All cars removed from derailment site

At their regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 6, Foster County commissioners were given an update on the Bordulac train derailment clean-up efforts, including that all rail cars have now been removed from the derailment site.

Foster County Emergency Manager Andrew Kirking said the rail cars have been staged nearby where they'll undergo investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), who were on site from August 6-9.

"The incident has transitioned from a 'response' operation to 'remediation,' signaling the removal of all hazardous materials and consideration now being given to crash investigation and recovery efforts to the area," stated Kirking in his report.

Although the rail cars have been removed, Kirking said clean-up efforts will still be underway for some time, noting that "dewatering" operations are ongoing to remove all contaminated liquid from the site.

"Complete cleanup is still expected to take until late fall, and some – albeit smaller – presence will remain in Bordulac," said Kirking.

He also noted that county officials are working hard to ensure all damages and expenses related to the derailment are documented.

"Ongoing expenses, including damage to roads, will be reimbursed later after all heavy equipment has been removed," he stated.

Kirking then moved on in his report to suggest commissioners take an opportunity to significantly upgrade many of the county's radios, both for emergency management and the county's road department.

A statewide push to improve communication among and between departments means that money is available for new state-of-the-art 800MHz radios.

For each radio purchased, the county is reimbursed $1,500 by the State of North Dakota.

So, county commissioners carried a motion to purchase mounted radios for the road department's blades and snowplows, as well as five new portable radios.

According to a quote from Jamestown Communications, the cost of those radios is just over $34,000. But with the reimbursement from the state, the county will pay less than $14,000.

The county also ordered 10 portable radios for Emergency Management, costing the county just $1,711 after receiving $6,000 in reimbursements.

Also during Monday's meeting, Foster County Road Superintendent Nate Monson gave an update on the Club Hall Road project, saying the planned start date has been moved back from August to October.

Meanwhile, commissioners also approved a preliminary budget for 2025 which shows a slight increase in mills for the county general fund, going from 27.93 in 2024 to 29.53.

A public budget hearing will be held before the final budget is approved. That hearing is yet to be scheduled, but will take place sometime between September 7 and October 7.

Foster County commissioners also carried a motion to appoint Elliot Paczkowski to the Foster County Weed Board, replacing Jeff Bata.

The Foster County commission's next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 2 p.m., with a special meeting for the water board to follow at 3:30 p.m.