By Robert Lucke
At the regular June meeting of the Hill County Park Board, members got a report that of the cabins that needed to be cleaned up before they could receive a current lease, most had made some improvement. Only one, in Normandy Coulee, remained a problem.
Board member Dean Hanson reminded other members that they had passed a motion at their last meeting requiring cabins to pass a standard in their lease before they could be sold or transferred.
The budget for 2001-02 was approved by the Park Board. It remained at the same dollar figure as last year's budget. Money was transferred from one account to another to accommodate a new roof for the superintendent's home.
Superintendent Bernie Golie reported that new tables and chairs are needed for Beaver Lodge along with new cupboards for the lodge kitchen.
"The tables and benches we have now are inconvenient for older people," Golie said. "We need maybe 25 tables and eight chairs per table and we need new cupboards for the lodge. We may have someone working for us who could build the cupboards for around $2,000 in materials."
Golie reported that with his seasonal help getting only $5.50 as a starting wage, along with the high cost of gasoline in just driving to work, he was afraid that he would not be able to get good help.
"Five dollars and 50 cents for a seasonal person living at home is not a living wage, but we can't start messing around with the matrix every year," County Commissioner Pat Conway said. "That affects everyone in the county who pays taxes."
"I had a guy quit now," Golie said. "He got $10 somewhere else. These are not single kids. They are married people trying to make a living."
"It is a problem, but we can't do much about it," said board member John Goebel.
Board chairman Steve Mariani asked about developing off-road springs to keep cattle off the road.
"We have 12 potential sites, eight of which are fairly crucial," Conway said. "The issue is that it is going to take $50,000 to develop those springs. Where do we get that money? Maybe we could sell road right of way to the state and pick up the funds that way."
The board will meet be July 2 at 7 p.m. at the new Detention Center courtroom.
