County Declares Emergency After Devastating Apartment Fire
by Trinity Gruenberg
The Wadena County Commissioners held their regular meeting on Tuesday, February 18.
Apartment Fire
Commissioner Ron Noon expressed his appreciation to all the individuals and staff who helped with the apartment fire. In the early morning hours, many county staff and personnel were involved in assisting the city and the residents of that building.
Wadena County Human Services Director Jennifer Westrum was unable to attend the meeting as she was with the emergency response team.
County Attorney Kyra Ladd relayed a message from Westrum that a significant amount of county resources will be used to set up and use the armory, where temporary housing and shelter will be in place, and that would require 24-hour staffing.
Emergency Management Director Tyler Wheeler, Sheriff Mike Carr Jr., and Sergeant Bryan Savaloja brought an emergency declaration for the apartment fire. There have been ongoing costs for law enforcement, Human Services, and other agencies in responding to the incident. The emergency declaration is needed to ensure the county is eligible for any potential reimbursement of the costs associated with the fire response.
The commissioners approved a motion to pass the resolution for the emergency declaration, allowing the county to address the ongoing needs and costs related to the fire.
Administrator Search
Liza Donabauer with DDA discussed the administrator search and what the board is looking for. The board discussed updating the job profile and salary range, which they agreed should be $120,000 to $140,000....