Alice Pickering
Linwood Area ReporterThe Anoka County Sheriffís Office is writing the police contract to forward to Linwood Township before the 8:15 p.m., Tuesday, Sept 14 town board meeting.
Linda Hurtley, police committee representative, told Linwood Town Board supervisors on Aug. 24 the contract will include terms for both township contract police protection and the school resource officer.
Hurtley said Columbus Township ìwhole heartedly approvedî of participating with Linwood in funding a school-resource officer. The two townships will share this resource.
Costs for the SRO are to be covered by a three-way split; Columbus and Linwood townships, with the final third by the sheriffís department.
The Anoka County Board of Commissioners voted to retain this item in the 2005 budget.
While McKinley Elementary in Ham Lake is not a participant, it is possible it could join the other two Anoka schools once again as a participant in this program. The police committee will have an information booth at Linwood Family Fun Day on Saturday, Sept. 11.
Town approvals
The town board last week approved a bid package for 9000 pounds of material for crack-sealing streets. Bob Beckman, road and bridge committee member, presented crack-sealing estimates of $12,000 for work to be completed on selected streets in the township. Small amounts of work need to be done on a few new streets. Work will be completed with the other work and billed to the developers.
At the request of parks commission, the board unanimously approved fencing around portions of Four-Seasons Park, just east of the town hall. Supervisor Marie Holm estimates the cost at about $12,000.
The board approved an amount not to exceed $15,000 for the project. The eastern boundary south to the trees is to be fenced.
According to Holm plans are being made to improve the parking area in Broadbent Park.
By a 5-0 vote, the board directed Town Attorney Gerald Randall to prepare an ordinance change, reducing the safety zone/radius around a communications tower from the distance of its full height to half that distance. As it relates to Carlisle Properties, this means the safety radius around a proposed telecommunications tower would be reduced from 185 feet to 97.5 feet.
The proposed change is to be reviewed by the planning and zoning commission Sept. 19, and be ready for adoption on Sept. 28.
On Supervisor Rudi McCurdyís recommendation supervisors approved the townshipís code book in ìits current state,î with Randall to draft an ordinance to accept sections not addressed by changes. Work on the codebook has been going on for two years. The vote was 5-0.
McCurdy said the index will have to be updated. But the codebook can be adopted. Supervisors want to address newer sections related to obstructions in road right-of-way.
There continue to be complaints to the board about junk houses in the township. Specific ones were identified at the meeting.
The board directed Randall to send letters to a number of property owners, informing them of ordinance violations related to junk on their lots. A deadline for cleanup is to be set. Non-compliance will result in legal action by the township to get the work done.
After discussing an unusual lot situation, the board granted Robert Cartier a 20-foot variance to reduce the setback from 40 to 20 feet fronting Feather Street. Findings of fact include unusual lot features, a small lot, and two street frontages. This will place his home in line with other houses on the street.
Approval of the final plat for White Tail Ridge 2 development was given, contingent upon a green light by Randall and by Engineer Craig Jochum. Contingencies are: deeds are signed and brought to the township, a signed developerís agreement and a letter of credit on file. Buck Broadbent appeared on behalf of applicant Tom Carlisle.
On his last project Carlisle used a bond as security for the project. ìI donít think we should continue to do that,î was McCurdy said. He said ìit is in the best interest of the township to have a letter of credit,î because it is easier and faster for the township to recover money.
ìIf the bonding company doesnít pay Iím liable,î Broadbent said.
Chair Dave Tryon called for more research on the use of bonds over letters of credit.
After a long discussion David Vernessí petition for preliminary plat approval for Kingley Wooded Shores was denied by a 5-0 vote. The issues about the proposal are related to county regulations, not the township. Verness needs a variance from the county related to shore land code.
Action included the waiver of application fees when Verness reapplies for the preliminary plat. Jochum must see any letters from the county which indicates approval of its requirements. Unless the township takes direct action to deny a request, it is automatically approved at the end of 60 days.
By 5-0 vote, the application to combine property made by Harold Erickson was denied. Planning and zoning recommended denial because granting the variance would create a non-conforming lot.
Other business
In other business, the board:
ïHeard a request from Tryon about permanently designating Four Seasons Park as a park, not to be used for anything else.
ïCorrected a website address for the township; http://linwoodtownship.govoffice.com.
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