Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of November 17, 2025
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 17th day of November, 2025 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 324 Broadway and via teleconference.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Jerry Wright, Joel Dahlheimer, Rod Eldevik, and Dennis Butz. Also present were Mark Meuwissen, Clerk, and Bryon Alstead, Treasurer. As said members formed a quorum, the meeting was called to order by Chairman Eldevik at 6:00 p.m.
Wright, seconded by Butz, made a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
Wright, seconded by Butz, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 11/03/2025 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 25217 – 25222 in the amount of $13,297.57 and a transfer of funds from savings of $8,000. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: None
PLANNING AND ZONING: None
Engineer’s Report: Clerk Meuwissen opened a discussion to consider whether the Township should establish the current private road, Crestwood Ridge NE, located in the Gavin’s Point development, as a township road. Meuwissen stated a petition was received indicating the majority of parcel owners along this road are in favor of the Township’s taking over the road. Meuwissen outlined a series of steps the Township must follow to be in compliance with Minnesota Statute 146, noting the current petition would need to be redone to meet the criteria. Meuwissen said the statutes require the road meet Township standards before the Town can establish it as a township road. Meuwissen also stated parcel owners would be asked to pay for any road work needed to be performed to bring the road up to township standards.
Engineer Kuhn stated he has visited the site to consider what areas might need maintenance to bring the road into compliance, but he did not perform a thorough inspection process that would have an associated cost. Kuhn suggested, based on his limited visit of the road, the cost might be around $200,000 but cautioned this could vary significantly depending on results of a more thorough investigation.
The floor was turned over to Tom Pappenfus, who has been representing many of the parcel owners in their effort to have the Township assume ownership and all maintenance responsibilities for the road. Pappenfus suggested the original plat contained language designating and donating the road and right of way to public use. He suggests the Township’s approving the plat might have already transferred ownership to the Township. Chair Eldevik corrected Pappenfus, stating the road, when built, did not have inspections to assure road standards were met and the Town did not assume ownership of this private road. Dahlheimer and Engineer Kuhn both stated that the Township was pushed away by the developer and asked not to be involved with the road’s construction.
Pappenfus also mentioned the parcel owners are contributing township taxes toward road maintenance and aren’t getting a proportionate service in return. Pappenfus referred to an estimate prepared by Clerk Meuwissen. This estimate suggested, once all parcels are fully developed, that the potential township taxes collected could be around $38,400 per year. Meuwissen clarified it could be some time before all the houses are completed and included on the tax rolls. Meuwissen did agree that future taxes collected from this development would be a healthy contribution toward the costs of maintaining roads throughout the Township.
After further discussion, Meuwissen asked the Board if they have a willingness to establish Crestwood Ridge NE as a Township road. There was consensus that it would be in the best interest of the Township to take over the road once it is brought up to required standards.
Engineer Kuhn was asked to do a formal inspection of the road and determine an estimated cost to bring the road to a condition where the Township could take over the road. It was agreed the Township would cover the cost of the engineer’s inspection.
Motion by Dahlheimer, seconded by Wright, to authorize Engineer Kuhn to perform the necessary tests and compile a comprehensive estimate of the cost to bring the road to Township standards. Roll: Wright – yes, Butz – yes, Dahlheimer – yes, Eldevik – yes. Motion carried.
Further action is tabled until the Engineer completes the study.
Old Business: None
New Business: Meuwissen presented the Board with the Humane Society contract that is up for renewal. The new contract proposes $19,000 per year for two years. This represents a 3% increase over the current contract. Motion by Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, that the contract be renewed for two years at $19,000 per year. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Eldevik adjourned the meeting at 7:02 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
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Mark Meuwissen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2025
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Rod Eldevik, Chairman