June 20, 2022 minutes

Alexandria Township

Alexandria, Minnesota 56308

Minutes of the meeting of June 20, 2022

A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 20th day of June, 2022 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 324 Broadway and via teleconference.

ROLL CALL:  Supervisors present were Rod Eldevik, Dennis Butz, Joel Dahlheimer, Jeff Oberg, and Jerry Wright.  Also present were Gregg Raisanen, Clerk, with Mona Billmark, Treasurer by teleconference.  As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Eldevik at 6:00 p.m.

Oberg, seconded by Butz, made a motion to adopt the agenda as written.  Motion carried unanimously.

Wright, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 06/6/2022 regular board meeting as written.  Motion carried unanimously.

Butz, seconded by Wright, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 22108 – 22115 in the amount of $62,282.59, EFTPS $1,711.43, Net Payroll $1,162.08, totaling $65,156.10 and a transfer of $60,000.00 from savings into the checking account. Motion carried unanimously.

CITIZEN’S CONCERNS:  Approximately twelve residents from the South Lake Jessie Road neighborhood were present to express concern about the dirt bike track located in their neighborhood.  A petition signed by 46 individuals was presented to the board stating excessive noise was coming from the property due to the riding of dirt bikes and the construction equipment operation used on the property.  The petition outlines alleged violations of the Alexandria Township Zoning Ordinance including excavation without a permit.  Chairman Eldevik stated he and Clerk Raisanen had spoken to Doug Jasken, the owner of the property. Mr. Jasken said the track is not used commercially. He indicated the track is only used by relatives and a couple of his company employees.  Zoning Administrator Oleson reported that based on the information provided, he had determined there were no ordinance violations. Residents also expressed concern about shooting on the property.  This is a permitted use and is regulated by the Minnesota DNR.  Mr. Jasken stated he has inquired as to any ordinance violations and was not made aware of any.  He also said his intention is to ride one night/week in the summer.  He is willing to permit Board members onto his property to view the track and to allow the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department to measure the decibel reading while bikes are being ridden.  A viewing will be arranged with some board members in the future as well as coordination with the Sheriff’s department.

PLANNING AND ZONING:  Zoning Administrator Oleson reported he and Supervisor Wright  viewed Billy Dropik’s property.  Significant improvement has been made in the removal of vehicles from the property; however, approximately 12 remain.  Mr. Dropik told them he will be removing them soon.  The board was in consensus to have Mr. Oleson send Mr. Dropik a letter thanking him for coming into compliance with the court order and informing him they will be making another site visit in a couple weeks to ensure the other vehicles have been removed.  In addition, notice will be given that at any time additional vehicles are placed on the property in the future, they will be removed and placed into storage.

Zoning Administrator Oleson reported the conditions on the conditional use permit for Jeremy Olson for the cabinet shop located on Hazel Hill Road were not recorded correctly according to the meeting minutes.  A correction has been made and sent to the recorder’s office for correction.  In addition, the operator is exceeding the numbers of employees listed as a condition on the approved conditional use.  Mr. Olson will be invited to a future meeting.

ENGINEER’S REPORT:  Clerk Raisanen reported Engineer Kuhn recommended installation of a larger culvert under Donway Drive to correct the sinkhole that has occurred on the road surface.  Dahlheimer, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to authorize Engineer Kuhn to complete the design work for a new culvert under Donway Drive.  Motion carried unanimously.

OLD BUSINESS: None

NEW BUSINESS:  none

Being no further business, Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted….

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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk

Approved this ____ day of ________, 2022

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Rod Eldevik, Chairman