All posts by admin

Snowplowing

NOTICE WILMA TOWNSHIP SNOWPLOWING

NOTICE
WILMA TOWNSHIP
SNOWPLOWING

2018-19 snowplowing fees due by Nov. 7, 2018

$75/season; driveways over 700 ft.: $100.    Driveways 1,000′ up to ½ mile:  $175

Driveways over ½ mile:  $350

 Special plowing $100/hr.

Full-time residents only. Must have turnaround space.  No closed gates.

Wilma Township not liable for inadvertent damages while plowing private drives.   Checks payable to “Wilma Township.”  Mail to Patrice Winfield, 53346 Tamarack River Road, Markville, MN 55072, or bring to Nov. 7 Board Meeting.

Paul Raymond, clerk

Board Minutes, Treasurer's Report, Uncategorized

WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018

WILMA TOWNSHIP  BOARD OF   SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018

          Chairman Glen Williamson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the

Pledge of Allegiance.  Also present Supervisors Mike McCullen and Gary Vink, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond,  Grader Operator Alden Shute, and Pat Story.

          CLERK’S REPORT:  Paul read the record of the August Board Meeting. One correction on Little Tamarack Lake Road by Alden.  Gary moved to approve; Mike seconded.

          ROAD REPORT:   Alden said the roads are pretty much all done before winter. Crooked Lake Road:  Summerland was putting more gravel down today. Schmekeke Lane: It’s still too wet for them to put down a base of rock on this road.  He wants to put down 6 – 8 loads of pit run and then allow the base to settle before adding more gravel.       Alden gave Paul the range-line road report for Crooked Lake Road for billing.  He ordered a cutting edge for the grader.  

          Looking Ahead for Roads:  Alden said he wants to have a long term plan for future work on our roads. River Cabin Road and Mona Drive haven’t had new gravel since we adopted these roads.  Much of the original gravel has been pounded in and worn off by use of the road. He wants to re-gravel the 3,000 feet of River Cabin Road, estimating 36 – 38 loads of gravel for this at $200 per load, aproximately $7,600. We adopted this road 20 years ago in 1996 or 97.  Then in the future he’d like to do the same for Mona Drive, estimating 50 loads.  North Duncan Road:  This road needs a culvert replaced with a larger culvert and two new culverts installed. Road Brushing:  Rootkey did brushing on most roads; Alden would like to schedule brushing every 2 – 3 years.  Pat said that Lost River Road needs brushing; the sumac is getting large. Glen asked Alden to put his future road work and brushing proposal in writing for the board.

          Road Signs:  Todd Lindstrom, R.O.W. Mgr. For Pine Co. Public Works replaced the Pete Anderson Rd. sign.  They also replaced the dead end sign at Mayfield Rd. they have reflector signs and Alden will get some for a drop-off on Schmedeke Lane. The Supervisors said to get extras in case we need them.                 

            New Fence-line by Hall:   Duane Glienke moved his fence-line about a dozen feet closer to the hall.  Paul spoke with him, and he will not move it back, but he has no grievance with the township.  He said he is open to trading part of our park for the acre between the store and the hall. We own the front 17 acres free and clear, and the back 20 acres under conditional use. Per Cathy Clemmer: “The property is under a Conditional Use Deed until such time as the township doesn’t use the property for the public park and picnic grounds purpose.  If the township changes the use, the deed would become null and void and would require a new application for either fee title (free and clear) or another public use.” We understand that he owns the land on the east side of the hall, and he and his father and grandfather had always allowed us to use this land.  Mike said the barbed-wire is actually touching the fire department water tank opening, which could cause injuries when opening it.  He said we need to be able to plow out the tank area so fire trucks can access the water in the winter, and the fence makes it much harder. Alden said he can’t plow out the tank area with the fence there. Paul asked the town’s attorneys, Couri and Ruppe, if the town could exercise eminent domain to gain possession of some of the boundary land, but they said that is a long and complicated process and will definitely make the town a formidable enemy. Mike instructed Paul to research how we can change our conditional use deed into an ownership deed so we actually own the park.

          Road Signs:  Todd Lindstrom, R.O.W. Mgr. For Pine Co. Public Works replaced the Pete Anderson Rd.  sign.  They also replaced the dead end sign at Mayfield Rd. they have reflector signs and Alden will get some for a drop-off on Schmedeke Lane. The Supervisors said to get extras in case we need them.

