Year: 2013

WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, JUNE 5, 2013

admin Board Minutes

WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, JUNE 5, 2013

          Chairman Glen Williamson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m., with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Also present were Supervisors Mike McCullen and Gary Vink, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond, Road Manager Mark Pallow and Eldon and Marg Schmedeke.

Paul read the report of the May meeting; Gary moved to approve and Mike seconded.  Approved.

OLD BUSINESS:  FEMA Hazard Mitigation Project, Mayfield Road.  We have until the end of the month to complete it.  Mike took the FEMA file to work with Mark on how to bill the work and to explain what the proposal included and what needs to be done to build up the side of the road at the culvert on Mayfield Road with rip-rap and gravel.  FEMA will not allow Mark to do the work as a township employee, but only as a contractor. We have already paid for the gravel, so it is only Mark’s contract labor and the machine and the rip-rap we need a new bill for.

Schmedeke Lane Extension Committee:  Eldon said he was not notified that the board was going to inspect the Schmedeke Lane extension, and he feels he should have been told.  Paul said he did send Eldon a copy of the May meeting record that said the spring road inspection would be May 22, and the meeting time.  The board didn’t have a special meeting on Schmedeke Lane but only checked it as part of inspecting all the township roads.  Eldon said he pretty much agrees with the board’s observations about the extension, although the county didn’t use pit-run gravel but just dug it out of the bank.  Mike said that is what pit-run gravel is, and the board was impressed with the bed the county engineers laid on the road.  The board  recommends that 6” of class five gravel be put over the pit-run before the town  will accept the road.  Eldon said that the County had proposed to make the road the full length of two 40’s, but it is short of that. CountyCommissioner Steve Chaffee told Glen that the county absolutely will not take down the hill, so if that is a final condition of the committee Eldon is heading, we will not be taking over the road.  The board will not act until Eldon gives his final report of the minimum standards the road must meet before the town will take over the extension as a township road, because they do not want to have to do anything further on the road once it becomes a township road, beyond regular maintenance.  The biggest reservation the board has is the culvert that is supported with logs laid across it and is vulnerable to collapse.   Both the board and Eldon say this culvert is unacceptable as it is now.

Road Report:  Mark graded Little Tamarack Lake Road, but it has been very wet. The road is holding up pretty good.  Mike said the Duxbury Fire Dept. wants to put a load of class 5 gravel over the water tank they buried next to the fire hall.  He moved that that the fire dept. be allowed to put a load of class 5 gravel and spread it over the tank; Gary seconded.  Passed.  The ordinance signs are ready to put up as soon as the County can do it.

Town Park:  Greg Beck sent a letter claiming that the county owns the north half of the 36.5 acre Wilma Park.  He says they want to sell it, and we can buy it from the county.  Wilma acquired the park in 1953 from the State and applied for a conditional use deed, but the conveyance deed only shows the south 16.5 acres.  Beck says the town can purchase the north 20 acres orobtain it through a conditional use deed, for specific purposes as allowed by the State.  Greg said the legislature passed a law this year that would allow all conditional use deeded land to pass to full ownership of the jurisdictions that hold them in 2015, and they can then do whatever they want with the land.  The board directed Paul to pursue this with the county auditor, to see what steps we need to take to obtain clear conditional use title to the full 36.5 acres of our park.  The board does not want to give any of it up.

Recording Ordinance:  Tamara Tricas, CountyRecorder, has retuned our road ordinance because the clerk’s notary stamp expired.  Paul said he thought he could hand-write the new date for his commission expiration; he wanted to save the town money and not buy a new stamp every two years.  Mike moved that Paul be authorized to buy a new notary stamp, and to renew it if he is re-elected in March, 2014.  Gary seconded.  Passed.

NEW BUSINESS:  Township Non-maintained Roads:  The Township Attorney with the MN Association of Townships, Kyle Hartnett, said that WilmaTownship retains the rights-of-way on all established township roads, even those that have not been used as township roads or maintained for decades.  This means that these original roads remain open to the public, even if they are now just trails or snowmobile trails, and they cannot be gated off or posted by any adjacent landowners.  Glen instructed Paul to write to James Doody, Eagle Head Road, and Eric Ternes, Mayfield Road, to ask them to remove gates blocking the old rights-of-way on their roads and tell them what the attorneys have said.

Summer Short Course:  Thursday, June 27, at the Black Bear Casino.  We have to pre-register.  Glen will drive, and Paul, Patrice, and Gary will be going.

Attorney Legal Seminar:  Our Township Attorney, Robert Ruppe’s law firm is hosting another free legal seminar.  They have two dates in Albertville, June 13 or Sept. 7, and one in Cotton, October 5.  Both Mike and Paul have attended these seminars, and Mike said they have good information and we should send a representative.  The attorney will give us legal help free during the seminar; last year he read and reviewed our new road ordinance and made some helpful adjustments and recommendations.

