Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of November 2, 2020
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 2nd day of November, 2020 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 324 Broadway and via teleconference.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present onsite were Jeff Oberg, Joel Dahlheimer, Rod Eldevik, Dennis Butz and Jerry Wright. Also present onsite was Gregg Raisanen, Clerk, with Mona Billmark, Treasurer, attending via teleconference. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Eldevik at 6:00 p.m.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Wright, made a motion to adopt the agenda with the addition of the solid waste public hearing under Planning and Zoning. Motion carried unanimously.
Wright, seconded by Butz, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 10/19/2020 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Wright, seconded by Butz, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 20183 – 20192 in the amount of $32,194.15, net payroll $3,577.56 totaling $35,771.71 with no transfer of funds from savings. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: none
PLANNING AND ZONING: Zoning Administrator Oleson reported the township had received an application submitted by Rose Shorma for the Preliminary Plat of 11th Addition to Lake Geneva Estates. The property is located along E. Lake Geneva Road NE. The proposal is to plat two existing parcels (one with lakeshore frontage) into a different configuration resulting in two lakeshore lots. All roads and sewer stubs are in place. The application meets the township’s zoning ordinance minimum requirements. The planning commission recommended approval with no conditions.
Chairman Eldevik commented it appears all setbacks are met and there is sufficient buildable area.
Supervisor Wright asked if the lots were, or would become, part of the Homeowners Association. Ms. Shorma responded that currently they are not. The intent is to have them included in the Association. She indicated they will not be classified as patio homes.
Supervisor Oberg mentioned his concern regarding clear-cutting of trees. Oleson said that would not be allowed if the town board adopts the new ordinance amendment for erosion and sediment control. Ms. Shorma commented that once the properties are in the Association, those matters would be regulated by Association rules; i.e. buildings, driveways, setbacks, etc.
Oberg asked if inclusion in the Association would be required. Ms. Shorma said she has the option to join. She is choosing to join as she feels it will be better for the neighborhood.
Wright, seconded by Butz, made a motion to accept the planning commission’s recommendation and approve the preliminary plat of 11th Addition to Lake Geneva Estates with no conditions. Motion carried unanimously.
Oleson reported that the township had received a conditional use application from Dennis Conn seeking permission to allow a 125 square foot electronic changeable copy sign in a Commercial-Rural (C-R) zoning district. The sign would be located in the northwest corner of his property. The properties to the north are zoned for commercial/industrial use but are primarily residential. To the west is mini storage and to the east is a truck facility. He noted that 1) a conditional use permit is required under our zoning ordinance for changeable copy signage with illumination; 2) our current ordinance allows electronic changeable copy signage up to 32 square feet without a variance; and 3) an item on the agenda is an amendment to the township sign ordinance that, if the board adopted, could impact the square footage discrepancy between what is currently allowed and what is being requested.
Oberg asked about the total square footage, noting the current allowed footage of 32 square feet. Oleson stressed that the conditional use request being considered is for the use only; i.e. the electronic portion, and not the size of the sign.
Oberg, seconded by Butz, made a motion to accept the planning commission’s recommendation and approve the conditional use permit request based upon the planning commission’s findings of fact and conditions of approval. Roll: Wright, Oberg, Dahlheimer, Butz, Eldevik – yes. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
Oberg, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to table action on the zoning and subdivision ordinance amendments citing the need for further review.
Consensus to table discussion on the upcoming public hearing on the designation of acceptable solid waste. Oleson to research for the next meeting.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: Clerk Raisanen reported that the township had received a request from the developers of the Geneva Estate East subdivision for street lights. He said that Engineer Kuhn has provided locations for 5 street lights to be installed. Raisanen reported that the cost would be around $1,500/light with fiberglass poles uninstalled and roughly about $10,000 total. In researching the poles, Kuhn stated that the cost differential between wood and fiberglass was not significant. Consensus to have the clerk obtain firm pricing for the next meeting.
OLD BUSINESS: Attorney Johnson reviewed a letter the township received from Billie Dropik’s attorney. Consensus to 1) have Johnson write a letter of acknowledgement; and 2) that no further action be taken until after the November 21st auction.
Clerk Raisanen reported he had received a notice and pictures from Gardonville that they have begun the installation of fiber. Consensus to have the clerk follow up with Gardonville.
The clerk made mention that the CARES funds, which the township was going to use to support the installation of broadband, need to be allocated by November 15th and not December 1st as originally perceived. Since the next board meeting is November 16th, after the deadline, the township board chose to make a motion to allocate funds for the project. Oberg, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to authorize payment of claim 20193 in the amount of $72,400.00 provided the contractor provided evidence of substantial completion of phase 1 and 2 of the project. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Eldevik reported that there were a number of snow removal violations in his area during the early snowfall with residents pushing snow across the road. It was noted that this type of incident was addressed in the newsletter as an illegal activity.
NEW BUSINESS: none
Being no further business, Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 7:16 p.m.
Respectfully submitted….
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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2020
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Rod Eldevik, Chairman