WHAT WE DO:
Tim Erickson is the appointed Director and the County Engineer. There are 6 Division Supervisors in the Public Works Department and 36 employees.
ADMINISTRATION:
Provide facilities, administration, accounting, secretary-receptionist and coordination services for Public Works. Department headquarters are located at the Public Works Center in Alexandria with outlying highway maintenance facilities also located in Brandon, Kensington, and Miltona. The Public Works Department has a total of 42 full-time employee positions authorized. Seasonal employees are hired to assist with increased summer activities.
AGRICULTURAL/DRAINAGE INSPECTION DIVISION:
Enforce regulations concerning noxious weeds, herbicides, pesticides and seed inspection under the direction of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and in compliance with Minnesota Statutes. Assist townships and cities with noxious weed education and control.
Provide administration and maintenance services for County Ditch System which includes 200 plus miles of drainage ditches. Activities include ditch clean-out, vegetation and brush control, tile repair, drainage surveys, conducting information meetings and preparing ditch assessment recommendations.
PARKS DIVISION:
Provide a safe, efficient, and attractive system of parks and facilities for recreation and preservation. The Division is responsible for planning and maintaining parks and trails at the county government level.
To reserve a picnic shelter for events in one of our parks, click the link below. More information is available under Land & Property - Parks & Trails.
Reserve Your Picnic Shelter
COUNTY SURVEYOR DIVISION:
The U.S. General Land Office commenced the survey of the Douglas County area in 1857 and completed the final subdivision of the last of the 20 townships in 1871. During this period, the 2,800 Public Land Survey Corners, which are the basis of all land ownership in the county, were established. It is the primary duty of the Survey Division staff to recover, preserve and maintain the location of those corners for the benefit of all property owners in the county.
In addition to this primary responsibility the division duties include:
Develop and maintain a countywide network of 300 geodetic control monuments to serve as the basis for horizontal and vertical control for the county coordinate system, aerial and terrestrial mapping and public land resurvey information. Provide highway right-of-way plats, easement descriptions and horizontal/vertical control for highway construction. Prepare and administer aerial photography and mapping contracts.
Prepare and maintain half-section maps, county and township road inventory maps and custom mapping as requested. Assign E911 addresses, maintain the E911 road and address location maps and publish the County Rural Address Atlas. Maintain a land information database that includes resurvey information, copies of public and private surveys, certificates of location, GLO township plats and field notes, recorded subdivision plats, section maps, township road orders and maps, current and historic aerial photos and county surveyor projects.
Develop partnerships with state agencies, other governmental jurisdictions and the private sector to eliminate duplication of effort.
Assist public agencies, private sector and citizen users to access all available database and services.
Provide professional surveying services and expertise to county departments and other governmental agencies.
Develop and direct programs that utilize new technologies and methods to provide for the future needs of the county.
HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE DIVISION:
Provide adequate summer and winter maintenance on county highways (546 miles) to insure a safe and efficient system for the travelling public. Activities include blading and regraveling gravel surfaced roads, snow plowing, sanding and ice removal, vegetation control, crack sealing, pothole patching, culvert repair and replacement, roadside drainage, dust control, signing, pavement message painting, traffic control, equipment maintenance and repair. A central vehicle fueling facility is also provided for all governmental agencies operating in the Alexandria area.
HIGHWAY ENGINEERING DIVISION:
Provide a safe and efficient county highway system to meet present and future traffic needs which will enhance agriculture, tourism, residential and business-industry development. Activities include highway surveys, design, construction inspection, right-of-way acquisition, environmental assessments, wetland mitigation, long range planning, cost estimates, public information meetings, bridge inspection and replacement, permit applications to regulatory agencies, specification writing, and contract administration.
Please see Government > Permits for more information or you can call the Douglas County Public Works Center at 320-762-2999
to obtain a permit and assistance in completing the form(s).