Archery hunting approved in Garvin Park

Archery hunting of deer at Garvin Park for the 2021 Minnesota archery hunting season opens soon.
The Lyon County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved hunting in the park for the season beginning Sept. 18 and running through Dec. 31, 2021. Hunters can apply for an archery hunting permit for Garvin Park by showing a valid MN hunting license. The county permit fee is $20. There will be no park closures necessary during the archery season.
In addition to hunting at Garvin Park, the board renewed landfill and park land agreements for three years with the current renters. The hay crop agreement for the 35 acres of hay land at Garvin Park is $30 per 1,000-pound bale. The agreement for the 116 acres of tillable land at Garvin Park is for $205 per acre. The agreement for the 70 acres of tillable land at the landfill is $102.50 per acre.
The board received an update on the proposed 2022 budget and levy. The renewal estimate for the workman’s comp insurance decreased but the property insurance increased substantially. The new proposed levy increase would be 1.7 percent. The board will review the budget at the next meeting prior to setting the levy. Once set, the levy can be decreased, but not increased.
The board approved a resolution approving the DNR to acquire 75 acres in section 7 of Clifton Township. The property is located 2.5 miles east of Marshall and is directly adjacent to the east of the Clifton Wildlife Management Area and directly south of the Rolling Hills Wildlife Management Area. The land is currently owned by Steve Snyder, who approached the DNR about purchasing the land from him for what he paid for it when his uncle passed away.
"I have a huge emotional attachment," Snyder said. "It’s all our family land out there. My dad, my uncle and I hunted that, farmed it and I’m trying to leave a legacy."
The motion was passed after a lengthy discussion with DNR Area Wildlife Supervisor Wendy Krueger as to thistle control and the amount of land the DNR is purchasing.
The board also heard an update on the activities of the Southwest Health & Human Services joint powers entity. SWHHS is working to build reserves of five months as directed by the board. They are currently working on getting all their vehicles leased.
Once completed, they will save approximately $27,000 over five years on vehicle expenses. In addition, SWHHS left the MN Merit System for employment applications and are handling it internally. The move has saved $40,000 in pure cost savings which has all gone into the reserves. The change has also shortened the time it is taking to fill positions from 60 days to approximately 26 days. The reserves were at 1.7 months and have increased to 2.45 months.

In other board news:
• The board approved the adoption of a new Joint Powers Agreement for the Rural MN Energy Board.
• The board rejected all jail security bids opened July 26, 2021. The board received three bids and they all were significantly over the engineer’s estimates. The engineer is reviewing the project specifications and making adjustments to bring the project back in line with the budget.
• The board approved a $10 donation from Nicholas Hang to the DARE account.
• The board approved the participation in DNR off-highway vehicle safety grant from July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022. The County has been awarded $4,378.17 per year. The grant will allow the sheriff deputies to provide enforcement activities in the Shady Oaks ATV park and ATV rider certification courses.
• The board set the annual ditch assessment hearings for the afternoon of Oct. 19, 2021. The County Ditches hearing will take place at 1 p.m., with the Joint/Judicial Ditches hearing at 1:45 p.m.
• The board acknowledged a petition from the Commissioners of Transportation for the right to make minor alterations or changes in County Ditch 37, 63 and 32 in Lyon County. A hearing has been set for Oct. 19, 2021, at 10:15 a.m.
• The board approved an agreement with Lois Novosad to coordinate winter storage of vehicles in the Lyon County 4-H and Ralco buildings. The county storage rates are boats, cars, campers and watercraft less than 20 feet $25/month; campers and vehicles 20 feet - 30 feet $30/month; campers and vehicles more than 30 feet $40/month; sheriff storage of vehicles $120/month and SWCD equipment storage $120/year. The winter storage occurs from Nov. 1, 2021-May 1, 2022.