Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of 9-07-2005
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 7th day of September 2005.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Louis Ross, Jim Casper, Joel Dahlheimer, and Roger Thalman. 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 Thalman at 7:30 PM.
Ross, seconded by Casper, made a motion to adopt the agenda with the addition of discussion of water drainage along McKay Ave and zoning issues. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Casper, made a motion to approve the minutes of the August 15, 2005 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Ross, made a motion to authorize payment of the bills in the amount of $141,604.64 and to authorize the transfer of $120,000.00 from the savings into the checking account. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: Stacy Hoffman, Lake Park Ct., was present to discuss the water drainage issue flowing into Lake Victoria from the retention pond in Wilderness Ridge and Twilight Acres. The retention pond overflowed and the water flowed across E. Lake Victoria Rd. Engineer Kuhn reported that the retention pond was built prior to the township having any standards and it was not built to handle the volume of water that was received during the past two rain events. Engineer Kuhn reported that a possible fix to the problem would include rebuilding the pond or by constructing another pond maybe on the west side of E. Lake Victoria Rd., however, this would require the township obtaining easements and the cost may be large. Chairman Thalman indicated that in the past, legal counsel recommended that any drainage work should be paid for by the benefiting properties and not to assess the whole township for the costs of a drainage project unless township roads are being damaged. The board directed Engineer Kuhn to develop a recommended solution to the drainage issue and to have Clerk Raisanen consult with Attorney Haseman on the process of setting up a storm water district to assess costs.
Residents of Rosewood Lane-Melody Lane were present to discuss the drainage problem resulting from the Rosewood Estates PUD project. There have been 4 flooding events since the project began, resulting in soil erosion and flooding to adjoining property owners. The residents inquired if the developers/engineers could be held responsible for the damage as a result of this project. Chairman Thalman reported that this project fell under the authority of the Joint Planning Board which he and supervisor Casper are a part of. The Joint Planning Board has asked Engineer Kuhn to determine if the project has been constructed to plans and have also requested that the project engineer present a solution to the drainage problem to the Joint Planning Board by Friday, September 9, 2005.
Clerk Raisanen reported that he had been contacted by Randy and Marsha Sayre regarding drainage problems in their lot on E. Lake Geneva Rd. They indicated that they have lived at this vicinity for over twenty years and never had drainage problems until the past two years. Improvements have been made to the entrance of the centerline culvert under E. Lake Geneva Rd near their property; however, the outlet is partially blocked. There is no drainage easement for the water going to Lake Geneva on the other side of the road. Engineer Kuhn will investigate if it is possible to obtain a drainage easement from the property owners.
Residents located along McKay Ave. were present to discuss drainage issues along this road and the retention pond located within Wildflower Estates. The drainage from this area flows into the wetland on the west side of McKay Ave. which has no outlet, resulting in water backing up in residents’ yards on the east side of the road. Robin and Jennifer Holmquist reported that they have had water in their basement on August 22nd and September 2nd, and prior to the Wildflower Estates development, they never had water in their basement. They indicated that the retention pond level is higher than their basement floor and that it is located 47 feet from their home. Chairman Thalman reported that this development was approved by Douglas County and that Alexandria Township did not have any authority of approving or disapproving of this project. Clerk Raisanen indicated that the Township Engineer determined that the original retention pond was constructed smaller than the plans and the contractor made the required corrections to the size of the pond. The Board instructed Engineer Kuhn to contact County Engineer Robley to determine if there is any way to lower the level in the wetland on the west side of McKay Ave.
A resident along Melody Lane reported that the road maintenance contractor damaged some trees along his property during a pesticide application. The board requested that the landowner contact the township next spring after it was determined how many trees actually were dead.
A motion was made by Ross, seconded by Dahlheimer, to recess the meeting for 5 minutes. Motion carried. Mmeeting recessed at 8:55 PM.
Chairman Thalman reconvened the meeting.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: Engineer Kuhn reported that most of the items he had to report on could wait until the next board meeting.
OLD BUSINESS: The board directed Clerk Raisanen to proceed with the leasing of office space from WSN in the WSN building
NEW BUSINESS: Ben Oleson, Community Growth Institute, presented the board a summary of the results of the work done by the zoning subcommittee. The board discussed how to handle future recommendations from the subcommittee. It was decided for the present, all recommendations will be forwarded to the town board for their consideration and communicated with the planning commission. The committee made the following recommendations: Begin drafting specific language changes addressing drainage/storm water management, rough grading plans, road construction standards and inspection requirements; and to begin drafting language addressing concerns relating to PUDs. The committee also discussed implementation of any changes.
Clerk Raisanen reported that the road maintenance contract expires at the end of September and requested direction from the board into what method to use to secure a winter contract. The Board directed Clerk Raisanen to advertise for proposals for winter road maintenance.
Clerk Raisanen presented copies of the 2006 budget as approved by the budget subcommittee and also copies of the 2006 levy approved by the residents at the 2005 annual meeting. Ross, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to adopt the 2006 budget in the amount of $971,998 as presented. Motion carried unanimously. Clerk Raisanen will certify the levy amounts to the County Auditor.
Being no further business Ross, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 10:20 PM.
Respectfully Submitted….
Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this _____ day of _________, 2005
Roger Thalman, Chairman