During the Monday meeting of the Wright County Board of Supervisors, during the weekly COVID update, Sandy McGrath said the county is at 1,343 cases as of Monday. She anticipates numbers to go up in the next weeks due to the holidays. She added that public health is gearing up for the upcoming vaccines which she anticipates being available to prioritized groups by the end of the year. She estimated that the general public may have a chance to get it by later spring. McGrath also encouraged people to get the flu vaccine if they have not already. She said that public health does have a supply of free flu shots earmarked for uninsured adults. If people are interested in that, they can contact Public Health.
Chairman Dean Kluss updated the board on the repairs to the courthouse and Professional Building after a meeting with the contractors and architects last week. Both projects are behind. The courthouse was supposed to be finished in early November, but a major setback happened when the metal edging already installed had to be replaced to meet warranty standards. Now, trim work and work on the flat roof are being done. The professional building repairs are also behind. Kluss said one of the contractors stated that they are having problems with day laborer attendance due to COVID. Progress on the roof is coming along though. Both projects should now finish up around December 21. Kluss said he had told those attending the meeting, “We are disappointed, but we can’t go back now.”
The board signed a letter of engagement with various law firms in relation to claims against opioid manufacturers, distributors, and chain pharmacies. Many Iowa counties have joined this lawsuit as the state alleges costs have been incurred due to the opioid crisis, including in law enforcement, criminal justice, and public health. The lawsuit seeks to recoup those costs.
In other business, the board continued the discussion from last week about the childhood recruitment and retention program that McKinley Bailey of Building Families had presented on. Upon speaking more with Bailey, Chairman Kluss explained that he believes there are other sources of funding that can be tapped into for the program and thus Kluss recommended the county not fund it this next year, though they may revisit the matter in the future. They also passed a resolution to transfer $100,000 from the Capital Projects fund to the Agribusiness Park Utilities fund that will manage expenses at the park. The 100,000 was from the sale of a parcel at the park.
