Crane Lake Township

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April 14 2026 Minutes

TOWN OF CRANE LAKE

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING

April 14, 2026

The April 14, 2026, Board of Supervisors’ Meeting was called to order by Chair Jeanne Shuck at 5:31PM at the Crane Lake Visitor Center with the Pledge of Allegiance recited by those in attendance including: VNP Acting-Superintendent Brian Harmon and VNP Program Manager Katherine Severson; Supervisors Scott Sanborn, Emily Schwanke & Jeanne Shuck; Treasurer Traci Bak; Visitor Center/Campground Manager Serena Swenson; Deputy-Clerk Jo Ann Pohlman; Clerk Cathy Truebenbach; and two members of the community.

 

BUSINESS

 

Additions to the Agenda: Monitor for the Clerk and Deputy-Clerk & Clerk Training Pay were added to New Business.

 

Chair Jeanne introduced VNP representatives Acting-Superintendent Brian Harmon and Program Manager Katherine Severson for an update on park affairs.  Mr. Harmon discussed updates that included that Jeff Quam will remain as Chief Park Ranger, with a new law enforcement ranger in Kab and another new ranger starting in May of this year.  The Dark Sky Program is growing in attendance and popularity.  The park will be replacing electric lines at Kettle Falls.   Ms. Severson reviewed the new exhibits and updates that will be coming to the Crane Lake Visitor Center.  The park will be working with the VNP Conservancy, who will be collaborating with the MN Science Museum.    The exhibits will be installed in two phases.  Ms. Severson asked for Board approval on the updates.  A motion was made by Scott, supported by Emily, to accept the Park’s design and Visitor Center changes presented by Ms. Severson as outlined in their Crane Lake Partnership Visitor Center Schematic Design. All voted in favor and the motion carried.  Ms. Severson will attend the next Board of Supervisors’ Meeting to provide further information.

 

Minutes – A motion was made by Scott, supported by Emily, to approve the minutes of the 3/10/26 Board of Supervisors’ Meeting.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report –The March Cash Balances were read, and the bills were presented as follows: Twp. General Fund –  $10,637.37 + $1,181.03 Payroll; Visitor Center Fund –  $12,500.00; and Visitor Center/Campground Fund –  $11,650.25 + $4,357.67 Payroll.  A motion was made by Emily, supported by Scott, to approve the Treasurer’s Report as read and the payment of bills.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.

Correspondence – 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/Campground:

Campground Manager Report and Resulting Board Action: Serena provided the following report:

Campground

  • Revenue
    • $26,759 net revenue
    • 101 Reservations
    • Overnight Dock Space- 7 for the season
      • Should we hold off on building more docks? (Board-Wait till need arises)
    • Add a pet- 37 for the season
  • Marketing
    • Emailed report from Good Sam to everyone.
    • Campaign is performing VERY well
  • Lawn Maintenance-
    • The person we had in mind didn’t work out.
      • Potentially need help with lawn mowing and maintenance
        • Might be difficult to have a set schedule for someone
        • Might not be able to mow the whole thing at once like we did last summer
      • Bob (camp host) said he would be willing to help
        • Work out some kind of compensation for Bob for additional hours….?

 

 

Crane Lake Meeting Minutes – April 14, 2026

 

 

VNP-Visitor Center/Campground:

Campground Manager Report and Resulting Board Action: (Cont.)

  • Last summer we paid them $2,000 at the end of the season. There will be a lot more to do this summer than last.
  • Dave said he would also be willing to help very part time
  • Another option would be to post something on Facebook
  • Seed Broadcaster
    • Scott’s Elite Spreader with Edgeguard- $127.99
      • Dual rotor technology provides unbeatable accuracy and a 6ft spread pattern for time savings.
      • Holds up to 20,000 sq. ft.
      • Never-flat tires to conquer any terrain
      • Ergonomic handle with smartphone holder
  • Agrifab 7 gallon- $119.00
    • Rust proof hopper and spreader plate increases product life, hefty pneumatic wheels
    • ¼ acre/ ~11,000 sq ft
  • Snap-shot pre-emergent-
    • For gravel RV pads and rocks
    • 50lb bag= ~$100
      • Lasts 6-8 months
    • More shelves for big mechanical room
      • Black Diamond Light-Duty Steel Shelving Unit with 5 Adjustable 36-Inch Shelves- $116
      • Each shelf has a weight capacity of 1,000 lbs
  • Last year we approved a monthly amount of $400 for custodial needs at the VC….do we need to approve that again in a new year?
  • Approval to spend what I NEED before the next meeting, please.
  • Little Storage Shed
    • Can we get away with a tarp again for this summer?
  • Lawn Mower/Ranger (Serena will research)
    • Getting them here
    • Oil changes/maintenance
  • Getting docks clean
    • Paul Tufte said they power washed theirs to get them clean
    • Need to borrow tons of hose and power washer, preferably gas so I don’t have to deal with extension cords
    • I don’t know how else to do it without putting chemicals in the lake
  • Other docks- (Board said to store them)
    • Ones in the water by Schucks and the ones still at their house
    • Sell them? How do I go about doing that?
    • Need to measure how long the sections are
    • (Electricity for docks and launching boats with RV’s was discussed)
  • Visitor Center
    • Updates from Kate Severson and Brian Harmon
    • Brownsfield Award Ceremony- April 23rd– (Serena plans to attend)
      • The event is put on by Minnesota Brownfields, a non-profit focused on education and opportunities to clean-up contaminated properties. This annual award event (called ReScape) gives out four awards in these categories: community impact, environmental impact, economic impact, and innovation. Due to the petroleum cleanup and vapor system installed at the visitor center, we submitted under the community impact category. If won, the Town of Crane Lake is the recipient

