LAKEWOOD BOARD of SUPERVISORS MEETING
May 3, 2006
The May, 2006 Meeting of the Lakewood Town Board of Supervisors was called to order by Chair Diane Larson on Wednesday May 3, 2006 at 7:07 p.m. at the Lakewood Town Hall. Supervisors present: Diane Larson, Tim Musick and Chuck Campbell. Also present were Treasurer Brenda Lagarde, Clerk Gene Bromenshenkel, Office Coordinator Lauren Quigley, Department Heads and public citizens (register attached).
Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America was recited by all present.
Review of Agenda: Agreed to defer the employee job description item to the June meeting agenda.
Review of Minutes:
- March 29, 2006 Reorganization Meeting: Motion by Campbell to approve the minutes as printed. Second by Musick. Motion Carried.
- April 5, 2006 Board of Supervisors Meeting: Motion by Musick to approve the minutes as printed. Second by Campbell. Motion Carried.
Financial Report:
Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Brenda Lagarde reported the receipts, disbursements and balances in the town fund accounts for the month ending on April 30, 2006. Total fund balances are $148,859.26. This balances with the monthly bank statement. It does not balance with the Clerk’s records. The Clerk entered a receipt not recorded by the Treasurer.
Motion by Musick to approve the Treasurer’s report. Second by Campbell. Motion Carried.
Bills/Claims: The Clerk presented the monthly claims for bills in amount of $56,112.76. Motion by Campbell to approve payment of claims #3629 through 3679 in the amount of $56,112.76. Second by Musick. Motion Carried.
Budget Report: Clerk Gene Bromenshenkel presented the monthly budget report showing the expenditures through the April Board Meeting and receipts through April 30, 2006.
Attorney Report: Tim Strom
- Reported via e-mail that he had nothing for the Board and would not be in attendance at the meeting tonight.
Department Reports:
Fire: Kurt Rogers
- Eleven calls handled by Dept. in past month – includes one public assist., two grass fires, three structure fires and one gas spill.
- Open House---the Dept. is hosting an Open House for the new Fire Hall on Sat., May 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It was agreed to give special publicity in this month’s newsletter.
- Fire Hall Construction completion---are still working at completing the punch list of items not completed.
- The lights were fixed on the fire truck.
Maintenance & Grounds: Tammy Nelson
- Have installed sign on the Maintenance Building (old fire hall).
- Are considering a re-doing of the Community Center sign at the intersect. of N. Tischer and Strand Roads.
Road & Bridge: Tammy Nelson
- Problems on Wahl Road---numerous frost boils occurred making the road impassible for a period. The Road Contractor was able to grade and add some material to make it passable. Still is not in very good condition. Don Putnam made an estimate of costs for re-doing the road. West Lauren Road needs a culvert and some ditching.
- The Board of Supervisors completed a road review tour on April 18th. Based on the tour, Supervisor Musick recommends the following: For the Wahl Road, make it priority #one to do more ditching to increase the water drainage. In addition, replacement of some culverts is recommended. The estimated cost for Wahl Road is $12-13,000.00. The second priority recommended is West Lauren Road. The recommendation is for totally revamping at an estimated cost of $10,000.00. Next priority is Centerline Road which mainly needs to be raised about one foot with some culvert replacement and ditching. Next on priority list is Acquire Lane, Valet Road and Maple Street.
- Wahl Road---The estimated costs beyond the $7,000 already spent there is about $10,000.
- Motion by Musick to approve road work recommended for Wahl Road at an estimated cost of $10,000 and Lauren Road with an estimated cost of $9,700 and to place Centerline, Acquire Lane, Valet Road and Maple in that order on the priority work list for 2006. Second by Campbell. Motion Carried.
Recycling: Merle Abernethy
- All is operating o.k.
Recreation: Scott Anderson
- Have the summer youth recreation program ready. Program is starting on June 19th.
- Soccer Field---have volunteers to work on field and the Soccer Club will give financial support to improve the turf.
Planning and Zoning Commission: Phil Halverson
- Installed new members and one alternate.
- Reviewed the land use permits issued by the Zoning Administrator over the past month.
- Commission is interested in reviewing the Ordinance language related to two parcels on a driveway.
- The Commission requested a definition of what constitutes retail sales.
- Recommendation from Commission on Telecommunication Tower Public Hearing---referred to Bob Wolfe. Bob presented a summary of the pros and cons statements from the public at the Hearing. The Commission recommends adopting the proposed Telecommunication section and adding it to the Zoning Ordinance. Motion by Campbell to adopt the recommended Zoning Ordinance change on telecommunications and wind generating towers. Second by Musick. Motion Carried. The Board recommended that the Planning and Zoning Commission appoint a sub-committee to review additional items of concern regarding communication towers in the township.
