Other News: Bois Forte Reservation Tribal Council held on August 4, 2010
Full Article Link Below:http://www.boisforte.com/MinutesAugust42010.htm
Highlights:
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Moved by Ray Toutloff; to adopt resolution #15-2011, expressing support for the creation of the Vermilion Country School as a charter school under Minnesota law. Chairman Leecy calls for a second. Chairman Leecy calls for a second again. Motion dies for lack of a second.
A letter was received from The Coalition for Community Schools. They said the St. Louis County School District plans to close existing schools in Tower-Soudan, Cook, and Orr. The Coalition for Community Schools was formed to seek alternatives to the school district’s plan.
The coalition created a Joint Powers Board consisting of local units of government in the ISD 2142 Attendance Area which would jointly and cooperatively coordinate and facilitate future planning and leveraging monies for the purpose of maintaining community schools and improving educational opportunity and achievement for the residents. They are inviting Bois Forte to join the Joint Powers Board.
Moved by Ray Toutloff; seconded by Brandon Benner; to decline the invitation from The Coalition for Community Schools that Bois Forte join their Joint Powers Board. Carried 4-0-0.
Article Summary:
Article from the Cook News Herald:
Full Article Link Below:
http://www.cooknewsherald.com/page1.html
9/17/2010
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Biomass grant use deadline approaches ISD 2142
---- Could affect potential jobs in our area.
2142 School Athletics being reorganized.
Permitting continues for 2142 school reorganization.
Culture Based Arts Integration Grant Liaison Services agreement approved.
School enrollments mixed: Tower area faces larger decline in students, some areas up, others down.
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Orr City Council:
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Joint Powers seeking liability insurance.
Cook & Orr looking into sharing agreements.
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The $584,000 grant that ISD 2142 received for a biomass heating project has a deadline for this December. Superintendent Charles Rick, at the regular board meeting held in Cotton on Monday at 5 p.m., said that he will be meeting with the people who gave out the grant to tell them their plans in hopes of keeping the money. The district plans on putting biomass heating projects in the Tower-Soudan K-6 school and the Babbitt-Embarrass remodeled school.
The district athletic directors will be meeting with Rick to plan the status of teams for next year with the reorganization being done.
Construction manager John Henry said all permits were in for the South School and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) had given their preliminary approval for the septic system for the new North School, which now has its own water. For Cherry, all permits are in and they are pouring foundations. Architectural Resources will be meeting with Tower-Soudan and Babbitt-Embarrass school people to work on plans for those two schools. No wetlands have been purchased for the north site and won't be until the permit is in. The wetlands are in the Fergus Falls area.
The board approved a Culture Based Arts Integration Grant Liaison Services agreement between ISD 2142 and ISD 94 of Cloquet. Lowana Greensky, Indian Education director, will provide consultation for the project.
A report by Business Manager Kim Johnson, which compared the enrollments of schools based on those who graduated and those in kindergarten, showed Cook actually had about a 14 student increase with Orr showing only a three student decrease. Babbitt-Embarrass was up nearly 10, AlBrook down nine, Cotton down 11, and Cherry up three. Tower-Soudan had a decline of nearly 25.
Orr City Council:
Then Redmond shared that the Joint Powers Agreement went from legal to the city's insurance company, back to the lawyer and finally sent to her. Their recommendation was for the organization to purchase its own liability insurance, to keep cities and townships from paying a liability claim against the group. She will bring this up at the next coalition meeting and report back their response.
Mayor Long recently met with leaders from the city of Cook to discuss the possibilities of sharing equipment or joining for a grant to co-buy a piece, share personnel when vacation schedules create a need, and cooperate in other areas.
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Sept. 9th, 2010
MPCA gives preliminary approval for new 'North School' septic system.
Administration costs for ISD 2142 among lowest.
Many factors involved which need to be reported on an even handed basis by those who report the "news".
More than 500 participate in Aug. 31 groundbreaking festivities for ISD 2142's New South School
Orr Community Meeting Gets to the Facts
Mayor Long read an email he had received from the superintendent of Two Harbors schools. It clarified that comments Long had heard were incorrect. He said Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI) has no connection with problems they have had. JCI did the research survey and submitted a suggestion. Another engineering company came up with a design built on that information, and a separate contractor built the school. Their problems, two years after JCI's input, would have been avoided if the contractor had purchased a better heating system that Johnson Controls manufactures.
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Cook possibly annexing Field Township to run sewer and water to the new school.
Contracts approved for the Cherry School remodel.
More bids approved for the new South School
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Other News: Sept. 2, 2010
Article Summary:
Council considers new school sewer line
The Thursday, Aug. 26, Cook City Council meeting opened with a request from Supt. Charles Rick for ISD 2142. From the county board meeting of Aug. 12, the district needs to present more information for an EIS, including the feasibility of sewer lines into the city system, and before the county's Oct. 14 meeting. His appeal was that the more government entities working together, the greater the chance of securing grants.
Mayor Hollanitsch said that land is in Field Township, which begs the question of leasing land for easement or annexing it into Cook. The final assessment is that the city is not opposed to the possibility, but the district must be forthcoming with more details.
Mayor of Orr invites Mayor of Cook to informally discuss the school issue at a community meeting.
In closing comments, Dale Long, mayor of Orr, invited Mayor Hollanitsch to an informal meeting regarding the school issue, while inviting all to the community meeting at the American Legion in Orr on Thursday, Sept. 2.
Babbitt, Mn. blog editors note: Believe that the following (EIS) is actually EAW as that meeting is still coming up on the 14th of October.
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ST. LOUIS COUNTY SCHOOLS, ISD #2142 COMMUNITY MEETING TOWER-SOUDAN SCHOOL
Monday, September 20, 2010 @6:00 p.m.
Topics of discussion: 1.) Design of Building. 2.) Feasibility of the Tower-Soudan Elementary School.
