WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING,   DECEMBER 5, 2012 

          Chairman Glen Williamson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Also present were Supervisors Gary Vink and Mike McCullen, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond, and Eldon and Marg Schmedeke, Danforth Twp. Supervisor Jason Palme, and Subcontractor Rod Wilson.

Paul read the record of the November meeting.  Mike moved to approve; Gary seconded.

OLD BUSINESS:  Pete Anderson/Langstrom Roads Brush Cutting:  Gary checked the road and said Arna only cut brush on their side of the road.  We have a joint-road agreement with Arna, and no one from their board asked us if we wanted to pay half to get both sides of the roads brushed.  Eldon said he thought we should do it on our roads.

Fire Hall Repairs:  Rod Wilson replaced Ron Proffit’s original carpenters for the repair project.  He said he needs a skidster to life up the wall in order to remove and replace the blocks and put it back on the blocks. He will put a lateral brace on the wall to support it.  We told him how to connect Duane Glienke who has the skidster with a forklift.  Ron has the man-door for the SE door.  The board inspected and copied the spec drawings.  Mike said we need weather stripping around all the big fire hall

doors.  Rod said we may need to remove some of the siding to do the repairs.  One problem will be using concrete in the cold, but he can stabilize the blocks with caulk and shims and then do the concrete work when it warms up.  Rod said it could be winterized good.  Their estimate of the cost is around $2,000.  He hopes to start before Christmas.

Snowplowing:  Patrice gave the board a list of those who have signed up for snowplowing, and one for Mark.

Town Hall Back Door Lock:  Patrice fixed it.

Schmedeke Lane:  Eldon went to the County Commissioner’s meeting and asked them to go into closed session to discuss the Schmedeke Lane extension.  They said they could not do that for a private citizen on short notice, and he didn’t want the discussion to be public.  Eldon will be meeting with the Commissioners individually.  The concern is that the extension is not built up to county or township specs, and Wilma’s board does not want to adopt a road that is not finished.  Eldon had a one hour meeting with Glen on November 19 and Glen is supportive of Eldon’s efforts.   Mike said there is no top on the road; it is just pit run gravel.  We’ve never taken over a road by a developer that wasn’t built up to specs with ditches and class 5 gravel.  Gary asked when did Commissioner Chaffee ask us to take over the extension as a township road?  Glen said Chafee called him.  We wrote to Mark LeBrun and Steve Chaffee, and it’s now in the county’s hands.

North Duncan Road:  Paul researched all the gravel and grading and board meetings regarding building up North Duncan Road up by Bill Peno’s land.  He was able to document that we spent $6,358 on the road since Sept.  2009.  Glen moved that we send Mr. Peno a letter showing the work done but without copies of the invoices, and tell him that we intend to do the balance of the $7,000 budgeted next year, including the culverts.  The two culverts that were to go to that road went to the Pete Anderson Road instead.

Crooked Lake/Eagle Head Roads:  Danforth Twp. Supervisor Jason Palme brought payment for the 3 ½ hours of grading Mark did on Crooked Lake Road in August.  Jason said they question why it would take so much time to do only one mile of road?  Mike said this was after all the new gravel was put down, and it took time to shape and crown the road.  Jason said their board wants to know if Wilma would take over ownership of the range-line roads and sole responsibility and expense for the roads, and Wilma collect all of the gas tax.  Mike said the gas tax payment is minuscule compared to the cost of gravel and grading and maintenance.  The only full time residents on the road are in Danforth Township.  Glen asked if Danforth wants to take over all responsibilities and expenses and get all the gas tax money?  Mike said we can’t do that because we have to insure that the road is maintained properly and some of Danforth’s contractors don’t do it right, plus there is the danger of someone trying to gate the road off, like they tried once on Crooked Lake road and have done on another Danforth public road.  Mike said it’s a very nice road now, much better than it was before.  Jason said Mark still does not grade to the full width of the road, and brush could encroach on the road.

