Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of October 20, 2025
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 20th day of October, 2025 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 324 Broadway and via teleconference.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Jeff Oberg, 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.
Oberg, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
Oberg, seconded by Butz, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 10/06/2025 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 25197 – 25207 in the amount of $27.874.76 and a transfer of funds from savings of $17,000. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: None
PLANNING AND ZONING: The board reviewed the preliminary plat application submitted by Judy & Daniel Tetrick. The applicants are proposing to split a 1.40 acre parcel into two residential lots. The property address is 2611 Le Homme Dieu Heights NE. Zoning Administrator Oleson reported the planning commission recommended approval with seven conditions. Oberg, seconded by Butz, made a motion to approve the preliminary plat of Le Homme Dieu Heights First Addition to include the seven conditions outlined in the staff report and to add an 8th condition as follows: That the new sewer stub be located on the south side of the property. Roll: Oberg – yes, Butz – yes, Dahlheimer – yes, Eldevik – yes. Motion carried.
The Board reviewed an application from John Amundson for an interim use request to allow a home occupation in a Residential Shoreland zoning district. If approved, the applicant would be allowed to operate a physical therapy business out of a detached residential accessory building. Services provided would include physical therapy along with wellness and personal training consults. The proposal suggested the possibility of 2-3 person group fitness classes and a proposed sign for the front of the building.
Oleson stated the planning commission recommended approval of the request with 15 conditions. He noted the planning commission’s vote was three to two in favor. Oleson presented the Board with a petition consisting of 15 signatures requesting the Board deny the interim use request for operating a commercial business providing physical therapy treatments, wellness and personal training in a residential area. Copies of three emails were presented to the Board from residents that were in favor of approving the interim use request.
Amundson described the business as a minimal number of patients in any given day and they would be by appointment. Amundson suggested the petition with 15 signatures was based on incorrect information. He stated he is licensed to provide physical therapy and wellness/personal training consults.
Oleson highlighted certain parts of the application request, which included a lack of a restroom facility in the building and that the business area was not ADA compliant in some features.
Oberg stated he had received numerous calls from residents living along the road south of the 30th Avenue intersection. Residents were concerned with the additional traffic and did not believe a medical treatment facility fits the intended nature of a residential neighborhood on a lake. Oberg stated he shares their concern, especially with regard to the additional traffic. Oberg stated his additional concern that the allowance of certain home occupations within a residential shoreline district was not intended to include a medical service with scheduled appointments. Oberg suggested a licensed medical treatment facility such as the one Mr. Amundson describes should be located in a business district zoned for that use.
Dahlheimer requested Oleson confirm the zoning district. Oleson confirmed it was residential shoreline zone. Dahlheimer suggested that this road is a dead-end road and the business would bring traffic onto a road never anticipated to be a business destination. Dahlheimer stated the board’s responsibility is to everyone in the township and needs to take into consideration the possible negative impact on the residents living along this road.
After additional Board discussion, Oberg, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to deny the interim use request based on the impact on the neighborhood, and the nature of the business being inconsistent with a residential shoreline district. Roll: Oberg – yes, Butz – yes, Dahlheimer – yes, Eldevik – yes. Motion carried.
Engineer’s Report: Eldevik requested that Clerk Meuwissen determine the appropriate steps necessary for the township to take over a private road.
Old Business: Ronna Berghoff and Craig Steidl were present representing the City of Carlos. Their purpose is to justify and explain the City of Carlos’s request that the township share a portion of the cost to maintain a first responder service. Berghoff stated the township has been part of their coverage area since at least 1980. They could not find any records supporting how the portion of the township North of County Road 73 NE was originally determined. Steidl gave examples of the type of responses they cover and their costs. Steidl explained the interaction with 911 dispatch, the ambulance service located in the City of Alexandria, and the Carlos First Responders.
Clerk Meuwissen stated the shared cost is for operational costs only and does not include the cost of any buildings. There was Board consensus that access to the first responder service in the agreed-upon service area was valuable and could have a significant difference in the outcome of a medical emergency.
Eldevik asked how the cost share was determined. Berghoff described the calculation, which considers a mix of the township’s share based on fair market value of properties and the township’s share of the total responses. The township is asked to share a calculated portion of half of the total budget to operate both the volunteer fire department and first responder service. Clerk Meuwissen stated he believed the percentage calculation was a reasonable approximation of the fair share, but admitted it was complex and could fluctuate year to year. Meuwissen suggested the current invoice of $6,157 for the 2025 year is fair and should be paid. He also suggested, if both parties agreed, that the 2026 cost should be set equal to the budget projection Steidl communicated in March for the amount of $6,500.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to agree to sharing the cost of the Carlos First Responders in the amount of $6,157 for 2025 and $6,500 for 2026. Roll: Oberg – yes, Butz – yes, Dahlheimer – yes, Eldevik – yes. Motion carried.
Being no further business, Chairman Eldevik adjourned the meeting at 7:04 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
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Mark Meuwissen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2025
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Rod Eldevik, Chairman