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________________________________