Joint Road Agreement:  Jason said the Danforth board rejects the road agreement we sent them in June.  This agreement arose out of Mike and Gary meeting with Danforth’s board on May 18.  In it, Wilma takes over all responsibility for the range-line roads, including beaver dam abatement, and will bill Danforth at a special rate of $100 per hour, divided by two.  Chairman Jeff Shute had agreed at our meeting that to get the road up to specks Wilma would take care of all the cat and grader and gravel work to build up the road.  Danforth would pay the full cat bill, and Wilma would pay for all the prep-grading before the gravel, and the two towns would split all the gravel/grading costs.  Gary moved that Jason take the agreement back to their board and have them rewrite it to their satisfaction, and then send their version back to us.  Glen seconded.                                                                     Bill for Joint Road Work:  Jason said that they have not received a bill for all the work done on Crooked Lake Road last summer.  Paul checked the claims.  Hopkins billed us $9,529 in July, and we never sent Danforth a claim.  As per the agreement with Jeff, Wilma will pay for all of Mark’s prep-grading, and Danforth will cover the cat bill:  $464.  We will split the gravel/grading bill:  $9,065.97 divided by 2: $4532.98 + 464 = $4996.98 total to Danforth.   Paul will write a claim to Danforth and send it.  Jason said all Danforth correspondence should go to their new PO Box 66, Sandstone.

Wilma Road Ordinance Signs:  We can get signs and posts for the six entrances to our township stating our road restrictions for about $100 each.  The county wanted $225 to put up a dead-end sign on Lost River Road. M-R Sign Company will make one for less than $100, including breakaway posts and hardware.  Paul wrote to Mark LeBrun telling him of our intention to post our restrictions on the county roads and asking for his feedback and the county specs for posting in their rights-of-way.  The board tabled ordering signs for now, until we hear from the county.  Gary questioned why we should put up a dead-end sign on Lost River Road.  Paul said Leighton Quinn said they’re getting a lot of non-local traffic.  Gary said a sign won’t stop them.

Township Computer:  Glen commended Patrice for making frequent backups because the computer had to be reloaded today and all the data would have been lost.  They were able to reformat it and reload all the Treasurer’s data.

Treasurer’s Report and Claims:   Patrice gave the Treasurer’s Report (attached).   Bills for December:

Patrice Winfield (expenses)               $          10.00

Pine Septic and Design                               265.00

Paul Raymond (expenses)                            10.00

Gary Vink                                                  122.18

Paul Raymond                                            205.68

Patrice Winfield                                          166.53

Glen Williamson                                           82.21

Mike McCullen                                             33.97

MATAT (Workers Comp Policy)               744.00

The Evergreen                                              51.00

ECE                                                              54.27

Total Bills                      $     1,744.84

Mike moved to pay all the claims, to approve the Treasurer’s Report, and to transfer $1,800 from savings to checking.  Gary seconded.  Gary moved to adjourn; Glen seconded.  Meeting adjourned at 9 p.m.

Paul Raymond, Clerk

WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING,   NOVEMBER 7, 2012 

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

Paul read the record of October’s meeting.  Gary moved to approve; Mike seconded.

OLD BUSINESS:  Duncan Road Repair:  Bill Peno called and wrote to Glen, saying “The work you promised on the Duncan Road in front of my property was not completed. The two culverts were not installed as promised, and the road from my SE corner to the 2^nd driveway beyond the corduroy was not graveled to match the rest of the Duncan Road south.”  Gary said we had agreed to budget $7,000 to build up the North Duncan Road, and he believes we spent the entire budget.  Mike said we never agreed that we would get the north section to match the road south of Peno’s.  Mike instructed Paul to research the funds expended on this project, including Hopkins gravel, and then to write to Mr. Peno that we spent the entire budget designated for this project, but that future expenditures will be considered.

Schmedeke Lane:  Eldon said he had requested that the township grade Schmedeke Lane because the County Board of Commissioners was going to visit the road.  Mark did grade it, and Eldon said he did a very good job, widening the road to its full 26’.  Eldon said he spent a lot of time picking out rocks because the grade is down to the solid ground, and the road needs class 5 gravel.  Four Commissioners showed up 3 days later.  Eldon asked for a copy of the letter to Steve Chafee regarding the Township taking over the Schmedeke Lane extension.

Snowplowing for 2012/2013 Season:  Ten people have signed up for snowplowing.  Patrice will make up a list for the grader.  Mike asked how we handle any requests after today’s deadline.  Patrice said if they are only a little late, she would accept them.  Mike said the people in the Schoolhouse next to the DNR said they wanted plowing and they have homesteaded their place, but he doesn’t have their phone number and they may not have seen the notice.  He will try to talk to them.  If someone wants to sign up after a big snowfall, they may be assessed late fees or denied.