            OLD BUSINESS: Town Hall upgrade: Drilling Electric has almost completed their work at an estimate of $5,500 and brought electricity and lights and heat to the outhouse.  New 100 AMP service load center with trenching, stage lighting and stage riser outlets. Pat said the board needs to decide what they want to do for the future; a new town hall?  Fully insulating and heating the present hall? Building a new town hall? There was much discussion about our hall, and what we see for the future.                           Outhouse Insulation: Mike said he could insulate the outhouse as a town employee so we don’t have to get a contractor with a million dollars of insurance. Mark Pallow put pressed-board walls in the outhouse without insulation, but the roof is open.  Mike can put a false ceiling in and insulate above it, which should keep it warmer. Glen moved to have Mike do the work and put a new door handle so we can lock the outhouse to keep people from leaving the heater on or dumping RV’s into our holding tank. Gary seconded. Paul’s pumping just pumped it out again.

          Insulate Hall:   Mike said they went up into the attic and there is no insulation up there at all.  He knows a contractor, John of Up North Insulation, who can put down a fly-repellent insulation: 6” deep for an R2 value insulation for $1,250, or 12” for a R42 value at $1,750. They could also spray the exterior of the building with a fly repellant insecticide for $162. Glen moved to hire Up North to put down 12” of insulation to repel flies and keep the building warmer.  Gary seconded.  Passed.

          Stage Area:  Pat has some thoughts to continue the improvements:  Replace the saw horses and various tops in the stage cooking area with Menards unfinished oak base cabinets and install Hard Vinyl Floor squares. Costs: Base Cabinets, unfinished Oak  $757.99. Misc. Base trim & filler, oak $80.00 Vinyl Hard Flooring squares $220.00. Formica Resin counter top with Splash back. $185.00. Discussion on best floor to put down; tile would require a plywood base.  Glen moved to have Mike sand the stage area and then seal and poly it.  Gary seconded; passed.  Paul can help Mike move the grills and piano while he sands half of the stage at a time. Mike said the fire department can get big utility carts for the grills so we can move them easily. The fire department will get rubber mats for the floor so those making pancakes can stand for hours.  Pat said drilling will replace the cord on the electric grill.

           Roof Leak:  Apparently there is still a leak, but very slight. Clay Heller said the size of the pipe may be much bigger than what is required. This could also have an effect of causing condensation which will drip in the hall also.  

          Pressure wash and Bug Bombs:  Paul pressure-washed the hall and outhouse, and set off bug bombs and vacuumed up thousands of dead flies and cleaned up all the sawdust and debris left by the electricians, plus put out pest strips.

          Unemployment Charges:   Paul talked with township attorneys Couri and Ruppe to ask if they would represent Wilma in an appeal of our unemployment charges for a township employee who is never unemployed by us but works year around, but who collects unemployment from another job in the winter.  They charge us, too. They said unemployment law is complicated and difficult to appeal.  They had to pay unemployment insurance for an paralegal who resigned voluntarily because of her next job.

          NEW BUSINESS:   County Township Officers’ Meeting:  Will be Saturday, October 27, at the American Legion in Hinckley, 9 am – noon.

          Wilma Fall Fest:   Will be Saturday, October 20, 6 pm. at the town hall.  We will have a karaoke DJ. instead of the Procrastinators who couldn’t play that date this year. Glen asked for help to get prizes.

          Snowplowing Fees:  Will be due by November board meeting, November 7. Paul will publish and post this.

           Treasurer’s Report and Claims:  Patrice gave the Treasurer’s Report (attached to record); Total bills for October $7,408.71, requiring a transfer of $7,500.

Wilma Township Treasurer’s Report

          Gary moved to adjourn; Mike seconded.  Meeting adjourned 9:45 p.m.

Report by Paul Raymond____________________________________

Attest:  GlenWilliamson, Chair________________________________

Board Minutes, Treasurer's Report

WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Chairman Glen Williamson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the

Pledge of Allegiance. Also present Supervisors Mike McCullen and Gary Vink, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond, Grader Operator Alden Shute, and Pat Story.

New Fence-line by Hall: Duane Glienke moved his fence-line about a dozen feet closer to the hall. We understand that he owns this land, but no one knows why he moved the fence since he and his father had always allowed us to use this land. Mike said the barbed-wire is actually touching the fire department water tank opening, which could cause injuries when opening it. He said we need to be able to plow out the tank area so fire trucks can access the water in the winter, and the fence makes it much harder. Glen moved to ask Paul to write to Duane and ask why he moved the fence without notifying the township. Mike seconded. Passed. Mike said in worst case the town could exercise eminent domain to gain possession of some of the boundary land, but we don’t want to do that.

