Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of May 21, 2018
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors/Board of Adjustment meeting of Alexandria Township was held on the 21st day of May, 2018 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 324 Broadway.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Jeff Oberg, Joel Dahlheimer, Rod Eldevik, Linda Dokken-McFann and Jerry Wright. 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 Eldevik at 6:00 p.m.
Chairman Eldevik recessed the regular meeting to open the public hearing for the Board of Adjustment meeting at 6:02 p.m.
Zoning Administrator Oleson presented a variance request from Shawn Fridgen for a new garage addition to an existing house which would allow for two 10 foot wide garage doors and a service door. The applicant prefers two 10’ doors over a large single door. An existing garage and deck on the north side would be removed and replaced with a larger new 36×40 foot garage. The current garage structure is approximately 110 feet from the centerline of Douglas County Road 9. The new structure would extend further north, requiring a 4 foot variance from the minimum road setback of 100 feet in a Rural Residential area. The side yard setbacks are met, the proposal is within the allowable building coverage of 25% (8.6% is proposed) and in other respects meets township requirements.
The applicant stated a reason for the new garage is to equip it for handicap accessibility, as he has a son-in-law who is disabled.
Supervisor Dahlheimer asked if the county had any objections. Oleson replied none.
Chair Eldevik asked if there were any comments from other sources, to which Oleson replied none.
Supervisor Oberg asked about the rationale behind the 100’ setback. Oleson replied it was two-fold: 1) for safety, and 2) it gives the county some latitude in the event they chose to expand the road into multiple lanes.
Supervisor Wright asked if there were a possibility of the proposed bypass moving to the east. Dahlheimer responded in all likelihood, no.
Hearing no comments from the public, Chair Eldevik closed the public hearing at 6:08 p.m. and reconvened the regular meeting.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Wright, made a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Dokken-McFann, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 5/7/2018 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Dokken-McFann, seconded by Wright, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 18102 – 18107 in the amount of $12,084.48, EFTPS $1,214.96 totaling $13,299.44 and a transfer of funds from savings of $5,000.00. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: none
PLANNING AND ZONING: Chairman Eldevik asked for further discussion of the variance request of Shawn Fridgen, which was to allow a structure 96 feet from the county road centerline. Wright, seconded by Dokken-McFann, made a motion to approve the variance request allowing a 4-foot variance from the minimum road setback of 100 feet with no conditions. Motion carried unanimously.
Oleson stated he will be setting up a meeting for the zoning subcommittee in the near future.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: Engineer Kuhn provided an update on the E. Lake Jessie Road project. Discussion ensued on whether to send out a notification letter to area landowners when the work was to commence. Dokken-McFann, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to authorize Engineer Kuhn to obtain quotes for the road repair.
Kuhn stated that the graveling should be started either this week or next and will be completed by the deadline of June 1st.
OLD BUSINESS: none
NEW BUSINESS: Engineer Kuhn provided an update on the repair work done on Liberty Road. He stated that the sinkholes were filled in and signs posted. Dokken-McFann, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to authorize Engineer Kuhn, after an appropriate observation time period, to solicit quotes for the patchwork on Liberty Road. Motion carried unanimously.
Supervisor Oberg reported he had received inquiries from residents along North Geneva Road about increasing the frequency of chloride application in their area. Consensus to have the administrative assistant draft a letter to the residents explaining the process and the costs incurred.
Being no further business, Dahlheimer, seconded by Dokken-McFann, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted….
______________________________________
Bonnie Fulghum, Deputy Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2018
_______________________________________
Rod Eldevik, Chairman