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News
By Allison Joy
IRON RIVER/CRYSTAL FALLS — Work on fiber optic expansion continues in Iron County. Iron County Road Commission Superintendent Brad Toivonen said he had approved at least 50 permits from AEG, the company installing the cable that will support Highline Internet Services, with more permits pending.
Toivonen said he was focusing on permits in the U.S. Hwy 141 corridor, with streets in Amasa also being approved.
Issues arose with Midway Telephone’s expansion down Forest Hwy 16, with residents requesting that the cables be laid prior to road repavement.
“[Midway Telephone] took it into consideration, but … their contractors have totally changed their mind,” Toivonen explained at the May 14 meeting of the Iron County Road Commission. “Instead of the big push this spring, they’re going to wait until next fall. Apparently they’ve got work elsewhere to do, so it’s not working out so well for a paving project.”
Toivonen said he didn’t foresee the cable project disrupting the repaved roads, given the ample mowed ditches on either side of the road’s shoulder.
“I think it will be fine,” he said. “We’ll just have to maybe watch [the installation] a little more closely.”
• Toivonen and Commissioner Ernie Schmidt requested the County Board put a ballot measure to residents that would move the position of drain commissioner back under the county’s supervision. That request was denied, though the county pledged funds to help fund an outside hire for the position.
• Following a house explosion in Iron River in February, the road commission has set in place a standard operating procedure of contacting the foreman in case of emergency need for fuel from road commission tanks. With gas stations closed the night of the explosion, “[Officers] were turning their squad cars off because they were worried about having enough gas to make it through the night,” explained Road Commission Superintendent Brad Toivonen.
• Work on Baumgartner Road/Brule Mountain Road near Snipe Lake Pub, extending from Eden Drive halfway to the ski hill, will start June 8. The project will ultimately require the road commission to go beyond its right-of-way. According to Toivonen, the project may also require an environmental mitigation plan because “we’re going to be affecting wetlands because of the culvert extensions.”
• Work started in mid-May clearing the Amasa gravel pit, with crushing the third week. The project is slated for completion at the end of June.
• Bates Amasa Road will get center and edge lines repainted from U.S. Hwy 2 to U.S. Hwy 141, as well as edge lines for non-motorized bike paths and crosswalks.
• A crosswalk will be installed at Stager Lake Township Park.
The Iron County Road Commission meets the second Tuesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. at 800 Franklin Street. More information is available at ironcountyroads.com. Next meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 10.
Wendy Graham contributed to the reporting of this article.