Alexandria Township

Alexandria, Minnesota  56308

Minutes of the meeting of 5-02-2005

 

A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 2nd day of May 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 regarding Planning and Zoning.  Motion carried unanimously.

 

Dahlheimer, seconded by Casper, made a motion to approve the minutes of the April 18, 2005 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.

   

Ross, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to authorize payment of the bills in the amount of $14,046.04 and to authorize the transfer of $11,000.00 from the savings into the checking account.  Motion carried unanimously.

 

ENGINEER’S REPORT:  Engineer Kuhn reported that the contract for paving the E. Lake Burgen area has been finalized with the contractor.  He reported that he had met with one landowner located on Sioux Lane regarding the ditch.  He indicated that the construction was consistent with the plans and specifications; therefore, the Board was in consensus that no additional work would be authorized.

 

Engineer Kuhn reported that he had viewed the E. Lake Burgen area for drainage issues.  He indicated that the majority of the ditches looked good with one area where some additional grading may be needed prior to finalizing the project.

 

OLD BUSINESS:  Clerk Raisanen presented a fee proposal from the law office of Couri, MacArthur & Ruppe in the amount of $125.00/hr. for legal services for planning and zoning issues.  Ross, seconded by Casper, made a motion to accept the proposal provided by Couri, MacArthur & Ruppe and retain them for legal counsel for matters relating to planning and zoning.  Motion carried unanimously.

 

Supervisor Casper provided the board a draft of an ordinance establishing a planning commission.  A couple of changes were made to the draft.  Attorney Kristen Carr made the recommendation that if a planning commission was appointed, an organizational meeting should be held to orient the new members and to schedule a meeting with the County. 

 

The board discussed the adoption of an interim ordinance permitting Alexandria Township to approve preliminary plats.  Attorney Carr made the recommendation that the Board take no action on this ordinance until the County was consulted.  She expressed concerns regarding the procedural steps necessary to make this happen.  The Board discussed how future preliminary plats would be processed and the application of conditions as a provision for approval and whether or not the County would be bound to those conditions.  The Board also discussed the impact of the 60-day rule for processing applications.  Chairman Thalman, Supervisor Casper, and Attorney Carr will meet with Douglas County Land and Resource Management to discuss the details of the process.

 

Ross, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to adopt Ordinance 105, an ordinance establishing a planning commission for Alexandria Township.  Motion carried unanimously.

 

The Board discussed appointment of members to the planning commission.  Supervisor Ross nominated the following individuals:  Julie Feuling, Lyle Hammerschmidt, Doug Cyperes, and Brian Ahlstead, Supervisor Casper nominated Russ Niskanen and Bill Riggs, Chairman Thalman nominated John Knowles, and Supervisor Dahlheimer nominated Larry Steidl.  After voting, the following individuals received the greatest numbers of votes:  Julie Feuling, Brian Ahlstead, Russ Niskanen, John Knowles, and Larry Steidl.  Clerk Raisanen will prepare a resolution appointing those individuals to the planning commission. 

 

Clerk Raisanen reported that the Parking Ordinance draft was completed; however, a page was missing from the copies made for the supervisors.  This will be considered at the next board meeting.

 

NEW BUSINESS:  Supervisor Casper provided the Board a proposal for drafting a comprehensive land use plan submitted by Community Growth Institute.  The other three consultants that were sent RFPs elected to not submit a proposal due to the lack of time available.  The board will review the proposal and make a recommendation to accept or to re-advertise for other proposals at the next board meeting.

 

Clerk Raisanen presented three written quotes for gravel:  B.G. Construction quoted $8.50/yd., Alden Just Road Maintenance quoted $7.90/yd. and Zacker Excavating quoted $9.10/yd.  Ross, seconded by Casper, made a motion to accept the quote submitted by Alden Just Road Maintenance in the amount of $7.90/yd for class-5 gravel.  Motion carried unanimously.

 

Clerk Raisanen submitted a petition for improvement by blacktop for the following roads:  Castle Lane, Golden Gate Ave., Kings Rd., and Bridge St.  The petition appears to have greater than 50% of the resident’s signatures.  Dahlheimer, seconded by Casper, made a motion to accept the petition for improvement by blacktop.  Motion carried unanimously.  Clerk Raisanen marked the petition 05-01 and will prepare a resolution for a feasibility study for the roads.

 

The Board discussed Planning and Zoning issues.  The board did not have any concerns for the proposed Cody Ridge split of one lot into two.  Chairman Thalman and Supervisor Casper reported that the Joint Planning Board held a public hearing regarding the proposed Burgen Sunrise Plat.  Some residents expressed concern about the proposed public beach and also the amount of lots on the lake.  The project has been tabled until an EAW is complete and it may require an EIS.  The board was in favor of requiring the county minimum lot size of 150 feet instead of the proposed 100 ft. lots on the lake.

 

The Board discussed a date for the organizational meeting for the new planning and zoning board.  The meeting was tentatively scheduled for May 23 at 7:30 PM. 

 

Being no further business Ross, seconded by Casper, made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Meeting adjourned at 9:45 PM.

 

Respectfully Submitted.....

Gregg Raisanen, Clerk

 

Approved this _____ day of _________, 2005

Roger Thalman, Chairman