 

Crane Lake Meeting Minutes – April 14, 2026

 

 

VNP-Visitor Center/Campground:

Campground Manager Report and Resulting Board Action: (Cont.)

 

  • Volunteers arriving on May 12th or so. Thinking about being open the weekend of May 16th-might not have a lot of visitors but it would be a good chance for me to work with the volunteers and teach them about Crane Lake specifically

Board Action:  A motion was made by Scott, supported by Jeanne, to approve expenditure of up to $500 for spring purchases by Serena.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.  A motion was made by Scott, supported by Jeanne, to approve up to $400 per month for necessary custodial expenses.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.

Committee Report & Resulting Board Action: Gretchen  Janssen provided the following report:  Update on Appropriation grant:

The two EV charging stations we chose and a backup generator for the Visitor Center and Campground water system were approved and ordered by the County! The County also approved Ryan Fogelson’s proposals so we can hire him to do the install. The costs of all these will be covered by grant funds. The generator lead time is 9-12 weeks. The EV charging stations lead time is about 4 weeks.

Tent sites – S.E.H completed the engineering of the site grading and aggregate surfacing for the 5 tent sites to be added to the Campground. The County has contacted three vendors (Casper Construction, KGM, and Rutchasky Enterprises) and has posted the job to their website. This is advertised for three weeks with a bid opening date set for April 29. There will be another contract to sign with SEH for construction administration if one of these vendors bids on this job. The engineers are estimating bids to be around $77,500.

Update on IRRR grant:

Lenci was hired to complete construction of the shower house floor and groundwork. Scott has agreed to be the main contact from the Town to oversee this project so he can provide updates on this job going forward.

Invoices to approve by Board:

S.E.H 505140 Tent site design $1567.78 (pd by County, Appropriation grant)

S.E.H 502972 Redesign Showerhouse $2000.00 (pd by IRRRB)

S.E.H 504364 Redesign Showerhouse $7375.00 (pd by IRRRB)

S.E.H 505909 Redesign Showerhouse $3125.00 (pd by IRRRB)

Timberjay Bids Showerhouse $316.92 (pd by IRRRB)

S.E.H 505948 Tent site advertisement $5005.90 (pd by County, Appropriation grant)

Lake Country Power New Service $750.00

 

Invoices to pay / checks to sign:

S.E.H $12,500.00 for shower house redesign and bid advertisement.

Timberjay $316.92

(These will be paid once the IRRR has reimbursed this amount to the Town)

 

Board Action: A motion was made by Jeanne, supported by Emily, to approve the above invoices totaling $20,140.60.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.  A motion was made by Scott, supported by Emily, to approve signature of the Agreement made as of March 18, 2026, between the Town of Crane Lake and Lenci Enterprises Inc. for the Campground Restroom Building amounting to $298,000.00   All voted in favor and the motion carried.

 

DNR Public Water Access: There was no report.

Community Action Plan: There was no report.

 

 NEW BUSINESS

Deputy-Clerk Appointment:  Clerk Cathy selected Jo Ann Pohlman to be her Deputy-Clerk.

ZOOM Account Renewal – Motion by Jeanne, supported by Scott, to renew the ZOOM Account for $169.90.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.

Early Tax Distribution Request:  The Board declined early tax distribution

Town Flowers:The Board agreed to continue with the flower basket program.

Crane Lake Meeting Minutes – April 14, 2026

 

 

Visitor Center Admin Fee to Township:  A motion was made by Scott, supported by Emily, to approve an Administrative payment from the Visitor Center Fund to the General Fund to increase monthly salary for the Clerk and Treasurer by $200.00/per month each.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.

Monitor Purchase:  A motion was made by Jeanne, supported by Scott, to approve purchase of a monitor for the Clerk’s office for a fee not to exceed $250.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.

Clerk Training Pay:  A motion was made by Scott, supported by Jeanne, to approve payment to the Clerk and Deputy-Clerk for Clerk training at $20/per hour.  All voted in favor and the motion carried

 

 

 

Other New Business: There was none.

 

Comments from Officers: Emily said she would be attending the MN Assoc. of TWP’s New Officer Spring Short Course in Duluth.

 

Public Comments: There were none.

 

Next Meeting:       Board of Appeal Meeting, 4/23/26, 3-4PM, Visitor Center

Board of Supervisors’ Meeting, 5/12/26, 6:00PM, Visitor Center

 

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:30pm.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Cathy Truebenbach, Clerk                                                                                                 Jeanne Shuck, Chair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.