Farris Park will soon have a nine-disc golf course and Lake George Community Park will see a three-disc course.
“The popularity of disc golf in the county has increased tremendously, even in the last couple of years,” said Hubbard County Land Commissioner Cory Kimball. “At Heartland Park, we see people playing every day. It’ll be awesome to have another course up in the northern part of the county.”
On Tuesday, Aug. 5, the county board accepted the low quote from DGA of Watsonville, California, for the purchase of 12 disc golf baskets at $5,120. The price includes freight and limited warranty.
The disc golf baskets are commercial grade and will be permanently attached to the ground, according to Kimball’s report.
The Farris Park course is “a pretty nice nine-hole course in the woods. It’ll be a little bit challenging, but we were still able to get some fairways built,” he said.
This chart shows the revenue and apportionments from county-owned, tax-forfeited lands between 2018 and 2024.
Contributed/Hubbard County Natural Resources Department
In related business, the board did this:
Learned the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office approved an archaeological report for Deep Lake Park, so the county can request bids for demolition. “We’ll send that out shortly,” said Kimball.Reviewed the July 7 timber auction. Fourteen out of 15 tracts sold, totaling $323,119.
Kimball said the county is fortunate to have lumber mills and logging companies in the area, adding, “It seems the Hubbard County timber values are some of the best in the state.”
At the Aug. 4 timber salvage auction, Kimball reported 20 out of 25 tracts sold. He estimated sales around $400,000, “which seems like a lot, but if it wasn’t blown down, it would be about double that much.”
Accepted the low quote for bud-capping pine tree seedlings on 935 acres of county-managed land. Great Lakes Forestry LLC of Eau Claire, Wisc., provided the low quote of $48 per acre.Set 2024 apportionments. According to Kimball, the gross income from Hubbard County tax-forfeited lands in 2024 was $1,758,055. Revenue was generated from land sales, timber sales, leases, easements, special product permits and aggregate permits. “It does not include PILT or gas tax money that we receive for maintaining roads,” he said.
The net income, after expenditures and reserves, was $808,159. Of this, $242,448 (30%)will be apportioned to the forest development fund, while $161,632 (20%) goes to the parks and recreation fund. The remaining $404,080 (50%) is to be apportioned between the general revenue fund, townships and school districts.
Learned that no more than 100 parties were potentially exposed in a data breach through Hubbard County Environmental Services Office (ESO). Letters are going out this week, said ESO Director Eric Buitenwerf. “Thankfully, it was well contained and we were able to deal with it in a timely manner.” Approved a three-year contract with Strategic Technologies Inc. for the Minnesota County Attorney Practice System (MCAPS) program. The agreement runs from Jan. 1, 2026 through Dec. 31, 2028. According to the Hubbard County Attorney’s Office, they have utilized MCAPS for over 15 years for case management. The cost is at $14,600 in 2026, an increase of $600.Approved a 2026-2028 agreement with ESRI for GIS software licensing. According to Buitenwerf’s report, the agreement “affords us significant savings on obtaining the GIS software licenses we need versus purchasing the licenses individually.” The annual cost is $30,200.Approved an elected officials out-of-state travel policy. “This is basically statutory housekeeping,” explained County Human Resources Director Gina Teems.
The board also approved MetLife’s fully insured, private plan administration of Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Leave for the county and authorized Teems to submit the opt-out application to the state, including the $500 fee.
Closed the meeting for attorney-client privilege and to discuss the value of real property.
