(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson county board of supervisors Tuesday heard another plea from representatives of the Okoboji Protective Association for action to be taken on the Lower Gar Outlet issue.
Phil Petersen of the OPA requested the supervisors sign off on an engineering contract to allow plans and specifications to be put together for a project to install additional culverts at the outlet, with the provision that no cost be incurred prior to May 22nd.
Petersen also requested a special supervisors meeting be held May 21st, following a joint meeting between them, the DNR, city of Milford and Corps of Engineers. That meeting is TENTATIVELY set for 7:00 p.m. May 20th.
Brian Reed, Milford City Administrator, encouraged the supervisors to be open minded, saying the answer may not lie in what the Corps of Engineers has recommended in the past or may recommend at the joint meeting.
Following further discussion by people on both sides of the issue, some of it heated, the supervisors voted three-to-one to approve a motion to sign the engineering contract and to hold a public meeting at 7:00 p.m. May 21st at the Expo Building in Spirit Lake.
Supervisor Chair David Gottsche cast the lone no vote, reiterating his stance that any engineering on the project should be done in-house.
Supervisor Mardi Allen was out of town and unable to attend Tuesday’s meeting.
