Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of September 9, 2020
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 9th day of September, 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. Mona Billmark, Treasurer, attended via teleconference. As said members formed a quorum and 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 with the addition of meeting dates and newsletter under New Business. Motion carried unanimously.
Wright, seconded by Butz, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 08/17/20 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 20142-20152 in the amount of $33,659.35, net payroll $5,058.41 totaling $38,717.76 and a transfer of funds from savings of $34,000.00. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: Chairman Eldevik reported that residents in the Golden Gate area had inquired about the township assuming responsibility for private water systems.
PLANNING AND ZONING: Clerk Raisanen reported that Scott Thompson had submitted a preliminary plat for Tenth Addition to Lake Geneva Estates, which would convert an existing outlot into a one-lot residential plat intended to be used for one single-family dwelling unit. He stated the zoning administrator indicated all requirements have been met and that the planning commission recommends approval of the requested application as presented with no conditions of approval beyond the normal requirements that are applicable to a final plat application.
Chairman Eldevik re-stated that the plat would be utilized for a single-family residential home and is not intended to be divided again. He also mentioned that the only way to build on an outlot is to assign it a number, thus making it a numbered lot.
Mr. Thompson indicated that the interested buyers were inquiring if a pool could be built on the property. Mr. Thompson will pursue this issue with the zoning administrator.
Wright, seconded by Butz, made a motion to approve the preliminary plat of Tenth Addition to Lake Geneva Estates with no conditions. Motion carried unanimously.
It was noted that Mr. Thompson had applied for the Final Plat at the same time as the Preliminary Plat since there are no road, stormwater or other improvements to be made and there were no conditions of approval recommended for the preliminary plat that require additional time to complete. Clerk Raisanen stated that the zoning administrator’s recommendation is to approve the final plat noting that a $300 park dedication fee be paid, as this fee is required by the County for this subdivision.
Mr. Thompson assured the Board that the wetlands will prohibit a landowner from trying to split the lot. He also iterated that the buyers like the lot as is since the size would ensure privacy.
Wright, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to approve the final plat as presented with the park dedication fee to be paid to the township. Motion carried unanimously.
Clerk Raisanen presented a request by Darwin Krick to waive a sewer compliance inspection. Mr. Krick lost his barn to a fire earlier this year and has applied for a permit to replace that barn. Under the township’s zoning ordinance, a septic compliance inspection is required to be conducted prior to the issuance of a land use permit. Mr. Krick is requesting that the Board consider waiving that requirement due to a permit being necessitated by a fire rather than anything he chose himself. The new barn would be the same size as the previous barn except that it would have an addition, a 10’ x 24’ lean-to to the northwest side of the building.
Supervisors Oberg and Eldevik noted that in keeping with the town’s zoning ordinance, a septic compliance inspection is required.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Wright, made a motion to waive the sewer compliance inspection requirement for Mr. Krick with the stipulation the new barn be utilized to house animals only. Roll: For: Wright, Dahlheimer, Butz. Opposed: Oberg, Eldevik. Motion carried.
Clerk Raisanen noted that Mr. Dropik appears to be in compliance as he has removed the trailer as requested and the town received confirmation from the auctioneer that the auction date has been set for November 21st.
Supervisor Oberg asked if there would be a timeline for purchasers of auction items to remove them from the property. Consensus to address at the time of auction.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: none
OLD BUSINESS: Dave Wolf of Gardonville made a presentation to the town board outlining the process for bringing broadband to various areas of the township. He provided a timeline for completion of the 5-phase fiber optic project: Phase 1 – extend fiber optic cable from Hazel Hill Road SE into 30th Ave SE; Phases 2 and 3 – extend fiber optic cable along West Lake Jessie Drive; Phases 4 and 5 – complete the construction to residents along E. Lake Victoria Road SE and Maple Drive SE. Expected completion of Phases 1 – 3 is December 31, 2020. Anticipated completion for Phases 4 – 5 is Spring 2021. He noted there were two sources of public grant dollars being sought for this project: 1) A Border to Border Broadband Grant (B2B); and 2) cost-sharing partnership with the township. The township is proposing to utilize the anticipated $72,000 funding it will receive from the Cares Act to this project.
When the meeting was opened to the public for comment, Jamie and Christian Anderson, 1512 Maple Drive, asked if they would be included in the project.
Clerk Raisanen reported that the township sent in their application for funds and it was received by the state of Minnesota.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to adopt Resolution No. 20-03, a resolution approving use of CARES funding to support installation of fiber optic into areas of Alexandria Township. Roll: For: Wright, Oberg, Dahlheimer, Butz, Eldevik. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS: Chairman Eldevik stated current township policy is to move a scheduled meeting date from Mondays to Wednesdays whenever there is a legal holiday and/or conflict. He proposed moving meeting dates to Tuesdays rather than Wednesdays as the Wednesday timeframe conflicts with other meetings some of the board members need to attend on behalf of the township. Oberg, seconded by Butz, made a motion to move township meetings from a Monday to a Tuesday whenever a conflict arises. Motion carried unanimously.
Clerk Raisanen presented a newsletter draft, encouraging the town board to review and note any changes or content to be included. The projected timeline for distribution is prior to the November election.
Being no further business, Dahlheimer, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 7:07 p.m.
Respectfully submitted….
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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2020
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Rod Eldevik, Chairman