Otter Tail County receives opioid  settlement money

By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

County commissioners, on Tuesday morning, Dec. 19, held their final meeting for 2023. The five commissioners will meet again in January 2024.

Several topics were on the agenda for this year’s final gathering.

County Engineer Krysten Foster reviewed with county board members the detours that will be needed during roundabout construction in Pelican Rapids. Changes will be made to U.S. Highway 59 as it passes through the community.

The roundabouts will be put in place at two intersections in downtown Pelican Rapids. One of them is where State Highway 108 meets Highway 59 from the west and the other intersection is to the south where Highway 108 heads east towards Maplewood State Park. 

Each of the intersections will have a roundabout. Both intersections are currently controlled by stoplights. 

The fundamental principle of modern roundabouts is that drivers, when entering the roundabout, give way to traffic within the roundabout. This enhances the flow of traffic, without the need for stoplights.

Bids from contractors will likely be submitted in January with construction possibly beginning in April 2024. This will be a two-year project with most of the costs provided by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Opioid settlement funds

Addressing the county board were Community Health Planner Leah Jesser and County Health Educator Emily Frustol.

Otter Tail County and the other 86 counties in Minnesota have the opportunity to use opioid settlement funds to save lives and mitigate lifelong harms from drug misuse. To do this, settlement funds in Otter Tail County will be spent on effective interventions.

In July 2021 Attorney General offices across the nation obtained opioid settlement agreements with pharmaceutical distributors and opioid manufacturer Johnson and Johnson. Minnesota’s share is $300 million over 18 years to fight the opioid crisis. 

Jesser and Frustol told county commissioners that maximizing the impact of the settlement funds will require coordination and thoughtful utilization. County core groups are working with various communities throughout Otter Tail County to identify local issues and focus on collaboration to address and prevent addiction.

Says Frustol, “We plan to build upon community health assessments and improvement plans. We also will share information about successful regional and other high-impact strategies and opioid treatment programs.”

Mobile food unit at Lake Lida approved

County commissioners followed the recommendation from the county planning commission and on Dec. 19 approved a mobile food unit.  Conditions, however, must be met for the property owner at Lake Lida, east of Pelican Rapids.

Informational signage will be in place on the west side of Lake Lida to inform the public that it is for boat access only. This will prevent incursion into the lakeside by vehicle users seeing the food truck. There had been concerns expressed by area property owners concerning partying, loud music, no trashcans and safety.

Other property owners spoke in favor of the request, seeing the mobile food unit as another option for eating out and providing worthwhile service to the local community on the water at Lake Lida.

Conditions included installing an unlighted advertising sign not to exceed a size of 4-by-8 feet, no parking allowed for public access to the food truck, installation of a compliant septic system, a maximum of one food truck, hours of operation from a half hour after sunrise until a half hour before sunset, food sales licensed by county public health and a sign to be in place stating there will be no beaching south of the sign.

The information was provided to county  board members by County Land and Resource Management Director Chris LeClair.

County long range strategic planning

In 2020, Otter Tail County commissioners embarked on a multi-year journey to answer the question, “What do we want our communities to look like in 20 years? Another question was asked: “What do we want to promote, encourage and enhance?

“Our Long Range Strategic Plan establishes a long-term vision for managing growth and developmental decisions,” said Deputy County Administrator Lynne Penke Valdes who addressed county commissioners.

She reported that the Long Range Strategic Plan includes working to attain an adaptable future that maintains access to a high quality of life and services for all

residents and visitors. 

“Otter Tail County strives to maintain its identity, high quality of life and access to a healthy lifestyle for current and future residents,” Valdes said. “A key factor is ensuring resilience through the county’s ability to react, adapt and thrive in the face of environmental, social and economic change.”

County staff is involved internally and external to identify the priority investment areas of the Navigating the Road Ahead initiative. These priority investment areas align with the county’s Long Range Strategic Plan.

Housing growth and investment is a priority for the Otter Tail County Community Development Agency (CDA) and Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA). 

“This investment will expand and accelerate efforts already underway. CDA and HRA staff and boards of directors have developed the strategies and actions,” said County Community Development Director Amy Baldwin.

For more information, log onto the Otter Tail County website. Click on the word “Government” and scroll down to “Our Long Range Strategic Plan.”