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 April 8th, 2013 Board Meeting, the April 26th Local Board of Appeal & Equalization Meeting, and the April 29th Special/Qualification Meeting as presented. Carried unanimous.

Regarding the town hall addition plans, Dave Johnson suggested the board take a step back and take another look at the alternate plan presented by Mike Clasen last summer. He asked the board to consider a longer-term plan looking out 5 years or more. Mike Clasen agreed but understood that the costs are a factor. Supervisor Brandt said the board will consider & discuss again at a special meeting when Supervisor Wortham is back in town. Johnson commented he has concerns about putting a lot more money into the existing building.

John and Kathy Jensen asked the board to move ahead with a recommendation regarding his request for a variance to allow building of new driveway to replace the current Balsam Lane. Brandt explained the history of the issue starting with the meeting in September 2012 with the Jensens and their neighbors. During the subsequent Board of Adjustment meeting, the township’s ability to provide emergency services via the new driveway was questioned. The fire Chief was consulted to verify access for emergency vehicles.

Chief Clasen reviewed the plans as presented and had visited the site. With the changes that had been incorporated, Clasen felt that services could be provided but may require a change in procedure similar to what would be needed with other places in the township. The department would need to base operations near the township road and run high-volume hoses to the scene.

Tim Smith commented that the current roadway is 16’ wide, but the new plan calls for a width of only 12’ with a 16’ drop-off at the road edge in places. He is concerned if emergency vehicles will be able to get in safely. He asked Clasen if the steep grade and drop-offs are okay for the fire department to use. Clasen replied yes, but there should eventually be a turnaround area at the end.

Brandt reminded that the township concern is safety so needs to have access for emergency services. Supervisor Peterson said that issue seems to be covered, so suggested the board give approval.

Smith said there are also concerns with the shared maintenance costs of the road and asked if the board would consider them as a factor in the recommendation. Brandt replied that was more of an easement issue between the neighbors who share the road.

Kathy Jensen suggested that everything should be considered when the building permit was considered, including the access issues. Brandt replied that the township only makes recommendations regarding variance issues and final judgment is up to the county.

Chairman Brandt presented the Road and Bridge report as follows:

1. He and the maintenance crew had attended the OSHA safety training held at the county highway department.
2. The tractor had been repaired and brooming of the roads was underway.
3. Road equipment had been cleaned, serviced, and is now ready for the summer season.
4. Brandt had completed the annual road review, and the township roads are in good shape overall. He presented his recommendations based on the review as follows:

    

   Crack Sealing for:

   • Echo Bay Drive;
   • Storage Road;
   • Timber Lane Road;
   • South Clamshell Drive;
   • Blueberry Bay Road;
   • Sues Drive;
   • the new portion of Wild Acres Road;
   • Wild Turkey Trail;
   • Wildamere Drive;
   • the maintenance building roadway;
   • and the parking lot at Fire Station #2.

   Road Work for:

   • Pine Terrace turn-around and culvert replacement;
   • Guri Moe patch and culvert replacement;
   • Butternut Point Road .7 mile resurface;
   • Contract shouldering on various roads;
   • Contract striping on Father Foley & West Shore Drive;
   • Contract tree removal and brushing on various roads;
   • Complete and approve design for Nelson Road upgrade.

   Miscellaneous:

   • Replace all safety signs;
   • Replace all street signs;
   • Add Ideal Township signs in various places.
5. Brandt had met with Pequot Lakes and Breezy Point officials regarding Nelson & Buschmann Roads. Breezy Point has no available funds this year for upgrading Buschmann. Pequot Lakes is sharing cost of engineering study for upgrade of Nelson Road this year, and future construction schedule will be determined based on cost projections.
6. Will post sign at entrance to maintenance building driveway – No trespassing, authorized access only.
7. Anderson Brothers had sent a letter regarding the road haul agreement that the township would be held harmless if roads are damaged by their hauling.
8. There were no safety incidents.

Chief Clasen presented the Fire Department report was as follows:

1. There were 12 emergency runs in April including 1 fire, 5 medical, 1 mutual aid, 3 false alarm, and 2 grass fire calls. Total year-to-date is 38 calls.
2. Last month’s drills were a live house burn, forcible entry, and flash over trailer.
3. The fire department conducted a house burn at Howard Peterson’s in Timothy Township. The excersise went well and an invoice will be sent.
4. Fire ban is on. Very dry conditions. Have had a few brush fires this past weekend both with property damage. Suggested putting a link to the DNR website on the township website so residents can view fire danger & burning restriction info.
5. Clasen warned of the deer tick season. Residents should take caution when being outdoors. Lyme cases in Minnesota were up 85% last year. Crow Wing County has one of the highest numbers of cases in the state.
6. One of the landing zone lights at Station 2 had been knocked over – needs repair.
7. The department is assembling a binder with all exposure risks for firemen.
8. Department is now using the State Fire Marshall Accountability System to track firefighter training and certifications.
9. The new owners of the Hauge farm field had asked the department to burn off the field. As conditions are current explosive, they have denied the request.
10. Supervisor Brandt recounted the answers regarding workers comp for firefighters and asked the chief if all questions had been answered sufficiently. Clasen replied that they had been as far as he knew, but would let the board know if there were further questions.
11. The fire contracts with Breezy Point and Timothy Township had been approved for this year. Breezy had decided to not renew for next year, and Timothy is considering their options.
12. There was no safety incidents.

The Transfer Station/Recycling report was as follows:

1. Beginning on May 27th, the station will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
2. The county had picked up the electronics and hazardous material from the station
3. A new disposal guide had been prepared showing the increased rates.
4. Supervisor Brandt had reviewed the attendant duties with Doug Kreft.
5. Brandt reported on his meeting with Nisswa Rolloff regarding the hauling costs.
6. The clerk presented the current user log report.

The report for Park and Recreation was as follows:

1. Supervisor Brandt is planning to install fencing behind the fire department display building to keep visitors out of the maintenance building area.
2. Brandt had met with vendors regarding planning for the new septic system for the town hall building.

Supervisor Brandt recounted his research on the Sentence-to-Serve program to understand ways the township can work with the system and find out why the service has not been available to the township as it had in the past. Due to budget cuts, the program had been reduced severely and was now only available on a very limited basis.

Brandt commented on the recent Local Board of Appeal & Equalization meeting. He felt the meeting went well as only one case was considered.

Supervisor Brandt reported on planning & zoning issues:

1. Brandt discussed the Jensen variance request and recommended approval.
2. Baleisis request in Greenwood Acres to change zoning classification from Shoreland District to Commercial 2. The board agreed to recommend approval with condition that owner put in screening along west edge with evergreens and not infringe on property setbacks.
3. The Michels variance request had been approved by the county despite the township’s recommendation to deny.
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 April as presented including receipts #4425 through #4438 totaling $53,578.07 and disbursements #PERA040113 through #SVC043013 for total of $94,607.01. Carried unanimous.

Motion by Peterson, seconded by Brandt to approve the April claims as presented; claims #18504 through #18536 totaling $23,596.70. Carried unanimous.

There being no further business to transact, the meeting adjourned at 10:00 pm.

John Plein,
Ideal Township Clerk
May 18th, 2013