Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of 10-01-2007
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 1st Day of October 2007 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 610 Fillmore Street.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Bryon Alstead, Joel Dahlheimer, Jim Casper, Louis Ross, and Roger Thalman. Also present were Clerk Gregg Raisanen and Mona Billmark, Treasurer. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Thalman at 7:30 PM.
Alstead, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to adopt the agenda with the addition of designation of representatives to the County Water Planning Task Force and the Flood Board. Motion carried unanimously.
Ross, seconded by Casper, made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 17, 2007 regular board meeting with a correction on a passed motion being not unanimous. Motion carried unanimously.
Ross seconded by Casper, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 7311-7322 in the amount of $31.548.02 and net payroll in the amount of $3,275.65 for a total of $34,823.67 and to authorize the transfer of $20,000.00 from the savings into the checking account. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN CONCERNS: The board discussed the cleanup of the public access to Lake Burgen. In the past, the road maintenance contractor has removed debris on a complaint basis when the township was notified of any garbage. Dahlheimer, seconded by Alstead, made a motion to have the road maintenance contractor to check the Burgen Access on a twice a month basis during the summer months. Motion carried unanimously.
Rod Eldevik reported that he is expecting an increase of water going onto his property as a result of the rebuilding of Queens Road. He indicated that the centerline culvert under Queens Road near his property has been buried for more than 30 years and now that the culvert has been replaced, drainage from the south side of the road will flow to the north onto his property. He is concerned about the increase in drainage onto his property.
PLANNNING AND ZONING: The board considered the Conditional Use Permit submitted by Martin Gay to allow the removal of 50-60 yd3 of material and regrade in a shoreline area. The planning commission recommended approval of the permit with four conditions. Ross, seconded by Alstead, made a motion to approve the Conditional Use Permit for Martin Gay to allow removal and regarding of a shoreline area with the 4 conditions as recommended by the Planning Commission. Motion carried unanimously.
Attorney Michelle Clark reported back to the board her findings regarding the Zunker Junkyard. She indicated that there is a case where a junkyard was required to remove all junk within a certain time frame after the zoning jurisdiction changed from the County to a City, which is similar to the Zunker Junkyard. She reported that the township does have the enforcement authority to enforce the township’s ordinances. She also indicated that the township could proceed with a timeframe for removal or since the violation have occurred prior to the township assuming zoning authority to require that no additional junk be added. She also reported that if the township proceeds with enforcement, the township would have to treat all similar properties the same. The board requested that Attorney Clark meet with County Attorney Karpen to get all of the previous history of the junkyard and report back to the board.
Two bids submitted for road maintenance services were opened. Canyon Contracting bid the following amounts: Removal of snow with a motor grader $63.50/hr., removal of snow with a truck with plow, wing and sander $63.50/hr., Grading of roads with a motor grader $63.50/hr., Misc. maintenance $28.90/hr., Mowing of road ditches $44.90/hr., Spraying of weeds $54.90/hr., and Sweeping of road $48.90/hr. Alden Just Road Maintenance bid the following amounts: Removal of snow with a motor grader $70.00/hr., removal of snow with a truck with plow, wing and sander $70.00/hr., Grading of roads with a motor grader $64.00/hr., Misc. maintenance $30.00/hr., Mowing of road ditches $50.00/hr., Spraying of weeds $56.00/hr., and Sweeping of road $52.00/hr.
Zoning Administrator Oleson presented information regarding the final plat of East Gate CIC. He indicated that the 33 ft. easement that was a condition of the plat would be recorded. In addition, the language in the declaration pages meets the requirements of the conditions that were outlined by the planning commission. Ross, seconded by Alstead, made a motion to approval the Final Plat of Eastgate CIC since the conditions have been satisfied. Motion for: Ross, Alstead, Casper, Dahlheimer, Thalman. Motion against: None. Motion carried unanimously.
Zoning Administrator Oleson reported that Attorney Kristen Carr provided her opinion regarding the preliminary plat for Gavins Point. She reported that the township could require the applicant to begin the process over since the one-year time frame has been expired or the township could allow the applicant to proceed with the original plan and grant a one-year extension. Ross, seconded by Casper, made a motion to require the owner of Gavin’s Pt. to start over with a new preliminary plat application whenever they begin to proceed with the project. Motion carried unanimously.
The board discussed the Eldevik drainage issue again. Mr. Eldevik wants assurance from the township that the new culvert will not cause additional drainage issues on his property. Engineer Kuhn reported that the new culvert was placed at the same elevation as the old culvert. The board directed Engineer Kuhn to work with Mr. Eldevik to determine a possible solution.
Zoning Administrator Oleson recommended that the Zoning subcommittee meet to discuss any possible changes to the zoning and subdivision ordinances prior to the public hearing to consider adoption of permanent ordinances.
Clerk Raisanen reported that he had received a proposed contract from the City of Alexandria for building code inspection services and that the township is required to name their building inspector to the State of Minnesota. The board will consider these at the next meeting.
Zoning Administrator Oleson will submit a proposal by CGI for zoning administration services for the board’s consideration at the next meeting.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: Engineer Kuhn reported that all the class 5 has been hauled onto Queens Road so therefore the paving could be completed by the end of the week. Clerk Raisanen will notify Attorney Haseman to prepare a schedule for an assessment hearing.
Engineer Kuhn reported that he had made some minor changes to the road standards and the board will consider adoption at the next meeting.
Engineer Kuhn reported that he has been trying to obtain easements for the Whispering Oaks drainage project. He also reported that the work that was directed on the Van Zomeren property had been completed. Also the section of Shadow Lane that was dug up should be paved by the end of the week.
NEW BUSINESS: The board considered the road maintenance bids. Clerk Raisanen made the recommendation to not consider any action on this until more information could be gathered regarding Canyon Contracting as a responsive bidder. Alstead, seconded by Casper, made a motion to extend the current road maintenance contract with Alden Just Road Maintenance for one month to allow time to gather additional information on the current bids submitted for services. Motion carried unanimously. Clerk Raisanen and Supervisor Dahlheimer will meet with Canyon Contracting.
Ross, seconded by Alstead, made a motion to appoint Supervisor Dahlheimer to the Flood Board. Motion carried unanimously.
Being no further business, Ross, seconded by Casper, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 9:30PM.
Respectfully Submitted….. Approved this _____ day of________, 2007
_______________________________ ______________________________
Gregg Raisanen, Clerk Roger Thalman, Chairman