Busy couple of months for county

The past couple months I’ve visited with several county department managers; each eager to share news of services and programs available in their departments. Excerpts from our discussions and other County Board news follow.

Election Recount: The recent Supreme Court election recount was completed at an estimated $14,000 — $3,000 in additional expenses and $11,000 from budgeted expenses, mostly staff time. Results of the recount added one vote to David Prosser’s total and two votes to JoAnn Kloppenburg’s total countywide.

UW-Extension: The Extension Education and Recycling Committee selected Supervisor Sue Hendrickson to attend a Public Issues Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference focused on funding sources for Extension research and educational program offerings for communities throughout the United States. While in D.C., Hendrickson visited the offices of Congressman Sean Duffy and Senator Herb Kohl.

“This is just one of the great opportunities I’ve had since becoming a member of the Douglas County Board,” Hendrickson said. “It’s been a life-changing experience.” To contact UW-Extension, call (715) 395-1363.

Recycling Department: Mary Klun, recycling coordinator for Douglas County, recently reviewed the monthly “Recyclable Materials” report, noting that there is a cost to haul the materials whether it goes to the landfill or recycling center. An extra cost is assessed to process and sell the recyclables. The county does make enough money to cover the cost of processing, with enough of a balance to offset the cost of hauling. To contact Klun, call (715) 395-1293.

Christening of the M/V HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR — I accompanied Mayor Bruce Hagen to a ceremony christening a ship in honor of long-time Minnesota Congressman James L. Oberstar. The Oberstar, first christened the Shenango in 1959, has gone through several major modifications during its 52 years of service, including a 96 feet lengthening at Fraser Shipyard in Superior during 1971-72. The Hon. James L. Oberstar is a highly efficient, reliable ship, which provides an environmentally friendly method of waterborne transportation. As a Douglas County Board supervisor, I am very proud that the ship’s history included Fraser Shipyard.

Veterans Service Officer: Douglas County extends a warm welcome to Master Sgt. Scott Buchanan, Douglas County’s new veterans service officer. Buchanan will retire from the Minnesota Army National Guard in August, after 27 years of service with the U.S. Army and Army National Guard, including a 12-month tour in Iraq. He replaces Jon Scheldroup who recently retired. Buchanan’s office is located on the third floor of the Government Center. To contact him, call (715) 395-1332.

In Memoriam: Fellow County Board Supervisor James J. O’Brien, affectionately known to family, friends and colleagues as “JJ”, passed away May 26. Each of us, I’m sure, hold a special memory of our times with JJ, because JJ made his times with us special — rest, dear friend.

For update information on Douglas County services, meetings, programs and special events, visit www.douglascountywi.org.

The goal of this column is to help residents of Douglas County learn about county departments, administration, the County Board, and special committees supported in part by Douglas County.

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