Our Mission: Providing quality services through responsible leadership, innovation and the cooperation of dedicated people Date: July 28, 2020 Contact: Yvonne Klinnert, Public Information Manager Phone: 651-430-6026, after hours 952-807-3723 E-mail: yvonne.klinnert@co.washington.mn.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The following actions were taken at the July 28, 2020, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting at the Government Center in Stillwater, Minnesota County Board accepts donations for second quarter 2020 The Washington County Board of Commissioners accepted donations that the county received in the second quarter of 2020 July 28. The Washington County Library received donations of $1,102 through gifts, memorials, and donation boxes. The Sheriff’s Office received $4,932 in cash donations from residents, businesses and a family fund. The Sheriff’s Office also received coffee gift cards for its deputies. The Historic Courthouse received the donations of tea sets and dolls. The total of cash and in-kind donations to Washington County for the quarter was $6,445.11. Contact: Yvonne Klinnert, Public Information Manager, 651-430-6026 CliftonLarsonAllen will continue to be Washington County financial auditor The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a $75,000 contract extension with CliftonLarsonAllen July 28 to audit the county’s finances for the coming year. CliftonLarsonAllen audits the financial statements for Washington County governmental activities, each major fund, and the remaining fund information, which comprise the basic financial statements of Washington County. The contract with the company was extended to July 31, 2021. Contact: Tabatha Hansen, Accounting and Finance Director, 651-430-6027 County Board continues contract with Thomson Reuters The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a $161,388 contract with Thomas Reuters July 28 to provide research tools to the county’s Law Library. The Law Library provides research services to county departments, attorneys, courts, and the public. Thomson Reuters provides primary resources needed for legal research. The three-year maintenance and subscriptions agreement reflects a decrease of $9,312 over the current three-year agreement with Thomson Reuters. Contact: Tina Kaple, Library Resources Services Division Manager, 651-275-8503 Fahrner Asphalt Sealers will do crack sealing work on Manning Avenue The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a $160,116 contract with Fahrner Asphalt Sealers July 28 to do crack sealing on Manning Avenue, or County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 15, from Highway 36 north to 80th Street. The project will seal the joints in the roadway, which extends the life of the pavement. The board also approved a $149,423 contract with Pember Companies Inc. for miscellaneous concrete projects around the county, which are: * Big Marine Park Reserve sidewalk panels, curb and gutter, and an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramp; * CSAH 12 sidewalk panels, curb and gutter, concrete median, and an ADA ramp; * CSAH 10 and Hallmark Avenue North concrete maintenance strip; and * CSAH 18 and CSAH 19 roundabout concrete maintenance strips. Contact: Andrew Giesen, Engineer II, 651-430-4336, and Eden Rogers, Engineer I, 651-430-4352 Washington County will work with Ramsey County on East County Line Road project Washington County will work with Ramsey County on a pavement preservation project on County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 27, or East County Line Road, after the County Board approved the $772,578 project July 28. The board approved a contract with Minnesota Paving & Materials to upgrade infrastructure and improve the pavement quality of the roadway from County Highway 12 to 300 feet north of Birchwood Lane. The roadway is the border between the two counties and four municipalities. It has both a rural segment with two lanes, which carries 4,500 vehicles a day, and an urban segment with three to four lanes, which carries 7,400 vehicles a day. The project will improve the pavement; clean, repair or replace culverts; upgrade infrastructure so that it meets Americans with Disabilities Act standards; and improve pedestrian accommodations. Ramsey County will pay $415,827 of the cost, which was spelled out in an agreement that the County Board also approved. Contact: Andrew Giesen, Engineer II, 651-430-4336 County Board recognizes those who assisted making homemade masks The Washington County Board of Commissioners, along with the Sheriff’s Office, recognized those in the community who were part of the Homemade Mask Project July 28. Tara Cadenhead, Lake Elmo, who helped organize the countywide effort, spoke at Tuesday’s County Board meeting. She described how she and friends began making masks, after learning that personal protection equipment was in short supply at the beginning of the pandemic. After posting on social media, the movement grew, as others stepped up to make masks, and organize others to make masks. They reached out to county staff to see how they could assist the county in gathering materials, distributing kits for mask-making, collecting masks, and distributing them to those who needed masks. Larry Odebrecht started a Stillwater Cares Facebook page that was a resource hub for the greater Stillwater area for COVID-related resources. Stillwater Cares had area coordinators, or captains, who helped with supply donations, kit distribution, and volunteer recruitment. They are Charlotte Bies, Erika Fisher, Jackie Blair, Jackie Shields, Joan Knowlan, Kathy Elliot, Kim Myers, Lindsay Kohn, Lisa Bates, Lori Gergen, Sally DiMartini, and Elizabeth Brandt. Cadenhead also thanked the staff at Community Thread, the Stillwater-based social services agency, that assisted with the project. Cadenhead said that businesses that contributed included Marquess Studios, The Lora Hotel, and Rose Mille. Also, while hundreds of people helped with the project, Cadenhead especially noted those who made more than 1,000 masks, Charlie Baker, Ruth Laswell, and Marin Brandt and Elizabeth Brandt. She also noted that Renee Heimer and Tanya Gerald donated hundreds of masks, and then sold masks to raise $5,000 that was donated to Valley Outreach, the Stillwater-area food shelf. Contact: Sheriff Dan Starry, 651-430-7601 County Board receives Audit Advisory Committee report The Washington County Audit Advisory Committee, which is made up of a County Board member, the county administrator, and two county residents, provided its 2019 report to the County Board July 28. The committee was established in 1984, and county policy designates membership, outlines its responsibilities, and requires the committee to present an annual report to the County Board. The committee meets quarterly, and reviews the internal auditor’s work, which includes a test of county disbursements and purchasing card use. All disbursements of more than $25,000 are reviewed by the auditor, as well as a random selection of disbursements of less than $25,000. The auditor also reviews the use of purchasing cards, which are used by employees who are approved to make smaller purchases on behalf of the county. The county’s external auditor CliftonLarsonAllen participated in committee meetings in 2019, to discuss the county’s financial reporting and audits, and to direct the internal auditor on tasks that needed to be completed to gather information included in the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. Contact: Yvonne Klinnert, Public Information Manager, 651-430-6026 A great place to live, work and play…today and tomorrow Government Center • 14949 62nd Street North — P.O. Box 6, Stillwater, Minnesota 55082-0006 Phone: 651-430-6001 • Fax: 651-430-6017 • TTY: 651-430-6246 www.co.washington.mn.us Equal Employment Opportunity