- Migratory Bird Flyway- Bob Wolfe shared a letter from the DNR outlining the bird migratory path, of which Lakewood is a part.
Zoning Administrator Report: Brennan Mears
- Six permits were issued in the past month.
- Radtke Road---The public road ends at the end of the Brucklemyer property. Slangas' pay for the snow plowing of an additional 300 feet of the drive which is plowed by St. Louis County. There was discussion on the properties and the number and kind of zoning permits issued on the properties.
- Moose Mountain Drive---Brennan gave a summary of his visit to view the private drive. It is 24 ft. of solid surface to the top. He reported that St. Louis County and MDOT encourage joint driveways with required width, reducing the number of accesses for safety purposes. Supervisor Musick inquired about the recent permit issued for a storage building which is planned to be 26 X 32 ft. in size. Mr. Polinka was present to describe the permit request since he currently has one accessory building on the property. Mr. Polinka indicated his land is in a DNR forestry management plan to be used for forestry purposes. Brennan Mears indicated that the Zoning Ordinance does not specify that tow private drives cannot be adjoined. Supervisor Musick indicated that it is his view that the Moose Mt. driveway is one driveway. He feels that a planned residential development is the only alternative. There was discussion about agreement as to whether or not two adjacent drives constitute one or two private drives. Supervisor Musick feels that legal advice may be required on the driveway issue. Motion by Musick for postponement on the drive interpretation. Second by Campbell. Discussion on Motion: Supervisor Campbell is feels that the Board should seek legal advice on the matter. Motion Carried.
- Garden Wood Motel---Mears reported that he is checking on setbacks and discussion about possible changes to the property owner’s plans.
- Status of Telecommunication Tower permits requested---Mears submitted a draft of a letter to go to those who submitted requests. Motion by Larson to issue letters to those requesting permits for commercial telecommunications towers. Second by Musick. Motion Carried.
- Request for Grocery Store permit in the LIU-10 zone. Has been withdrawn.
- The Zoning Administrator will begin evening office hours on the 16th of May and each Tuesday evening from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Motion by Campbell for a 10-minute recess of the meeting at 9:40 p.m. Second by Musick. Motion Carried. The Meeting was reconvened at 9:47 p.m.
Public Comment:
Hugo Leider: Referenced the Zoning Ordinance of 1968; which was to conform to the County Ordinance of that date.
Also, Hugo commented that in the State Statutes, the Supervisor-elect does not officially become Supervisor until sworn in. The outgoing Supervisor should attend the meeting and be there until the new Supervisor is officially sworn in.
Committee Reports:
- NSMB – No report.
- DAT – The meeting is upcoming.
- SLCTA – All Supervisors. The last meeting was changed on a short notice.
Unfinished Business:
1. Newsletter: Items to include for May edition: Open House for new Fire Hall, Summer Youth Program, Web Page publicizing, general.
2. Status of Lake Superior Coastal Program grant. Supervisor Musick indicated that the township grant request is on the priority list and that the request must receive NOAA approval. He indicated that the township should be successful in obtaining the grant to be used for updating the Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
3. Employee Job Descriptions - referred to the June meeting agenda.
New Business:
1. Liquor License Renewal request for Breeze Inn. Motion by Larson to approve the granting of the license. Second by Campbell. Motion Carried.
2. Tax Forfeited Land on N. Tischer Road; a parcel of .33 acres. The letter from St. Louis County was referenced. Motion by Musick to authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to request a free conveyance of the .33 acre tax forfeited parcel on No. Tischer Road. Second by Campbell. Motion Carried.
Correspondence/Other:
1. Acknowledged letter from Lakewood School on appreciation for the aluminum can recycling and proceeds received.
2. Motion by Campbell to reflect in the minutes, the condolence of the township in the loss of family members in a recent accident. Second by Musick. Motion Carried.
3. Chloriding of Roads---Supervisor Musick referred to a letter from St. Louis County for the service of chloriding roads available. The cost is $47.00 per 100 feet of road.
4. Web Site---a note was made regarding adding information to the Site. Lauren Quigley suggested that information for the web site be sent directly to her via e-mail if possible. It is much easier and faster to put information on the Site if it is already in electronic format.
5. Fire-Wise---An explanation was given about this voluntary program. It is a service provided by DNR for a fee as a home fire hazard prevention. It was agreed to put this in the newsletter as an article.
There was no other business brought forth at the Meeting.
The Next Monthly Board Meeting is Wednesday June 7, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. at the Lakewood Town Hall.
Motion by Campbell to adjourn the Meeting at 10:10 p.m. Second by Musick. Motion Carried.
Respectfully Submitted;
Gene Bromenshenkel,
Town of Lakewood Clerk
Minutes Subject to Approval at the next Regular Board of Supervisors Meeting