CLERK’S REPORT: Paul read the record of the August Board Meeting. Gary moved to approve; Mike seconded.

ROAD REPORT: Dollar Lake Road: 6 loads of red-rock put down. McCullen Drive: Culvert installed; 8 yards regular gravel and 6 yards rock, and then 2 loads of red rock. Pat asked why Alden was using rushed red rock on McCullen Drive and Dollar Lake Road? Alden and Mike said it is an experiment, to see if that holds up better than class 5. Tamarack Pine Dr: 2 loads of gravel spread. North Duncan Road: 12 loads of pit run, leveled and bladed; two culverts installed; 18 yards of class 5 spread and graded. South Duncan Road: 3 loads class 5, leveled and graded. Little Tamarack Lake Road: Alden built up a base for the ruts with Hopkins putting down 1 load of minus-5” rock and then put 3 loads of regular Class Five over that. He dug out and they put in 5 loads of rock covered by 3 loads of class 5 gravel. River Cabin Road: 6 loads class 5, 3 on the road and 3 on the cul-de-sac, shaped and bladed. Lost River Road: 1 load class 5 on cul-de-sac. Alden will continue to work on building up the crown and shaping the road and creating a drain at the cul-de-sac. Mona Drive: 1 load class 5, leveled and shaped. Pete Anderson Road. Hopkins ditched 4/10 of a mile on both sides. 1 1/2” x 4′ trees were removed and pushed back along with spoil. Crooked Lake Road: Summerland installed two culverts and put down 20 loads of pit-run, and all gravel was leveled. Alden spoke with Danforth Chair Jeff Shute and he said Danforth was willing to pay up to $10,000 to get that road upgraded, which would be $20,000 total. He already has spent $3,000 on the culverts and gravel. Alden recommended that we put 10 – 15 loads of gravel north of Jason Palme’s place, and 20 – 30 loads south of it, spending $10,000 total for the road, $5,000 per town. Mike moved that Alden do this; Gary seconded; passed. Schmekeke Lane: Alden was able to get more of the extension smoothed out and graded and Hopkins came back with a cat and finished shaping the extension. Langstrom Lane: Someone in Arna Township put a load of gravel on the road but didn’t level it or spread it. Dennis had Mike check it out and that very evening Alden went out and leveled and bladed it. Mike told Dennis that this was a favor since this year is Arna’s year for maintenance, and it was their gravel. Alden gave Paul the range-line road report for Crooked Lake and Eagle Head Roads for billing. Brushing Roads: Rootkie will do the brushing on our roads.

Town Hall Parking Lot: Alden had said that he could put down 3 – 4 loads of crushed granite over the parking area, but he doesn’t think it will stick to the present base as there are rocks sticking up. He recommended either doing a complete job or none at all.

Road Maintenance Written Schedule: Pat Story had said he wanted to see a written schedule for road work and a written policy on how the town maintains roads and deals with vegetation, etc. Pat found a written guideline for Road Maintenance, by Duane Blanca that he said would fit our current requirements and also become the written record to protect the board. Copies were printed for board and committee. He was asked what risk he was talking about. Pat said if two vehicles met on a narrow road and one went into the ditch we could be sued. Mike said the county had an incident where a rock on a county road punctured someone’s oil pan and they said they were not liable and would not pay, and they show little concern about the very serious drop off on McKeen creek that we have warned them about but only put reflectors up. As road authority, the county and township are immune from lawsuits if they keep their roads inspected and maintained regularly in good faith. Glen said we are a small town and can’t meet the standards of a big city with their huge budgets, but we do our very best to have the best and safest roads within our capabilities.

Policy Statement on Road Maintenance: Gary and Alden wrote up a policy statement on road maintenance and schedules:

“The goal of the Wilma Town Board is to keep all roads passable. This is not always possible, especially in the spring. The goal is also to blade monthly. This also is not always feasible as it can be too dry or too wet, which is not conducive to effective blading and becomes a waste of taxpayer money. In lieu of not being able to blade roads monthly, the road manager will inspect all roads monthly to assess any conditions that have arisen to deal with. After severe storms, the road manager or alternate shall also inspect roads for downed trees and other damages or hazards and take appropriate measures. Snowplowing shall be done when snowfall exceeds 3 – 4 inches. All roads shall be completed in one direction before moving on to the other direction. The first direction traveled shall be what we feel are the most vulnerable residents, elderly or handicapped. Everything in this plan is subject to change dictated by weather or natural disaster.” Alden Shute and Gary Vink.