Road Damage Notice:  Paul wrote a short notice stating that Wilma will hold anyone damaging a township road liable for the repairs, including  a property tax levy.  He printed up 20 copies and sealed them in plastic sleeves so they can be left at offending properties.  Mark and Gary and Mike can put them wherever they see our roads being damaged and can identify which cabin or property is responsible.

Green Acres Appeals:  The State is slashing the Green Acres program, and asked the county township officers to notify people in their towns who are in danger of losing their Green Acre classification that they have until May 1 to appeal.  Alden Shute and Curt and Marlys Nelson in our town are on the list, and Paul will write them.

Pine County Township Officers’ Meeting:  Paul and Patrice attended, and Paul was acting Secretary/Treasurer for Glen, and took the record.  Sheriff Cole said the county may be getting more radios from the state.  The Cloverdale and Duxbury towers haven’t started construction, and he isn’t getting response from the state.  Essentia will start construction on the new hospital by March 2014 on a 50 acre campus behind Gateway Clinic.  They are already running water and sewer there.

Board of Equalization Certification:  Gary just got certified, and Glen’s will expire in 2013, so he will need to take it again for the 2014 Board of Audit.

Town Hall Back Door Lock:  Mike moved that Patrice fix the lock so it fits.  Gary seconded.

Fire Hall Repairs:  Ron Proffit’s carpenters will resume the work after hunting season.  Ron needed Duane Glienke’s phone number to borrow his hydraulic jack.  It’s not listed, but Gary said it is on the firewood signs on the corner.  Paul will get the number and call Ron.  Gary met twice with Ron Proffit and with his builders.  They will inspect the leak in the roof; they said it may just be popped rivets.

Fall Fest Report:  Toni said it was a great success, with plenty of food and a lot of prizes, and The Procrastinators washboard band.  People had a great time.  The band cost $300 and they spent an additional $27 for posters and supplies.  The cups and plates and silverware were donated by Glen and Toni, and all the labor before and after to clean and prepare the hall was donated.  Patrice got Denny and Stephanie Hansen’s address to mail their check: 42037 Duxbury Road.  Glen said Arlene Oslowski from the Casino was going to contact Mike about donating a hotel package to raffle off at the Fire Department raffle Saturday.

Mutual Aid Meeting at Town Hall:  Mike asked for the use of the Hall for the Fire Departments’/First Responders Mutual Aid Meeting Thursday, November 15.  Gary moved to approve; Glen seconded.

FEMA Funds Balance:  Mike gave Paul an invoice for the cleanup work that he can forward to Margaret Bergsrud at Homeland Security of Minnesota so we can get the $900 we are still owed by FEMA.

Road Report:  Gary said he and Mark drove out and inspected roads.  Summerland has been hauling gravel on North Duncan Road without notifying the township, and has damaged the road.  Glen asked Paul to write to Summerland Gravel and inform them of our 10 ton weight limit ordinance.

Park Falls Hardwoods Escrow:  Mark and Gary inspected Little Tamarack Lake Road and it is in good shape after Park Falls completed their logging.  Glen moved that we refund their $500 escrow, minus the inspections by Mark and Gary @ $18 = $36, total $464.  Mike seconded.

NEW BUSINESS:  Lost River Road, Dead End Signs:  Leighton Quinn said they are getting a lot of non-local traffic, and he asked if the town could put up a dead-end sign.  Paul wrote to Mark LeBrun to ask if the county handles these signs for township roads, and to let us know if there would be a charge to us.  Glen moved that we have a dead-end sign installed on Lost River Road, and authorized Paul to tell Mark LeBrun to go ahead.  Gary said the county has put up all our dead-end and stop signs, and even the minimum maintenance road signs.  Mike seconded.

Septic Permits:  The County Assessor has asked for a report on any septic permits we have issued in 2012.  Patrice said none so far.  Sometimes Gale doesn’t submit the forms until the end of the year.  Paul will call Gale and see if she has issued any permits, and report to the assessor.

