The Walsh County Record

COUNTY – Controversy has been swirling around the Walsh County Social Service office for more than four months.
Another concern was brought to light at Tuesday’s regular bi-monthly meeting of the Walsh County Commissioners.
In a memo dated May 31, sent to the Walsh County Commissioners, Auditor Kris Molde, Walsh County Director of Human Resources Tanya Wieler, Walsh County Social Services Director Twila Novak and Ann Poeschel-West, WCSSB President, Walsh County State’s Attorney Barbara Whelan said it was reported to her that Novak had been absent from her position from early May until she returned to work on June 3. (more…)

Frustration levels high on flooding issues
GRAFTON – Discussion on flooding and water reached a boiling point Monday evening during the Grafton Public Utilities Committee meeting.
From committee members to department heads asking to speak as citizens, questions and concerns about water were at the forefront of discussions. City council member Len Wysocki took the lead. Wysocki, who had his basement flooded during the last rain event, questioned Police Chief Steve Kliniske about citizens disregarding the road barricades while the streets were flooded. Wysocki said he received a call from a citizen who had called the police station asking for help to stop sightseers from driving around the barricades but were told there was nothing they could do. Wysocki said those who drive around barricades should be fined.  Kliniske told the committee his staff was being fully utililized during the event and that it would be very difficult to respond to every call coming in related to barricades. Committee members asked Kliniski if he could come up with a plan to deal with the issue in the future. (more…)

Residents experience water in basements after Friday’s storm
GRAFTON – Water weary residents of Grafton and Walsh County were dealt yet another blow late last week and into the weekend as the second major rain event in the past two weeks hit the area.
Last Thursday Grafton and the surrounding area received approximately 1.5 inches of rain. On Friday the area was hit again by heavy thunderstorms and another 3.5 inches fell in a three hour span prompting a flood warning to be issued for the county.
To top it off, a thunderstorm cell spawned a tornado that was sighted approximately two miles east of Grafton. The twister was traveling to the west which prompted a tornado warning to be issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) and the sirens in Grafton were activated. (more…)

Campground and pool won’t open until early June
The biggest casualty in the recent flooding once again was Grafton’s Leistikow Park.
Just as Grafton Parks and Recreation (G-PR) crews were finishing their cleanup from the first flood event of the spring, they had to turn around and do everything over again.
“The campground was back together 100 percent and we were about 80 percent done with the swimming pool,” GPR Director Bill Dahl said.
That cleanup work included cleaning water heaters and reinstalling breaker boxes at the campsites in the campground as well as disinfecting countertops and sinks and putting plumbing back together.
“We were looking good on Monday May 21, and by Tuesday we were ripping everything up again because high water was predicted again,” Dahl said. (more…)

Governor Dalrymple surveys damage in effected region
GRAFTON – Only a week ago residents of Grafton and those along the Park River were bracing for a potential record flood.
Because of torrential rains that hit portions of Cavalier, Pembina and Walsh counties the previous weekend, on Tuesday May 21, the National Weather Service upped the flood crest prediction in Grafton from 13.3 feet to 16.5 feet sending the City of Grafton and residents of Walsh County into flood protection mode for the second time in the past couple of weeks.
That day, the temporary levee closing off Fifth Street in Grafton, connecting the permanent dike around Leistkow Park and residents around West Sixth Street went back up. That same day, the temporary levee on the north end of Western Avenue and Second Street in Grafton got an additional layer of sandbags. Volunteers turned out in droves at the city street department shop just north of Grafton to make and stockpile sandbags in case they were needed. (more…)