor Leah Luke, and supervisor Julie Hogan.

“The average SUD client is a young white male in his 20’s,” said Dietz. “Methamphetamine is Brown County’s top drug of choice, closely followed by alcohol and marijuana.”

No Brown County SUD clients died of a drug overdose in the past year, said Luke, who does all probation and social service CD assessments.

“I’m really, really busy,” Luke said.

• Approved a Springfield Community Center contract to rent a multi-purpose room for $70 a month, the first Tuesday of the month for the Brown County Human Services Income Maintenance Unit from 10 a.m. to noon, September through December 2021.

Action came on a motion by Windschitl, seconded by Veerkamp.

Services were suspended during when the COVID-19 pandemic began and will continue on Tuesday afternoons at the Sleepy Eye county office.

• Planning Commissioner recommendations including a conditional use permit (CUP) application filed by Mark Evers on property owned by Evers in Section 24, Bashaw Township to allow up to 720 animal units of swine through construction of a swine finishing operation all in the A-1 Zone. Action came on a motion by Dave Borchert, seconded by Berg.

• A CUP application filed by Joyce Berg on property owned by Richard E. and Joyce Berg, Section 3, Cottonwood Township, to continue to allow a single family home in the B-1 Business Zoning District, motion by Veerkamp, second by Windschitl.

• A CUP application filed by Jack Forsberg on property owned by Jack M. Forsberg Etal, 3.65, 16.68, and 30.02 acre lots, Section 5, Milford Township to split an existing platted lot into three new platted lots, all in the A-1 Zone, motion by Borchert, second by Veerkamp.

• A CUP application filed by Duane Havemeier on property owned by Duane and Mary Havemeier, Section 3, Home Township, to split a building site from tillable land, all in the A-1 Zone, motion by Veerkamp, second by Berg.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.