By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — The Dunn County Board has given consensus approval for using up to $215,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for installing Big Ass Fans in the cattle barn at the Dunn County Rec Park and for groundwater testing.
That is actually the brand name of the fans — Big Ass Fans, said Larry Bjork, county board supervisor from Menomonie, during a special meeting of the Dunn County Board March 26 to discuss the county’s capital improvement plan and the spending of ARPA funds.
The county board met for nearly four and a half hours on a Saturday to discuss the capital improvement plan and how to spend the the remaining $5.5 million of the county’s $8.8 million in ARPA funds.
Bjork is a member of the Dunn County Fair Board and advocated for purchasing the large ceiling fans with ARPA money.
Several months ago, Deb Gotlibson, chair of the Dunn County Fair Board, reported to the facilities committee that she had written a grant application to the state for funds intended help fairs, said Charles Maves, county board supervisor from Boyceville and chair of the facilities committee.
Gotlibson received a letter back from Madison stating that the Dunn County Fair is not eligible for the grant money because it is a “governmental fair,” he said.
Since the Dunn County Fair is a governmental fair, the letter suggested that the fair board ask the county board for ARPA funds, Maves said.
The large ceiling fans for the cattle barn cost $10,000 each, and three of them would be needed. The estimated cost for installation also is about $10,000, for a total of $40,000 all together, he said.
The fair board also has discussed a stage at a cost of about $167,000 and has discussed installing a fence around the Dunn County Rec Park, although there is no estimate yet for the cost of a fence, Maves said.
Dunn County has not provided any funds for the fair. The county provides the fairgrounds and facilities personnel to help set up and take down for the fair, but the fair has really been put on the side burner, he said.
Beneficial
The Big Ass ceiling fans would be a good addition to the livestock barn, Larry Bjork said.
Large fans that sit on the ground are currently used during the Dunn County Fair. Sometimes youngsters think it is fun to throw sand or sawdust into the fans. Little ones sometimes wonder what will happen if they put their fingers into the fan, he said.
The Big Ass Fans are 16 feet across and will help settle the dust and cool the livestock barn, said Tim Niehoff, county board supervisor from Menomonie and a member of the facilities committee.
The fans will definitely help for air quality in the barn, he said.
Dave Bartlett, county board supervisor from Boyceville and chair of the Dunn County Board, noted that while the county budget has not allocated money for the fair in the past couple of years, for the last two years, the fair has been over-budget by $25,000, so the county has had to balance the fair budget.
James Tripp, county board supervisor from Menomonie, noted that the Dunn County Fair is only one week out of the year, although perhaps the livestock barn is used for other activities or events during the year.
Beata Haug, Dunn County’s chief financial officer, asked the amount of the grant that Gotlibson had requested, but Maves said he did not know the amount.
What’s the difference?
One county board member asked what the difference was between other county fairs and Dunn County being a “governmental fair.”
The St. Croix County Fair is run by a fair association and not by St. Croix County, Bartlett said.
A proposal was made to the Dunn County Fair Board to switch over to a fair association, but the fair board is still considering whether — or how — to do that, he said.
The ceiling fans for the livestock barn should be viewed as a capital investment for the use of the building and not just for the fair, Niehoff said.
Bartlett asked for a show of hands among the Dunn County Board for those who would support using ARPA money for the fans, and the majority of the board supported the idea.
County board members also agreed they did not know enough about the cost of a fence around the Dunn County Rec Park, or the benefit of a fence, to take a vote on supporting an expenditure with ARPA money.
Groundwater
For the last two years, the Planning, Resources and Development Committee has been talking about the need for groundwater testing and a private well monitoring program in Dunn County based on a recommendation from the groundwater task force, said Tom Quinn, county board supervisor from Downing and chair of the PR&D committee.
The state has promised to fund such a program, but so far, the state has not provided any money, he said.
The PR&D committee has approved a formal resolution asking Dunn County to use ARPA money for groundwater testing so there is baseline information throughout Dunn County, Quinn said.
If the county does not invest in a water quality program now, it will only become harder to do in the future, he said.
The cost would be $75,000 to test 600 wells and 22 town hall wells, would be $100,000 to test 600 wells (with testing for an increased number of components in the water) and 22 town halls wells, and $175,000 to test one thousand wells and to test the water at 22 town halls, Quinn said.
The ARPA money is intended to provide services or fund programs that might not otherwise receive funding, he said.
Water quality is a qualified use of ARPA funds, Quinn said.
Directional plan
Mike Kneer, county board supervisor from Menomonie and a member of the PR&D committee, said he want to “put a plug in” for the water testing.
The Dunn County Board developed and approved a directional plan, and part of the plan is quality of life and environmental policy, he said.
Dunn County adopted the directional plan in March of 2016.
Certain areas of the county have problems with high nitrates in well water.
Robert Bauer, county board supervisor from Mondovi, asked whether townships with Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) would be willing to contribute money for water testing.
Quinn said the next part of the plan is to talk to the townships about water testing.
The Dunn County Board approved by general consensus to use ARPA money to establish a groundwater quality and water testing program.
Geo-thermal
Don Kuether, county board supervisor from Menomonie and a member of the facilities committee, noted that the county should also consider allocating funds for installing more geo-thermal to heat and cool county buildings.
The county might want to consider installing geo-thermal at the Dunn County Judicial Center, he said.
The Dunn County Government Center (located in the former Dunn County Health Care Center building) has geo-thermal for heating and cooling.
Kuether said he discovered that last year, the government center had spent $3,000 for natural gas while the judicial center had spent $77,000 on natural gas.
Installing geo-thermal would cost a million dollars, but the county would not need to replace the chillers at the judicial center, which is part of the five-year capital improvement plan at an estimated cost of $400,000, if geo-thermal is installed, Kuether said.
In addition, the county would have substantial savings on the cost of natural gas for the judicial center, so that over time, the geo-thermal system would pay for itself, he said.
Gas prices
What about the increase in the cost of gasoline and could the ARPA funds be used to help the 2022 budget? Tripp asked.
The Dunn County Sheriff’s Department and Dunn County Health and Human Services will most likely be over budget on fuel costs, he said.
The county already has a procedure for dealing with budget shortfalls, Bartlett said, noting that shortfalls for fuel prices could come out of the county’s general fund.
