8/13/13 Minutes
TOWN OF CRANE LAKE
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING
August 13, 2013
The August 13, 2013 Board of Supervisors’ Meeting was called to order by Chairman Jerry Pohlman at 7:35PM at the Crane Lake Chapel Fellowship Hall with the Pledge of Allegiance recited by those in attendance including: Supervisors Butch Eggen, Jim Janssen and Jerry Pohlman, Treasurer Shannon Bibeau, Clerk Jo Ann Pohlman, and 11 members of the community.
BUSINESS
Additions to the Agenda: Planning Commission was added to Old Business
Minutes – A motion was made Jim, supported by Butch, to approve the minutes of the 7/9/2013 Board of Supervisors’ Meeting. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report – Shannon read the July Cash Balances and presented the bills as follows: Fryberger, Buchanan – $504.00; CL Sustainable Land Corp. – $800.00; CLVTB – $9,736.85 and Payroll – $530.74. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
The Clerk presented the correspondence. The correspondence was received as read and will be placed on file and acted upon as required.
OLD BUSINESS
Land Exchange/Community Property Project: Ruth L. Carlson reported the following: Ruth requested that the Board approve the letter to Frontier Communications from Fryberger, Buchanan transmitting a proposed Utility Easement from the Forest Service. We assume the final closing will be as predicted the last quarter of the year 2013. We have not received the easement for the hiking trail from the Forest Service. Dave Schmidt will research this issue. This easement will ensure the continuation of the trail to the Gorge. A motion was made by Jim, supported by Jerry, to approve the letter sent by Fryberger, Buchanan to Frontier Communications pursuing the lease and easement agreements related to the Land Exchange. Jim and Jerry voted in favor, Butch abstained and the motion carried.
CLWSD Report: There was no report.
Assessor Status Report: St. Louis County stated that the Township would have paid $10,700.42 for assessment services in 2013 had the Township contracted with them. The Township could budget for a similar figure for 2014 and would be billed after the fact. Jan Jackson’s contract for 2014 would be $8,400.00. A motion was made by Butch, supported by Jerry, to sign a one year agreement with Jan Jackson for assessment services ending June 30, 2014. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Jacque Eggen Memorial Fund: There was no update.
Crane Lake Road Repair: A motion was made by Jim, supported by Jerry, to send Butch’s draft letter to County Commissioner Forsman requesting escalation of their 2016 timeline for upgrades to County Road 23/24 due to the extremely poor condition of the road. All voted in favor and the motion carried. Butch will continue communication with Leiding and Portage Townships on combined efforts of the road repair.
Planning Commission: Ruth L. Carlson reported the following: Research on the process of how to form a planning and zoning commission for the Town of Crane Lake is provided by the MN Assoc. of Townships. A very informative bulletin for this purpose has been prepared and is available on the internet. The missal is 17 pages long and very user friendly, it covers all issues the Board would need to form a commission. Ruth recommended that each Board member research this bulletin to make an informed decision on the forming of the Planning Commission.
Town of Crane Lake Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Minutes – August 13, 2013
NEW BUSINESS
Sewer Service Expansions: The Board acknowledged the importance of the sewer expansions by the interest of the community members in attendance and its impact on the community. Jim stated that he felt the Township should participate more and make a point of remaining informed on this issue as well as other issues that may arise within the Township.
2014 Certified Town Aid: Crane Lake Township will receive 2014 Certified Town Aid in the amount of $2,994.00 in two equal payments. These payments are unrelated to Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) payments that the Township receives; however, State PILT payments that have been steadily decreasing should be increasing in 2014.
Couri & Ruppe Township Legal Seminar: A motion was made by Jerry, supported by Jim, to approve expenses for any Township officer attending the seminar on October 5th at the Cotton Town Hall. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Other New Business: There was none.
Comments from Officers: Jo Ann said it was good to see everyone at the meeting. Butch echoed the comment.
PUBLIC COMMENTS – Ruth L. Carlson understood from the previous meeting that the letter about road repair to Commission Forsman was to be signed by all township supervisors from Crane Lake, Portage and Leiding Townships. The Board discussed and decided the letter should be signed by the Crane Lake Township Chairman with similar letters being sent from each township.
Some of the public comments regarding the sewer expansion to Bear Island are as follows: Clarification of the appointment of CLWSD managers was requested. There was agreement that grant money should be applied for when available. They were happy to hear the St. Louis County representative state at the CLWSD Public Meeting that 21 of 28 cabins have up-to-date sewer systems. It was requested that the Town Board encourage the CLWSD Board to consider all options before making a decision on the form of expansion to the Island. The impression was that the District was sold a bill of goods by the engineer. Would the CLWSD consider having one non-resident on the Board? Individuals on the Island should verify that their own systems are compliant. Too much money is being spent on Bear Island when it could be spent elsewhere. Concern about weather extremes and power outages were brought up. Could weekend meetings be considered? More research should be done; citizens did not appreciate someone walking around the area and did not feel the engineer’s report was accurate. Two new systems would be going in on the Island next week. One family lives off the grid and has an outhouse; they should not be required to hook up to a sewer system. Communication has been lousy. Is it conceivable that the lost revenue from the recently closed RV Park is a reason to hook up Bear Island? Some citizens on Bear Island have considered going to the media. The majority of Bear Island property owners wish to work out a compromise and move forward for the community.
Next Meeting: Board of Supervisors Meeting, Sept. 10, 2013 – 7:30PM, Fellowship Hall
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40PM.
Jo Ann Pohlman, Clerk Jerry Pohlman, Chairman
This draft of the Crane Lake Township minutes has been posted solely for preliminary informational purposes. Minutes are unofficial and subject to change until they have been approved by the Crane Lake Board of Supervisors.