Building Permits/Notifications:   Someone is building a big house on the Markville Road.  Glen said we should have some form of building notification so the town knows if someone is building, or even some form of zoning.  We are the only township locally who does not have a zoning ordinance.  Gary said Markville’s ordinance is very long and complicated, and a lot of residents resent it.  Paul asked why we would need to be notified of construction or building, as long as it is not septic related or within restricted water ways?  He said we once had a zoning committee, and Eldon drafted a zoning ordinance, but when the board rejected it he felt he had been wasting his time. Paul said he could get Glen the info on our zoning attempt.

Signs for our Weight Limit Ordinance:  We need to put signs on the county roads where they enter our township.  The board decided on the wording:  ROAD RESTRICTIONS.  PERMIT REQUIRED FOR OVER 10 TONS ON TOWNSHIP ROADS.  WILMA TOWNSHIP ORDINANCE.

Brush Cutter:  Eldon said Markville hired a hydro-ax brush cutter to cut brush on the side of their roads.  He said it did a very good job, and the board should consider hiring them for our roads.

Grant Workshop:  Glen said there is a workshop on Grants Training in Stillwater November 29-30.  The cost is $425.  Mike said Tracy Erickson in Markville has had a lot of experience on writing grant applications.

TREASURER’S REPORT AND CLAIMS:  Patrice gave the Treasurer’s Report (attached).  Bills and claims were presented:

Paul Raymond                                                     $        201.91

Mark Pallow                                                                    82.09

GaryVink                                                                       206.62

Mike McCullen                                                                59.44

Glen Williamson                                                              62.86

Patrice Winfield                                                             138.70

Park Falls Hardwoods (escrow refund)                         464.00

ECE                                                                                 53.87

Antoinette Williamson (Fall Fest expenses)                              27.95

Mark Pallow (mileage)                                                       5.55

Paul Raymond (election expenses and mileage)             317.49

Patrice Winfield (election; mileage; internet)                            178.58

Antoinette Williamson                                                   122.50

Security Life (Dental quarterly premium)                      391.32

Pine Co. Courier                                                              45.12

Duxbury Voluntary Fire Dept.                                             4,500.00

Barb Smith (election judging)                                         120.00 

Totals                                                $     7,278.00

Mike moved to approve the Treasurer’s Report and to pay all the claims, and to transfer $7,300 from savings into checking.  Gary seconded.  Passed.  Gary moved to adjourn; Mike seconded.  Meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.

Paul Raymond, Clerk

WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING,  OCT. 3, 2012

           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, Eldon and Marg Schmedeke and Joe Vink.

          CLERK’S REPORT:  Paul read the record of the September meeting.  Eldon said he had some corrections and clarifications of the record:  On Steve Chaffee’s claim that the county had put $30-40,000 into the Schmedeke Lane extension, Eldon said at most they paid $30,000.  The record says that Archie Schmidt helped Eldon survey Schmedeke Lane originally; in fact it was Joe Vink who surveyed it, with Eldon going behind him.  And when Eldon said he had paid almost $5,000 in taxes to the township, the actual figure is $4,994 in a 6-year period on the west half of his property. Gary moved that with these corrections and amendments, that the record be approved.  Mike seconded.

OLD BUSINESS:  Dump Truck:   Mike brought it into G&D Auto because Mark had a medical appt. andGary didn’t want to wait 3 hours.  Mike got a written checklist from Mitch, which said it has a strong motor and strong tranny, may need U-joints and some adjustment in the shift.  Denny Vork said he would ask $9,000 if he were selling it, and Mike said he paid $7,000 and only used it a few months.   Joe said he feels that if we’re going to get a truck, that we should get a larger one that could haul gravel as well.   Eldon said we paid so much for the plow that he couldn’t see the town spending another $6,000 for a truck when the plow does a good job on roads and private drives.  He is concerned that the truck may be used like a toy and end up parked at private residences.  He believes Mike could get more from a private sale than from the township.  Glen said if the town would buy it, the price should be the original offer of $5,000, not $6,000.  Mark said the positives would be getting drives plowed faster, but he didn’t think it was a good investment.  Patrice and Paul made observations about the truck doing less damage to drives.  Marg said the clerk and treasurer should not be allowed to speak under Robert’s Rules since they are paid employees.  Glen said he has freedom as Chairman to conduct meetings however the board wants, and they have decided to allow citizens the right to speak and have input into township issues, although by law they do not have to.  He is not bound by Robert’s Rules of Order.  Eldon said he hopes the board never tries to restrict speech by the public in our meetings and run them like dictators. Gary said we have no place to park the truck indoors, and he would rather this money be used to repair the fire hall from the grader and wind damage.  Joe said the hall heaved, which moved the center divider.  SinceGary did not make a motion to proceed, the matter died.