Treasurer’s Report and Claims:  Patrice gave the Treasurer’s Report (attached).  Bills were presented:

Mn. Township Agency (Comprehensive Plan)  $ 1,605.00

M-R Sign Company                                                707.08

Pine CountyAssessor (Special Assessments)                   375.00

The Evergreen                                                           10.13

Patrice Winfield (expenses)                                       16.40

Paul Raymond (expenses)                                       155.27

Glen Williamson (expenses)                                      38.42

ECE                                                                          67.03

Ace Hardware                                                             6.99

Mike McCullen                                                        124.67

Mark Pallow                                                           326.69

Glen Williamson                                                     151.45

Gary Vink                                                               252.57

Paul Raymond                                                        197.63

Patrice Winfield                                                        93.28

Total Bills                                 $      4,130.61

Mike moved to approve the report, pay  the claims, and to transfer $4,000 from savings into checking.  Gary seconded.  Gary moved that the meeting be adjourned.  Mike seconded.  Meeting adjourned 9 p.m.

—Paul Raymond, Clerk

ROAD REPORT SUMMARY, MAY 22, 2013

admin Road Inspection

ROAD REPORT SUMMARY, MAY 22, 2013  

CROOKED LAKE ROAD:  Culvert ¼ mile down on west side washed out. Road Manager should consult with Summerland  to determine best way to repair.  (They ditched the road before and after the driveway and may have ditched too deep). Water washed over the drive and eroded the ditch with a steep drop-off.  Board thinks the ditch will need rip-rap and fill to bring it to a safe angle.  May cost a few thousand dollars to repair.

One mile south there is a soft spot from frost boils.  Need to pull the gravel from the sides of the road to fill and build crown.

1 and ½ mile south a low area is very soft.  Needs two load of class 5 gravel, per board and Jason Palme.

Board recommends grading and reshaping the road all the way to the end, and routine blading, and scraping the gravel from the edges back on the road.

EAGLE HEAD ROAD:  Need a load of gravel at the beginning, by the dead-end sign.  Board recommended one load of gravel at the end of the road also, where it is soft.  Routine blading.

VINK ROAD:  Remove fallen tree in right-of-way.  Board wants to research cost of hiring hydro-ax to brush township roads with a lot of small brush and trees in the right-of-way, which will help roads dry out.  Gary said we should send James Doody a certified letter saying someone who entered his property at the end of the road did some damage to the road, and to cite the statutes about road damage liabilities.  Routine blading.

DOLLAR LAKE ROAD:  Soft at the beginning, and greasy.  Board said blade it; may need some gravel.  Glen suggested Mark take a chainsaw with on the grader to take care of dropped trees or trees over the roads or too close to the roads.  Routine blading.

NORTH DUNCAN ROAD:  Garbage and sofa dumped in county right of way at entrance to Duncan.  Clerk should write to county highway dept. and report it.  Normal grading recommended.  Jim Bredesen apparently did some ditching and tore up the ditch and removed some of the road gravel.  1 ¼ mile up needs one load class 5.  Need load at 1.7 miles north.  2-3 loads of gravel needed before the hill.  Grade berm to enable drainage.  Two culverts that were intended for N. Duncan road went on the Pete Anderson Road and will need two culverts.  We have $700 left from the agreement to build up and repair North Duncan Road still to spend.

SOUTH DUNCAN ROAD:   Big puddle about .1 mile south.  Gary said to wait until road dries out and bring gravel from the sides of the road.  Routine blading.

SCHMEDEKE LANE EXTENSION:  Waiting for Eldon’s report.  Board said that the county will need to put some pit-run at the bend in the road at the extension to straighten it out more, and needs to be ditched.  The entire extension is built up with pit-run gravel, and needs a layer of 6” of class five gravel to bring it to our township specs.  Very good bed built up.  The big culvert is not reinforced properly, with logs across it. The whole thing could give way in a heavy rain.  Board says it will need to be rocked up and bouldered  with rip rap on both sides to support it, and then needs to be sloped and seeded.  Culvert already full of debris.  The county asked the fire department to blow out the debris with the fire truck.

FUST LANE:  Routine blading.

LANGSTROM ROAD:  Markville’s  year.

PETE ANDERSON ROAD:  Markville’s year; there is a tree in the road.

HELLER DRIVE:  Routine blading.

MC CULLEN DRIVE:  Routine blading.

TAMARACK PINE DRIVE:  Routine blading.

MAYFIELD ROAD:  1.2 miles at culvert still needs the FEMA Hazard Mitigation repair; rip-rap on sides by culvert.  Gravel: load of pit-run over the rip-rap.  Routine blading.

LITTLE TAMARACK LAKE ROAD:  Two loads pit-run and one load class five at curve before the landing (.3 mile).  1 load class five at the entrance to the landing.  .7 mile tree over road.

SHORT ROAD:  Blade when dry.

LOST RIVER ROAD:  Routine blading.

RIVER CABIN ROAD:  Normal grading.

MONA DRIVE:  A lot of logging equipment on Mike Scott’s land.    Keep an eye out for logging or hauling activities.

KENNY PETERSON ROAD:  Routine blading.

MC DERMOTT CREEK BRIDGE:  Clerk need to write county to ask for railings or barrier to prevent cars dropping off sides of culvert-bridge.