The meeting was called to order by Supervisor Brandt at 7:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Supervisors Brandt and Peterson were in attendance.

Motion by Peterson, seconded by Brandt to accept the minutes of the March 11th, 2013 Board Meeting with corrections as noted. Carried unanimous.

Rob Birkeland asked about the workers’ compensation coverage for the fire department members. Brandt explained he is attending training program next week which has some workers’ comp info, and then will meet with the township attorney to begin process of clarifying the policy regarding fire department members as employees. Birkeland commented that some department members are concerned whether lost wages are covered in case of injury while on a call. Ron Schultz asked that the concerns be addressed and questions answered by the next meeting. Brandt asked Birkeland to provide an outline of the questions & concerns so that he can be sure that questions are answered.

Crow Wing County Engineer, Tim Bray, addressed the board regarding plans & policies for county roads. He likes to periodically meet with cities & townships to get their input on how the highway department is doing and to answer any questions they may have. Regarding the sign retroreflectivity program, the hard deadlines of the federal mandate have been dropped but it is still required & recommended to have a sign inventory & replacement plan in place. Supervisor Brandt asked if the township will be able to cooperate with the county on purchase of replacement signs. Brandt planned to have a list of signs to order once the annual road review is completed. If possible, he would like to combine the order with the county in order to save some costs.

Bray continued with a description of road projects slated on the county’s 5-year construction plan. The plan is to be updated this year and should be complete by mid-May. Plans include installation of chevron signage on County Road 16 this summer. The county plans to resurface County Road 16 over the next couple years and will begin an upgrade & resurface of CR 134 soon.

Chairman Brandt explained plans for improvements to Nelson, Wild Acres & Buschmann roads and asked if the county would consider taking over the roads once the improvements are complete. Bray said the township can coordinate with his office to insure that the improvements are up to the county standards, but the final decision rests with the county board.

Brandt asked if mailbox supports can be obtained by residents from the county highway department. Bray explained that the supports can be purchased for $50 cash & carry, or $75 installed for mailboxes on county roads. It’s possible the township could cooperate with a bulk order, but that he’d have to check on options.

Dave Johnson asked about the sealcoat that was applied to CR 39 last fall. Bray said the process is preventative maintenance that will extend the life of the roadway surface, but the road will still need regular maintenance to insure that cracks are sealed. The process is new so the county is still unsure of its long-term effectiveness.

Dan Whirly of Rem-Whirl, LLC presented information regarding variance requests for the Michels property on Whitefish. After discussion, the board decision was to recommend denial due to excessive addition to structure which forced the septic system to be routed under the township road and along a wetlands area. The board felt the addition should be downsized to allow space for the septic to be installed on the lot with the home. Having the septic located as planned could introduce potential problems with ice heaves and damage that could mean leakage and damage to wetlands. Brandt will investigate further and clarification on issues.

Chairman Brandt presented the Road and Bridge report as follows:

1. The maintenance crew have been scraping ice from roads, cleaning the shop & making repairs to equipment. They will start brooming roads soon.
2. Brandt will conduct the annual road review when the roads are dry.
3. Brandt and the maintenance crew will attended OSHA safety training on April 16th.
4. Regarding the request by Guy Emmons to have the township take over Woodcrest Lane, Brandt has reviewed the road construction and feels it is up to township standards. Normal policy has been to take over the road once there are dwellings on the road. Motion by Peterson, second by Brandt to notify Emmons that the road meets specifications and will be taken over by the township once there are dwellings. Carried unanimous.
5. There were no safety incidents.

Chief Clasen presented the Fire Department report was as follows:

1. There were 6 emergency runs in February including 3 medical, 1 mutual aid, 1 false alarm, and 1 vehicles call. Total year-to-date is 26 calls.
2. Last month’s drill was Vehicle Compartment training.
3. The fire department turnout gear and 1st Responders supplies have come in.
4. Had a few roof leaks this spring due to the snow & ice buildup.
5. The department is looking at burning a house for training in April.
6. Clasen asked for permission to burn off the field behind the ball diamond for wild land training. The board agreed that would be ok.
7. There was no safety incidents.

The clerk gave the chief plan documents regarding a liquid natural gas installation at the Anderson gravel pit. The chief agreed to review the documents and follow-up with the contractor as needed.

The Transfer Station/Recycling report was as follows:

1. Begining on April 17th, the station will be open on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
2. After reviewing the station finances from 2012, the felt it necessary to make adjustments to make the fund more closely balance in future. Brandt motioned to increase the annual permit fee from $6 to $8 and increase the loose demolition fee from $20 per cubic yard up to $25 effective 4/15/13. Second by Peterson. Carried unanimous.
3. Brandt reported that the county is requiring more detail about costs and revenues at the station. He asked the clerk to send a letter to transfer station haulers asking for more detail on invoices so that the board can better understand the fees and possibly find ways to cut costs.

There was nothing to report for Park and Recreation.

Supervisor Brandt presented a request to designate May 10-11th as Poppy Days in Ideal Township. Motion by Peterson, second by Brandt. Carried unanimous.

Brandt reported on his attendance on the annual capital bus trip with the township association.

The clerk reminded the board of the upcoming Local Board of Assessment & Equalization on April 26th. The meeting will be announced in the newspaper and on the website.

Supervisor Brandt reported on planning & zoning issues:

1. Brandt attended recent county DRT meeting
2. Baleisis request in Greenwood Acres to change zoning classification from Shoreland District to Commercial 2. The covenant prohibiting commercial expired in 2011. Owner now wants to develop as waterfront commercial.
3. Regarding the Jensen variance for Balsam Lane, Brandt had one meeting and will have another on 4/19/13. The plans for rerouting Balsam Lane were too narrow and too steep for emergency vehicles, so working on options.
4. The UpNorth Resorts variance for increased beach area was tabled to allow on-site inspection.

The clerk presented the treasurer’s report for March.

Motion by Peterson, seconded by Brandt to accept the treasurer’s report for March as presented including receipts #4413 through #4424 totalling $13,428.96 and disbursements #IRS030413 through check #SVC032913 for total of $34,997.45. Carried unanimous.

Motion by Peterson, seconded by Wortham to approve the March claims as presented; claims #18445 through #18489 totaling $26,428.67. Carried unanimous.

The clerk ask for a motion to approve liquor licenses for 2013. Motion by Peterson, second by Brandt. Carried unanimous.

There being no further business to transact, the meeting adjourned at 10:15 pm.

John Plein,
Ideal Township Clerk
April 15th, 2013