Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of August 3, 2015
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 3rd day of August, 2015 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 324 Broadway.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Jul Feuling, Jeff Oberg, Joel Dahlheimer, Rod Eldevik and Russell Niskanen. Also present were Gregg Raisanen, Clerk, and Mona Billmark, Treasurer. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chair Feuling at 6:00 p.m.
Feuling, seconded by Niskanen, made a motion to adopt the agenda with the addition of the Neewana Beach Road project under Engineer’s Report and 2015 winter road maintenance contract under New Business. Motion carried unanimously.
Niskanen, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 07/20/2015 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 15153-15163 in the amount of $27,805.11, net payroll of $3,530.56 totaling $31,335.67 and a transfer of funds from savings in the amount of $31,000.00. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: Clerk Raisanen reported the township had been contacted by the Victoria Pines Homeowners Association regarding the possibility of installing a streetlight in the cul de sac at the end of Apache Lane. Township policy is to install lights at roadway intersections where two township roads intersect and at dangerous corners/curves. He also stated that the township does have a precedence of installing a streetlight at the end of a cul de sac; i.e. Whispering Oaks. The township removed the light after a few months due to complaints that the light would shine into bedrooms. Kathy Haug, 819 Apache Lane, said the homeowners association has obtained permission from all the people in the cul de sac to have the light installed. The association would also like to consider a fiberglass pole vs a wooden pole. Clerk Raisanen responded that the township’s normal protocol is to install a wooden pole. He noted that in the past developers have installed and paid for streetlights that are different than the standard issue.
Chair Feuling asked if lighting by the house or down the driveway would suffice. Ritchie Spindler, 851 Apache Lane, stated that a light on his house wouldn’t help. The street is very dark, especially with the pine tree cover. Lori Kehrwald, 875 Apache Lane, was in agreement, commenting that some of the driveways are very long. Other areas of concern noted by the association members were road areas in front of the Kehrwalds and at the intersection of Apache and Colorado. Feuling, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to table the streetlight issue so supervisors would have a chance to view the cul de sac and possible placement of the streetlght.
PLANNING AND ZONING: Zoning Administrator Oleson reported that Jeremy Tilleskjor, a/k/a Masters Plumbing, submitted a conditional use application for a lighted sign on their property located at 3446 State Highway 29 North. He noted the sign meets all height and size requirements. The planning commission recommended approval with two conditions. Supervisor Niskanen asked if it were to be an external lighted sign. Oleson responded affirmatively. Niskanen, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to approve installation of the lighted sign with the two conditions as outlined in the staff report. Motion carried unanimously.
Oleson reported that Kyle Thompson had submitted a conditional use application for a sign advertising a home daycare business located at 2503 Hazel Hill Road SE. He noted the planning commission had recommended approval with the condition that the existing sign be reduced in size to no more than 16 square feet or less within 45 days after the approval of the application by the town board. Dahlheimer, seconded by Eldevik, made a motion to approve the conditional use application with the condition stated above. Motion carried unanimously.
Oleson presented a draft copy of the Comprehensive Plan. He stated the planning commission is not completely done with the edits, but they have concluded with the policy sections. Chair Feuling indicated she would like to review the maps and tables once they are updated. She encouraged the board to review the plan edits before the next meeting and be prepared to discuss if necessary.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: Clerk Raisanen reported the township had received five bids for the Neewana Beach Road construction project. He stated Riley Bros. submitted the apparent low bid at $179,879 and the highest bid was $293,165. The amount for the culvert came in at $56K and he noted it was close to the engineer’s estimate of 58K. Clerk Raisanen will secure Mr. Thompson’s signature guaranteeing his payment for part of the construction cost before the next meeting and will also obtain an easement from Jerry Rutten.
OLD BUSINESS: Clerk Raisanen reported the township attorney had sent a letter to Mr. Zunker requesting a meeting to discuss the cleanup of his scrapyard. The attorney also indicated October would be the earliest court date that could be secured.
NEW BUSINESS: Clerk Raisanen reported our summer road maintenance contract expires September 30, 2015. Dahlheimer, seconded by Niskanen, made a motion to authorize the clerk to advertise for quotes for winter road maintenance. Motion carried unanimously.
Being no further business, Dahlheimer, seconded by Eldevik, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 6:53 p.m..
Respectfully submitted….
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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2015
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Jul Feuling, Chair