Alexandria Township

Alexandria, Minnesota 56308

Minutes of the meeting of 11-03-2008

A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 3rd Day of November 2008 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 610 Fillmore Street.

ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Bryon Alstead, Louis Ross, Jim Casper, and Roger Thalman. Also present were Clerk Gregg Raisanen and Mona Billmark, Treasurer. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Thalman at 6:00 PM.

Alstead, seconded by Ross, made a motion to adopt the agenda with the addition of Garrett Vickerman under Citizen Concerns. Motion carried unanimously

Alstead, seconded by Casper, made a motion to approve the minutes of the regular board meeting of 10/20/08 as written. Motion carried unanimously.

Ross, seconded by Alstead, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 8341 - 8361 in the amount of $210,492.92 and net payroll in the amount of $3,789.49 for a total of $214,282.41 and to transfer $184,000.00 from savings. Motion carried unanimously.

CITIZEN CONCERNS: Garrett Vickerman of 1112 Maple Drive submitted a claim for a ruined tire on his 2006 Mazda. He submitted an estimate from Tires Plus for the replacement of 4 tires on his vehicle. He claimed that when the road was blacktopped, the contractor left a 3-4 inch lift prior to shoulder which he hit backing out of his driveway which resulted in damage to one tire. Tires Plus said he would need to replace all four tires. The tires have not yet been replaced. Mr. Vickerman has not driven the vehicle since he acquired the estimate. Engineer Kuhn said he would present the estimate to the contractor for consideration. Supervisor Ross asked if there is some precedent for this type of situation. Clerk Raisanen indicated that he will research the issue to determine if there is any liability on the part of the township. Also, we will need to determine whose responsibility this is, township, contractor, or homeowner. Clerk Raisanen to follow up and make a recommendation to the board.

Supervisor Dahlheimer joined the meeting.

ENGINEER’S REPORT: Engineer Kuhn stated that the bill for the Maple Drive/Queens paving project has been submitted to the township. It is not yet final, as we are waiting to complete the dormant seeding.

Engineer Kuhn stated that a resident has requested striping on Maple Drive, citing unsafe conditions. Engineer Kuhn said it is not top priority since Maple Drive is a low-volume road. Examples of low-volume roads he cited were the Golden Gate area and E. Lake Burgen. Supervisor Ross asked if there was any risk to waiting until summer when the county contracts for striping. Engineer Kuhn said that the town previously striped these types of roads, but not in recent years. The expense is typically between 10 cents/linear foot to the more expensive, 30 – 40 cents/foot. Ross, seconded by Alstead, made a motion to relay to the resident that it is not our policy to perform this function in the fall and that we will re-visit the striping issue in the spring. Motion carried unanimously.

50^th Avenue haul road update – Engineer Kuhn stated that Kraemer trucking thinks they would be done tomorrow. The trucking company stated that they are not the only outfit hauling out there. They are still willing to work with the town to pay for some blading time, but do not feel it is all their responsibility. Chairman Thalman asked if 50^th is up to township road standards? Engineer Kuhn said this type of heavy loading and wet conditions have contributed to the poor condition of the road. Are the contractors responsible to re-build the road? Engineer Kuhn said no; however, they could help with some of the costs. Chairman Thalman asked again if maybe it wasn’t initially up to standards? Engineer Kuhn’s recommendation to the board was to let the contractor complete hauling and then decide how and what to repair on 50th. Supervisor Dahlheimer stressed that the road needs to get in shape before the freeze sets in.

Chairman Thalman went back to Citizen Concerns and recognized Bill Skalisky of 1307 Ridgeview Terrace. Mr. Skalisky presented information regarding the dam that has failed in the drainage way, which has resulted in siltation into Lake LeHomme Dieu. Chairman Thalman says this falls under the Flood Board’s jurisdiction and no other government entity has taken an interest in rebuilding the dam. Supervisor Dahlheimer said that the Flood Board did talk about this in late summer; however, there was no consensus from the Flood Board as to how to proceed. The board directed Supervisor Dahlheimer to bring this up at the next Flood Board meeting.

PLANNING AND ZONING: Zoning Administrator Oleson said that the Planning Commission recommended changes to the zoning and subdivision ordinances. Oleson stated that he will ask the town to adopt them at the next meeting. Clerk Raisanen asked how the Board wants to amend the zoning and subdivision ordinances? Do we create a whole new ordinance or amend the existing ordinance? Zoning Administrator Oleson recommended making a resolution stipulating the date of change of the ordinance. We would record the whole new ordinance including the amendment(s). The board consensus was to have the new ordinance supercede the old ordinance, utilizing a brand new number and abolishing the old number. Clerk Raisanen will draft resolutions for the board’s consideration at the next meeting.

NEW BUSINESS: Clerk Raisanen provided the board information regarding the Queens Road and Maple Drive paving project. He provided the revised mailing list, auditors listing of property owners, a cost summary of the project, proposed assessment roll, notice of hearing, and proposed correspondence to landowners. Dahlheimer, seconded by Casper, made a motion to approve resolution 08-12, a resolution declaring cost to be assessed for the Queens Road and Maple Drive paving project. Roll: Ross, Dahlheimer, Casper, Alstead, Thalman – yes. None opposed. Motion carried unanimously.

Resolution 08-13 ordering hearing on proposed assessment. Clerk Raisanen stated that the public hearing has been scheduled for December 1, 2008, @ 7:00 p.m. Motion by Dahlheimer, seconded by Casper, to establish the date and time of the public hearing. Clerk Raisanen asked if the 8% interest rate is still appropriate to charge? The board consensus was to retain the 8% interest rate. Roll – Ross, Dahlheimer, Casper, Alstead, Thalman – yes. None opposed. Motion carried unanimously.

Sign Quotes – Clerk Raisanen stated that the town had obtained three quotes for sign replacment. The quotes were from Newman Signs in the amount of $2,338.30 (free shipping); Earl F. Anderson, in the amount of $2,417.14 (not including shipping); and M&R Sign in the amount of $2,462.60 (not including shipping. Motion by Ross, seconded by Casper, to accept the quote from Newman signs in the amount of $2,338.30. Motion carried unanimously.

Being no further business, Ross, seconded by Alstead, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 7:14 PM.

Respectfully Submitted..... Approved this _____ day of________, 2008

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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk Roger Thalman, Chairman