Terry Canada, Valley County’s Building & Grounds Director, told commissioners at the Nov. 10 morning meeting that Central District Health has not approved the use of water inside the Yellow Pine community center and that the county is awaiting a formal violation notice.

Canada said the transfer-site material at a separate site has not yet achieved required tensile strength and is still curing. On the Yellow Pine facility, he said, “health and welfare did not approve them to use any water inside that building,” and that the county has not yet received the notification email confirming the denial. A board member added the county had recently denied a permit for serving food at Harmonica Fest, indicating the county’s permit status changed in the past few months.

Commissioners and staff confirmed they recently discovered the county owns the Yellow Pine building and discussed an agreement—reported by a resident or local representative—that Yellow Pine Village handles day-to-day upkeep under an MOU. Canada said he will search county files and consult with Doug and others to locate any MOU and create a complete inventory of county-owned assets for maintenance and insurance purposes. “One of my main goals is to get a listing of everything that we own so we can make sure we're managing and maintaining it properly,” Canada said.

The meeting also covered operational items tied to county properties. Canada raised a personnel policy question about whether staff may drive county work trucks home for emergency after-hours callouts; the chair advised him to consult Jeff for the existing policy and procedures. Staff discussed housing units the county manages—one unit is empty and will be inspected by HRO Mike before re-tenanting—and routine winter upkeep and aesthetic repairs at the community center, including a decorative post repair and handrail concrete work.

Why it matters: The county’s ownership of community facilities creates maintenance and liability responsibilities; a public-health denial of indoor water use could limit programming and requires prompt remediation. Commissioners directed staff to locate any MOUs, compile an up-to-date asset list, and prioritize remediation and maintenance planning.

What’s next: Staff will search for the MOU and ownership records, await the formal violation notice from Central District Health, and return with a recommended plan for remediation and any needed repairs or policy changes.