Alice Pickering
Linwood Area ReporterLinwood Town Board supervisors on Tuesday, Dec. 9 certified the 2004 township levy for $900,000. This was the amount approved by residents at the township annual meeting in August, $138,000 less that the $1,038,000 requested by the town board.
Clerk Judy Hanna estimated that this would result in a return to the township of about $855,000 in 2004 due to reductions in local government aid.
Pine Tree Ridge
Just under the wire, developers of Pine Tree Ridge completed the required paperwork to obtain a building permit for their development in northeastern Linwood Township.
Carroll ìBuckî Broadbent, Jr., Tom Carlisle and Fred DeWall are jointly developing the land.
Based on the recommendation of the planning and zoning commission, supervisors approved the sketch plan for the development on Nov. 25. A letter of credit or posting of a bond is required collateral.
According to Attorney Gerald Randall, this will ìguarantee performance of contract.î
At that meeting, Carlisle and Broadbent requested they be allowed to post a bond for the work, instead of providing the usual letter of credit. A letter of credit sets aside a specific amount of cash which can be drawn on as needed to cover costs, if a municipality must complete work.
Posting a bond is more like an insurance policy, the cash is not so readily available if it is needed, and may be reduced by legal costs necessary to obtain it. Municipalities usually opt for a letter of credit.
On Nov. 25th, the board unanimously approved the development agreement for the project. Following Randallís advice the board approved the request contingent upon finalizing the bond. Final comments were to be made by Randall and Engineer Craig Jochum.
Broadbent, Carlisle and DeWall are also required to guarantee the road for a year.
Typically, developers are allowed to build one house as a model unit before the development agreement is signed. At the Dec. 9 meeting it was reported that work begun on a second unit in the development before the official paperwork, including the signed development agreement, was completed.
In a late development, Randall said that Glen Rehbein, the excavating contractor working on the project, was furnishing the bond for the work, not the developers. He suggested that this is because contractors have an easier time getting bonds. However, this required a change in the development agreement.
Randall said the plat and the mylar for the project could not be released to the developers, to be filed by the county until the development agreement was signed by all parties and bond guaranteed. If not, the project would be red-tagged, he said.
According to Town Clerk Hanna, the new development agreement was ready for signatures on Dec. 10. The development agreement was signed by all parties and appropriate bond provided to township officials at noon on Dec. 11. The development is going forward.
Township updates
There are differences in the township handbook and the proposed fire department constitution about expectations of personnel. Clearly some portions of the handbook do not apply to firefighters and parts of the constitution do not apply to township employees.
To establish consistent policies, Randall reported that a paragraph at the beginning of the township codes can specify which portions of that code extend to the fire department. This should take care of the inconsistencies. He will work with the department to complete this.
The board voted to schedule separate meetings with Chris Sauro, MSI insurance agent, and representatives of the Minnesota Association of Townships insurance program. Supervisors want to make comparisons between coverage available. Besides adequate, affordable coverage, supervisors want to be certain the agent is accessible.
Supervisors requested that minutes of the road and bridge meeting include a date when recommendations are made about needed work. To date, minutes have included items which have been discussed and prioritized, but not completed.
According to Bob Beckman, the discussions remain in the minutes, until the work has been completed, then they are removed. Supervisors have been confused because the same items reappear in the minutes. The road and bridge committee is to review meeting minutes to see what work the board has authorized. Other items will be dropped from the reports.
At the recommendation of road and bridge, supervisors authorized the trial use of crushed trap rock and salt, in a mix of about 6-7 percent salt for use on township roads in winter. Reports said the rock binds better to the surfaces because it has sharp edges. This year, the cost is about $22.50 a ton from Dresser Trap Rock versus $35 a ton for a sand/salt mix used now.
The board also discussed some complaints about shoulders being scraped close in the plowing. The ground had not frozen when the first passes were made with the plows this year.
Hanna was directed to write to the Anoka County sheriff requesting support in enforcing the townshipís winter parking ordinance and to include copies of the ordinance for circulation among deputies. While officers must respond to calls, they typically issue warnings to violators instead of tickets.
Supervisors authorized Hanna to send a letter to the Gordon Anderson family setting a Jan. 1, 2004 deadline for submission of a completed sign application or removal of the sign advertising their farming operation. The existing sign does not conform to township ordinances for the sale of farm products.
Randall said there is no basis for the sign because there are no public benefits to its posting.
By a unanimous vote, supervisors authorized the payment of the township share of Sunrise River Watershed District expense for 2003 in the amount of $6394.73.
In Linwood the watershed district provides lake monitoring, education fees and support for the Martin Lake Association in dealing with septic issues.
Supervisor Dave Tryon told other supervisors there had been a request for a pay phone to be installed at the Linwood skate park and other parks in the township. History shows pay phones only last about two weeks in the township before they are vandalized and cash boxes are taken. He did not recommend having phones installed.
Other business
In other business Dec. 9, the board:
ïScheduled a budget workshop 5 p.m., Monday, Jan. 12.
ïApproved the appointment of Stephanie Williams-Lucas as an alternate for the planning and zoning commission. An amendment to the ordinance will allow for a temporary position.
ïAuthorized purchase of new signs for the Linwood Community and School Forest to replace ones stolen.
ïDiscussion of the Hornsby Bridge project is on the agenda for the next meeting.
ïAdopted the township snow policy.
ïRead the auditorís report making recommendations for the fire relief association and directed copies be forwarded to the fire department.
ïBy consensus, decided not to seek bids or quotes for 2004 garbage and recycling service and stay with the same garbage collector (decided to stay with the same garbage and recycling service during 2004).
ïGranted a request for Republican Senate District 42 candidates to use the town hall, March 2, 2004.
ïLearned Linwood Seniors were able to replace a refrigerator and freezer in the Senior Center for $2200, only a little more than the cost of repairs on the old ones. The models were discounted about $1000 each and are to be paid for with Community Development Block Grant funds.
ïLearned from Hanna there was just under $1000 damage to the senior van as a result of parking lot accident. Insurance covered the damage. A replacement vehicle is scheduled for 2004.
ïApproved and accepted the petty cash report.
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