Legal Seminar Report:  Paul gave a summary of the topics at the legal seminar our attorney’s office held on Sept. 29.  He got two extra books for the supervisors, and made copies of the section on fire contracts for Patrice.  They had a lot of information on ordinances; we need to record our ordinance and publish a summary in the paper, and file it in the county law library.

Town Hall Addition:   Ron Proffit from Proffit Lumber is going to come out to see about a plan for an addition.  He can also check the fire hall damage and see what is needed for repairs.   Patrice said next Wednesday is not good for her, but she will check her schedule and let Paul know so they can set a time and date.  We will have Gary come to show the fire hall damage.

10-Ton Weight Limit Ordinance:  Robert Ruppe read the whole ordinance and background documents at the legal seminar for free.  He said we should strengthen the language of the need and objectives for the ordinance, but it was good. Gary said we need to make it clear that if the hauler does not send a representative for the road inspections before and after hauling, that our road manager can made decisions.  Paul will fix these issues for the final signed ordinance. Gary said we should wait to order signs.

Garysaid Sommerland has been hauling sand on theNorth Duncan Roadand they have damaged the road.  By law, anyone damaging a public township road is liable for any repairs caused by their damages.  Glen moved that Gary and Mark inspect the damages and write a bill.  Paul will send a copy of the ordinance with the bill.   Mike seconded.

Lost River Road Mail Delivery:  Paul made a formal request to Postmaster Renee Leaf for an extension of Kenny’s mail route to allow deliveries to the end of the road.  She said the USPS is not granting any extensions now. At the legal seminar Paul showed Engineer Shane Nelson a map of Lost River and Shane said they could make a turnaround for the deliveryman a little way past the entrance sign for Lost River Hideaway, and it could stay within our right-of-way, or they could get permission from the parcel owners on both sides of the road to widen the right-of-way.  No culverts would be required, and not much gravel.  Glen said we should wait until we get a decision from the USPS before we decide on the turnaround.

Back Door Lock:  Mark said he will get the lock fixed.  Paul made a copy of the key to replace his.

NEW BUSINESS:  Fall Fest:  Patrice and Toni and Glen are working on donations of prizes.  Glen is working on a casino package, and hoping to get a concert prize.  No band has been booked.  Patrice will try to contact Fran Levings to get bands that play at the art shows.  Glen said in worst case, he can DJ, or we can have Karaoke with Glen’s machine.  Toni made posters with the pot-luck part of the dinner emphasized.

Snowplowing:  The deadline is next meeting, November 7.  Paul will publish and post this.

Fire Contract:  Glen moved to approve the contract and to pay the Duxbury Volunteer Fire Department $4,500. Gary seconded.

County Township Officers’ Meeting:   Saturday, October 27.  Gigi asked that we come at 8:30 for the donuts.  Officers need to help set up chairs.  Glen can’t attend, but Paul will serve as treasurer and secretary.  Paul will propose that the County Officers send a delegate to the State MAT Conference in St. Cloud, and will volunteer Glen to go.

Road Damages:  Mike said that weekenders and some cabin owners are tearing up our roads.  He asked Paul to write a generic letter warning people that they are legally liable for damaging roads and that we can assess damages on their property taxes.  He can place the letters at their gates or at the cabins.  He said to state the Minnesota statutes that apply, like with Sommerland.

TREASURER’S REPORT AND BILLS:  Patrice gave the Treasurer’s Report (attached).  Claims were presented:

Patrice Winfield                                $        94.35

Glen Williamson                                         33.85

Mike McCullen                                           33.97

Paul Raymond                                           305.69

Gary Vink                                                  149.07

G&D Auto                                                 100.00

Paul Raymond (expenses)                          244.87

U.S.Treasury                                            362.52

Mike McCullen (mileage)                            19.80

ECE                                                            53.76

Patrice Winfield (expenses)                        10.00 

Total Bills:                              $    1,408.18

Gary moved to approve the report and to pay all the bills, and to transfer $1,400 from savings to checking.  Mike seconded.  Glen moved to adjourn the meeting; Gary seconded.  Meeting adjourned at 9 p.m.

Paul Raymond, Clerk