Road Signs: Todd Lindstrom, R.O.W. Mgr. For Pine Co. Public Works says, “We can replace the Pete Anderson Rd  sign. I will get this on our next sign order so it will take a while.” They will also replace the dead end sign at Mayfield Rd. Someone snapped it off and destroyed it.

OLD BUSINESS: Town Hall upgrade: Alden and Pat are on the committee to upgrade the town hall with better insulation and heating and heating in the outhouse. Pat got an estimate of $13,925 to insulate the hall. To add heating and plumbing and septic would add more, plus the electrical system would need to be redone. Pat also says the foundation needs repair. Pat had the electrical inspector out and he said we need to upgrade our wiring. He had an estimate from Drilling Electric for $5,500 to redo our electric and bring electricity to the outhouse. He also said we can’t put the dishwater out on the lawn at our pancake breakfasts but have to put a pipe to our tank. He said if we don’t do that, he will report the town to the MPCA. Pat said the board needs to decide what they want to do for the future; a new town hall? Fully insulating and heating the present hall? Building a new town hall? Mike said that for the few nights every year that we need heat, we could turn the heat on sooner so the hall is warmer. If anything, we could insulate the outhouse and put heating out there. Patrice said she does not want the outhouse insulated or heated for her. Mike asked if he could do the work as a town employee so we don’t have to get a contractor with a million dollars of insurance. Glen said yes.

Roof Leak: Clay Heller, Jr. said that he sealed around the chimney and roof area and put a cap on the pipe. He said that sometime in the future we may have to get a new pipe as ours is getting rusted. He said the size of that pipe may be much bigger than what is required. This could also get an effect causing condensation which will drip in the hall also. After the big rains we have had lately, there was some dripping on Patrice’s chair.

Pete Anderson Road Bridge Legal Billing: Kennedy and Graven have agreed to reduce their bill of $1,979 to $300 for Kyle Hartnett’s work on the bridge and right-of-way issue. Mike Goetz has promised to pay the township back. Patrice couldn’t cut a check tonight but will next month. Goetz was out of town so hasn’t sent the $300 yet.

NEW BUSINESS: Fire Department Annual Fee: Mike moved that the town pay the $4,500 annual fee for fire service; Gary seconded, passed.

2019 Assessment Contract: Bob Brewster sent a contract: 284 non-exempt parcels @ $6.50/each, total $1,846.00. Glen moved to approve the contract; Mike seconded; passed.

Anderson Acres Road Name Change: Steve Menth has asked us to request a name change to Menth Lane. Glen said many of our road names, like Anderson Acres Drive, have a history behind them and reflect our heritage and those who built our town, so we can’t change road names when new people move on to a road without negating this part of our history. Mike said an even bigger issue is that the 911 System is programmed in to the dispatch and Sheriff’s office and would be complicated to ask them to make a change like this and he said the town will not change any road names as it makes it too complicated for the 911 system.

Couri Ruppe Legal Seminar: RUTLEDGE CITY HALL, Saturday, September 8, 2018, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Will cover “How to bid a road project; High speed internet grants; Motion vs. resolution vs. ordinance; How to cleanup junk properties. Plus answers to any and all legal questions you may have. Everything you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask.” We can prepare any legal questions for free legal advice. Mike said Paul should ask about obtaining land for the township by eminent domain. Also, would they take up an appeal to the MN Unemployment Insurance for them forcing us to pay unemployment to an employee who is employed year around?

Land Sale Auction: Mike said the county is having a land sale but they didn’t notify us as they do when there are parcels in our township. Glen checked the land sales web site and said there is a parcel on Schmedeke Lane that will be offered for sale, but that one was approved awhile ago.

Treasurer’s Report and Claims: Patrice said she ordered new checks and window envelopes to mail them. The treasurer’s report will be posted on the website. Her computer started an automatic upgrade without her asking it to which lasted all through the meeting, so she was unable to do the payroll or total the bills. The chair and clerk signed some blank checks, #4035 to 4042, so she can print them when the upgrade ends.

090518WilmaTownshipTreasuresReport

Gary moved to adjourn; Mike seconded. Meeting adjourned 9:45 p.m.

Report by Paul Raymond____________________________________

Attest: GlenWilliamson, Chair________________________________