2012 June 11 Minutes

Posted byWacouta Township

Wacouta Town Board Meeting
June 11, 2012 ? APPROVED
June 11 Meeting Minutes (Word doc.)

June 11, 2012 Meeting

Present: Sue Betcher, Ray Bronson, Mickey Payne and Barbara Charlson
Others: Nancy Brascher, Jim Edlund, Jill Mehrkens, Fred Plaas, Howard
Sather, Gary Thomforde, Wendy Thomforde and Nat Timm

Recessed June 26, 2012 Meeting

Present: Sue Betcher, Ray Bronson, Mickey Payne and Barbara Charlson
Others: Dick Johnson

Sue called the June 11, 2012 meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance at 7:02 PM.

Motion was made by Mickey and seconded by Ray to approve the Agenda with the addition of Nat Timm, Goodhue County Sheriff?s Department. The motion carried.

There were no declarations of conflict. Meeting minutes from May 14, 2012 were approved with no corrections.

Roads and Bridges

  1. US Department of Transportation eliminated 46 regulations on traffic signs, with the exception of Railroad crossings and 4-lane roads with a median
  2. Current Township surplus of Speed Limit signs are legal and will be used by Fluegher Construction as replacements
  3. ?Hill? sign close to Fred Plaas? residence was removed and will not be replaced; Mickey will follow-up on other sign replacements and removals by Fluegher
  4. Cleaning the culvert near Evelyn Young?s cabin was discussed and further Board action is required
  5. No update on USG road until new County Auditor?s Office employee comes on-board until late fall.

Planning and Zoning

  1. Resident concerns were expressed for removal of steps leading to his lots south of the newly-installed bridge and abundant tree removal
  2. Fred will coordinate a meeting with Mickey, other Planning and Zoning members as well as other residents upon request by the concerned resident
  3. Dick Johnson strongly suggested the Board Supervisors support the Mississippi River Parkway Commission letter to the Honorable Governor Mark Dayton; letter was forwarded to Planning and Zoning Commission for input; topic will be researched and discussed at the July Board meeting.

Friends of Wacouta (FOW)

  1. Nancy and Jill prepared a Summer 2012 FOW newsletter to be mailed out to residents (NOTE: Will use Goodhue Co. mailing list of owners, not renters)
  2. Sue gave a history of the FOW trail and rationale behind recent decisions; purpose of the trail was to work with DNR and save native plants
  3. Nancy will work directly with Fred on mowing levels and concerns
  4. Mike Stegora will apply Thistle Killer liquid on the trail where there are major problems

Wacouta Web Page

  1. Tabs on the website include: 1) Welcome Home Page; 2) Friends of Wacouta; 3) Blank ? Available; 4) Board Meeting Agenda; 5) Town Board Meeting Minutes; 6) Town Board Meeting Schedule; and 7) Photos
  2. Webmaster Ray researched and selected ?WordPress? software for a more robust web developer package; Welcome, Agenda and Schedule pages are already converted to new software
  3. Ray has scanner capabilities for photos, letters, etc. and can upload files or connect to existing Web links
  4. Suggestions were made to include Wacouta history, contact Goodhue County Historical Society and load 1920?s photos of ?Bachelor?s Paradise?
  5. Residents are encouraged to contribute and visit the site often

Town Hall Structure

  1. Thank you to Fred Plaas for installing a water hydrant in the cemetery; residents will seed the bare dirt in the Fall
  2. Thank you to City of Red Wing for donating picnic table; Motion was made by Sue and seconded by Ray to provide City of Red Wing with pastries as a thank you. The motion carried.
  3. Sentence-to-Serve (S-to-S) safety personnel originally installed dry wall in 1995 and will coordinate efforts to remove it this Summer; Ray will arrange for a dumpster and turning off the electricity before they begin work
  4. As the work proceeds, Ray will speak with knowledgeable residents about blocking windows and the outside door to prevent animals and/or rodents from moving in
  5. Ray will work with S-to-S to determine what remuneration or donation they would appreciate most in exchange for their labor (e.g., cash, industrial vacuum cleaner, etc.)
  6. Nuclear Alert siren at Highway 61 requires wireless upgrade and is not covered by Xcel Energy; cost is estimated at $60 plus a new padlock

Treasurer?s Report

  1. Motion was made by Sue and seconded by Ray to pay bills and payroll on June 11, 2012 in the amount of $6,974.90 as presented. The motion carried.

Miscellaneous

  1. Nancy Barth agreed to fill the position of Deputy Clerk/Treasurer in Barbara?s absence; when Nancy is called upon to assist, she will be paid from the existing Clerk/Treasurer salary allotment
  2. W-2 Box 13 ?Retirement Plan? was discussed; under direction from Minnesota Association of Township?s guidance, Box 13 will not be checked for PERA contributions; Barbara submitted 2011 W-2c and W-3c forms for Mickey with Box 13 unchecked
  3. Federal grant process was discussed. There is an informal, non-Wacouta group that may submit a grant request for continuous Lake City to Red Wing bike path; Sue will research potential request to connect with Wacouta Trail and discuss with residents
  4. Sue will contact Nancy Barth regarding a photo contest in coordination with the annual picnic that will be publicized on the website
  5. No Wacouta concerns from Goodhue County Sheriff?s Department per Nat Timm
  6. Xcel Energy will replace street light bulb near Bill Wells? residence

Motion was made by Ray and seconded by Sue to adjourn the meeting at 7:55 PM on June 26. The motion carried.

Respectfully,

Barbara Charlson
Wacouta Township Clerk/Treasurer

Upcoming Dates:

June 21 (Th) 8:00 AM MAT Training in Rochester for Board members
June 26 (T) 7:00 PM Township Board Meeting (Recessed from June 11)
July 9 (M) 7:00 PM Township Board Meeting

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