(Spirit Lake)– Tempers flared Tuesday as the Dickinson county board of supervisors again reviewed schematic designs for the new courthouse.
John Tonsfeldt, Veteran’s Affairs Director, expressed concern to the board that the space being proposed for his office is actually smaller than what he has right now. The supervisors agreed to contact the architect to see if there’s anyway it could be expanded while keeping the overall square footage of the building the same.
Tonsfeldt also expressed concern over where the D-A-V van would be stored once the new courthouse is completed. The vehicle is currently housed in the former Radke service station, which is slated to be demolished this summer to make way for the courthouse project. Supervisor Chair David Gottsche said he’s confident that issue, along with where to store a van for the Engineer’s Office, can be worked out.
Supervisor Wayne Northey then reitterated concerns he has…saying he feels things are being rushed into. He sited concerns he has over storage of the D-A-V and engineer’s vans; the fact the engineer’s office will be located on the second floor of the new courthouse; and concerns over potential groundwater problems in the basement of the new facility.
Northey’s comments drew a sharp response from fellow supervisor Pam Jordan who questioned Northey’s absence from recent meetings where courthouse plans were discussed in detail, saying it’s unfair for him to come back now and second guess what they’ve done. Northey, who warned fellow supervisors he was going to vote against any motion to approve the schematic designs, countered Jordan by saying he wasn’t trying to tell other board members how to vote, saying they should vote how they feel.
With that, a motion was made and seconded to approve the schematic designs. It passed on a three-to-two vote, with Northey and Gottsche casting the no votes. Gottsche again reiterated his concern over a lack of parking on the courthouse site.
Supervisor Paul Johnson said he’s confident the concerns expressed by Northey are being thoroughly addressed and that they can be handled.
