HACKENSACK - Cass County Board voted Tuesday to hire an independent appraiser for up to $10,000 to determine the value of an easement needed to extend Walker city utilities to Ah-Gwah-Ching property the county now owns.
County Administrator Robert Yochum said there already is a 25-foot wide sewer easement between the city and Ah-Gwah-Ching, but an additional 15-foot wide easement adjacent to that will be needed to accommodate new water lines.
The city and county propose to run that new perpetual easement on the west side of the existing easement, which would cut across the edge of Walker-Hackensack-Akeley and Tianna golf course properties. Another 15-foot temporary construction easement also is proposed.
Tianna Country Club Board of Directors has responded to the city with an approval of the concept on conditions that trees be replaced if removed, that the line be sleeved to enable repairs without disturbing the seventh green if the water line should leak or otherwise need repair in the future, that construction equipment access the project other than by crossing the golf course and that Tianna be compensated $300,000 for the easement.
Yochum told the county board the $300,000 "seems like a lot of money relative to the entire value the county has placed on the property (for taxing purposes)." This is the reason he recommended an independent appraisal.
The county board Tuesday also authorized the county and city to pursue condemnation proceedings if an easement contract cannot be negotiated following the independent appraisal.
Chief Financial Officer Larry Wolfe also said the county will consider an alternate potential temporary construction easement on the east side of the existing 25-foot easement. That would involve five different private properties, he said.
Yochum said the county and city need to resolve this issue as quickly as possible, because the county could stand to lose a $1.8 million state grant to extend the city utilities to Ah-Gwah-Ching unless easement issues are resolved and a contract signed to construct the city utilities lines to Ah-Gwah-Ching before Jan. 1.
The county had hoped to complete construction of the new line between October and December this year.
In a related issue, the state of Minnesota has advertised for sealed bids for persons wishing to purchase north 55 acres of Ah-Gwah-Ching land that the county did not buy. Interested persons must submit bids by 2:30 p.m. Aug. 12 to Minnesota Department of Administration, Real Estate and Construction Services, 50 Sherburne Ave., Room 309, St. Paul, MN 55155. That department's phone number is (651) 201-2549.
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