Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of August 2, 2010
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 2nd day of August, 2010 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 610 Fillmore Street.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Bryon Alstead, Jul Feuling, Joel Dahlheimer and Roger Thalman. Also present were Gregg Raisanen, Clerk, and Mona Billmark, Treasurer. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Thalman at 6:00 p.m.
Alstead, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
Feuling, seconded by Alstead, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 7/19/2010 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Alstead, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 10200 – 10211 in the amount of $13,990.00, net payroll $2,686.05, totaling $16,676.05 and to authorize a transfer from savings into checking of $16,000.00. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: None
PLANNING AND ZONING: Eastgate final plat approval. Dennis Conn and Rod Eldevik of Eldevik Land Surveying, were present to discuss final plat approval for Eastgate, First Supplemental CIC Plat. The preliminary plat expired as of April 7, 2009. The associated building permit expired December 2009. The deadline for final plat approval is one year. Mr. Conn is requesting the town to allow him to complete the final plat without repeating the preliminary plat process. Zoning Administrator Oleson said that from a planning perspective, there would be no value in requiring Mr. Conn to repeat the process; however, the town does have an ordinance in place and timelines should be honored. He stated that the planning commission recommended a reduced fee of $300.00, which would cover the cost of another public hearing. Mr. Conn said the reason he did not meet the deadline is due to economic hardship.
Supervisor Ross joined the meeting.
Oleson stated that the Eastgate plat is two years, three months past the original preliminary plat approval, and one year three months past the extension. By ordinance, the town has the authority to extend the timeline. Motion by Alstead, seconded by Feuling, to follow the recommendation of the planning commission with the reduced fee of $300.00 and require the applicant to re-file the preliminary plat and planned unit development applications. Motion approved unanimously.
Interim Use Application. Zoning Administrator Oleson stated that the planning commission recommended approval with conditions of the interim use permit application for Randy Thompson, parcel location of 2611 Liberty Road. The application is to allow the raising of farm animals/livestock, specifically up to two horses, in an urban residential district. The horses would be pastured on approximately 3.75 – 4 acres out of an 11.5 acre parcel. Motion by Alstead, seconded by Feuling, to approve the Thompson interim use permit application with the five conditions as outlined in the staff report. Motion carried unanimously.
Conditional Use Permit violation. One of the conditions for Dun-Rite Auto, owned by Donnie Froemming, was to install an 8-foot fence for screening by June 1, 2010. A 6-foot wooden fence with vertical slats was installed. Zoning Administrator Oleson spoke with the owner about the option of either raising the fence by 2 feet, leaving a gap at the bottom, or using lattice on the top. The owner prefers the lattice option, citing he does not want a gap at the bottom of the fence due to security reasons. Motion by Alstead, seconded by Dahlheimer, to table the issue thereby allowing the board an opportunity to view the property. Motion carried.
Two of the planning commissioners attended the Douglas County open house regarding the county’s comprehensive plan. The planning commission felt the town should be pro-active and track the county’s progress on their plan. The commission has requested the zoning administrator to provide updates each month.
The planning commission should have a recommendation regarding home occupations in the next few months.
Board consensus is to have any changes to previous approvals be heard before the planning commission first. Zoning complaints that have been previously considered by Douglas County, and then considered resolved, are to be handled on a case-by-case basis.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: Rain gardens. Jason Rauk of 3110 Pinewood Lane was present to discuss the installation of a rain garden on his property. He said the town presently has a loose policy which states the town may mow approximately six feet into the ditch from the road surface. Mr. Rauk would like to see a written policy, stipulating the types of vegetation that can be used, the heights allowed, etc. He is proposing leaving a 6 – foot rim at the edge of the road surface. Engineer Kuhn stated that the town would not be responsible to replace the rain garden IF the town needed access to the right-of-way. Supervisor Feuling stated that the town needs to be consistent in its policy; i.e. not making a list of properties that are/are not to be mowed. Supervisor Ross proposed forming a committee to draft a policy. The committee would consist of one/two board members and Mr. Rauk. The town board directed Supervisors Dahlheimer and Ross to meet with Mr. Rauk and bring a recommendation to Engineer Kuhn. Engineer Kuhn will present a draft policy to the town for consideration.
Engineer Kuhn stated that Kurt St has been paved and is nearing completion. The patching project is still ongoing. He also stated that a landowner had contacted Supervisor Dahlheimer about water backing up on one side of Brackin Road. The landowner asked if there was an existing centerline culvert. Engineer Kuhn looked historically on USGS maps which show contours and elevations. Prior to the road being built, it appears water was evenly disbursed. With that in mind, a culvert would function as an equalizer. The town board authorized Engineer Kuhn to contact the townships road maintenance contractor to proceed with the installation of a culvert.
NEW BUSINESS: LeHomme Dieu Beach funding – Supervisor Alstead reported that there was enough money to maintain the beach for another week, at $125/day for lifeguards. The township has been requested to cover the overage for an additional week. Motion by Ross, seconded by Alstead, to approve an increase in funding, up to $2,000.00, to extend lifeguard services at LeHomme Dieu Beach until August 15, 2010. Motion carried unanimously.
Primary election . Clerk Raisanen stated that a conflict occurred in securing Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for the primary election due to the election being moved to August. To resolve the conflict, the township will agree to pay, up to $450.00, for tent rental to accommodate the church’s programming needs for that day.
Being no further business Ross, seconded by Feuling, made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 7:55 PM.
Respectfully submitted….
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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2010
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Roger Thalman, Chairman