9/21/22 Minutes
TOWN OF CRANE LAKE
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING
September 21, 2022
The September 21, 2022, Board of Supervisors’ Meeting was called to order by Vice-Chairman Jim Janssen at 7:31PM at the Crane Lake Chapel Fellowship Hall with the Pledge of Allegiance recited by those in attendance including Supervisors Brandon Anderson & Jim Janssen; Treasurer Traci Bak; Clerk Jo Ann Pohlman; and four members of the community (including Zoom). Supervisor Jerry Pohlman was absent.
BUSINESS
Additions to the Agenda: There were none.
Minutes – A motion was made by Brandon, supported by Jim, to approve the minutes of the 8/16/22 Board of Supervisors’ Meeting. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report –The August Cash Balances were read, and the bills were presented as follows: Costin Group – $1,250.00; Debora Scott – $203.50; Jill Crain – $170.50; Shirley Sanborn – $159.50; St. Louis County Auditor – $1,453.70; Jeff Truebenbach – $1,100.00; Ty Shuck – $325.00 (to be voided and re-billed); CLVTB – $7,926.62; MPCA-$2,625.00; Johnson, Killen & Seiler – $6,161.14; and Payroll – $1,012.38. A motion was made by Brandon, supported by Jim, to approve the Treasurer’s Report as read and the payment of bills. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
The Clerk presented the correspondence. The correspondence was received and will be placed on file and acted upon as required.
OLD BUSINESS
VNP-Visitor Center/Campsite:
Committee Report & Resulting Board Action: Gretchen Janssen provided the following report: There are two invoices for approval this month (see spreadsheet) both from S.E.H. Each invoice represents 90% of the final design phase for the Visitor Center and the Campground. ARI is asking for approval of expenditures related to the Visitor Center over and above our existing contract. In the 44-page agreement with the LCCMR, there was a requirement that for buildings, the MN Dept of Administration must approve design plans before they go out to bid. This was unexpected at the time of creating our original contract, so ARI has determined the amount of time required on their part and is proposing an additional agreement in the amount of $15,000 for the Town to sign (these funds would be covered by the grant money). Details were emailed to the board today. The committee recommends signing, but pushing back on “Not Included in Scope of Services: • Revisions to existing construction documents if required per predesign report”. ARI expects this to take three weeks to complete. There were no updates from VNP this month. The LCCMR formally accepted the planned dissolution of the CIC in a meeting August 30th. Roy Christensen, Jeff Anderson, and Jim Janssen were present at this meeting to answer LCCMR committee questions. Concerns were raised about the MPCA actions, so the LCCMR will require another update in December, but the CIC can now officially be dissolved according to the terms set forth by our attorney. The MPCA has awarded a bid (through Braun) for cleanup to begin mid to late October. The work is estimated to take about a week to complete. (There is the potential that a follow-up treatment round may be needed 3 to 4 weeks after the initial round and would take 2 to 3 days to complete). After that they will be sampling the wells through the winter and into spring. S.E.H held internal meetings regarding the Town’s costs associated with this effort. They will be submitting an application on our behalf through the MN DEED program, due Nov 1. If we receive this grant, it will require a 25% match, but it can be used to cover bills associated with the petroleum cleanup including the vapor barrier being planned for the Visitor Center. They believe we have a good chance to qualify as we are outside of the Twin Cities, the contamination was not our fault, and we are enrolled in the Brownsfield program. Work continues on the website and logo development. The Crane Lake Visitor and Tourism Bureau was asked to start designing community signage/exhibits for the exterior wing of the Visitor Center. Currently the priority is to have ARI complete the pre-design report as requested by the LCCMR. Then the State Department of Administration will have to approve it, which will take some time. The County has suggested we put both projects out for bid in January (for Spring 2023 construction), so we are all operating under that goal. S.E.H is still working on permitting both projects.
Crane Lake Meeting Minutes – September 21, 2022
VNP-Visitor Center/Campsite:
Committee Report & Resulting Board Action (Cont.)
Action Items:
- Approval of engineering expenses totaling $36,620. A motion was made by Jim, supported by Brandon, to approve the monthly invoices amounting to $36,620.00. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
- Approval/Amendment of ARI’s agreement for additional work as required by the LCCMR. A motion was made by Jim, supported by Brandon, to approve an additional $15,000.00 lump sum fee for ARI for completion and submission of a full predesign report defined by the State of MN; and review of existing plans and specs to confirm they are meeting the State of MN requirements as per requirements set forth by the Dept. of Admin. and directed by LCCMR. Jim requested that a letter be included inquiring about what would be done should the LCCMR require changes. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
- Approval of MPCA/Brownsfield program expenses (Jo Ann has those invoices). These were approved with bill approval and payment during the Treasurer’s Report. The Township is applying for grant funds for these expenses.
Bayside Drive Upgrade: Concerns received by Bayside Drive resident Corey Klinefelter were addressed by Jim and others to Corey’s satisfaction. Conversations were held with Bayside Drive resident Tim McGuire resulting in his satisfaction. Other planned conversations will be held with the Nielands, Jim McKie, and Caroline Coggan prior to the October 10th Hearing.
ATV Report: The group continues to work on the trails. The fall trail ride, scheduled for October 1st, was discussed at the September meeting. The trail beyond Voyagaire is being repaired.
Trails Report: There was no report.
American Rescue Plan Act Fund: There was nothing new.
CIC: The LCCMR has approved the CIC changes made by Attorney Roy Christensen. The Board has not reviewed the CIC changes. Jim will discuss with the attorney what is needed for Board approval of the changes.
Flooding: The Township has applied to FEMA for a grant for Township expenses related to the flooding. Information has been received and will be posted at the Post Office regarding U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest loans. This is available for Individual Property Owners as well as Businesses.
NEW BUSINESS – There was none.
Other New Business: There was none.
Comments from Officers: Jim thanked everyone that attended the meeting.
Public Comments: There was none.
Next Meeting: Bayside Drive Hearing – October 10, 2022 – 2:00PM, Fellowship Hall
Board of Supervisors’ Meeting – October 11, 2022 – 5:30PM, Fellowship Hall
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:10PM.
Jo Ann Pohlman, Clerk Jim Janssen, Vice-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.
