Online Video Conference was Hacked
- Trinity Gruenberg
- Sep 16
- 2 min read
by Trinity Gruenberg
The Wadena County Commissioners held their regular meeting on Tuesday, September 9.
Zoom Hacked
Early on during the Wadena County Commissioners meeting, a hacker took control of the Zoom (online video conference) meeting and played a short pornographic clip before Zoom was shut down. The viewers and commissioners were briefly stunned and continued on with the meeting. However, Zoom stayed down while IT looked into the issue.
4-H Building Water Line
County Engineer Anthony Maule discussed the need to install a new six-inch water line to the 4-H building at the fairgrounds. This project became necessary after it was discovered that the building would no longer have water service unless the new line was installed. Maule reached out to three local contractors for quotes. J&J Excavating submitted a quote of $19,288, Meyer Contracting offered a much higher quote of $108,500, and Landwehr Construction declined to bid due to scheduling conflicts.
The commissioners reviewed the quotes and discussed the technical requirements, including the need for a six-inch line to meet state fire protection standards. The project also involved tapping into a major water main under live pressure, which added to the complexity and cost. Commissioners agreed that the J&J Excavating quote was reasonable and that the work needed to be completed before winter to avoid construction delays.
County staff did meet with Wadena city officials to discuss the technical aspects of the installation, and the city agreed with the proposed process for tapping into the water main. While the city was approached about possibly getting involved, they declined to participate financially, stating that the building was not considered their community center.
They discussed how to fund the project. The consensus was to use the county’s non-levy building fund, although some members noted that this fund was originally designated for other purposes. After considering the urgency and importance of the water line for ongoing construction and fire safety, the board voted to approve the project and move forward with the recommended contractor...
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