Alice Pickering
Linwood Area Reporter

Linwood Township officials continue to deal with illegal hunting in the Linwood Community and School Forest. The area is off-limits to hunters and there are signs posted saying so.

This is particularly dangerous as children from Linwood Elementary are routinely in the park area for class activities and township residents who walk through the area, town board officials said last week.

The problem was first discussed at the Oct. 11 meeting. Evidence of field-dressing has been reported to the town hall and at least four deer stands have been pulled down in the park this year.

Hunting is legal in some of the DNR land next to the forest. This may be part of the problem, officials said. Some of the deer may have been wounded, and then wandered into the forest area.

Supervisor Dave Tryon said the township policy is to have hunters call the township office and tell someone before they track a wounded animal into the area. Tryon urged those who have wounded a deer to contact him and he will help track the wounded animal.

Firearms cannot be carried into the forest area. Supervisor Mel Pfaffendorf urged the establishment of a buffer zone in the wildlife area next to the park.

Strandlund support

Linwood Township intends to support Steve Strandlund in his effort to have natural gas service extended to Boettcher Farm Preserve, a 93-unit development near Fawn Lake Road.

Since April he has been trying to find a way to have the gas mains extended. He has offered to pay for an extension of gas mains to the development and sell it to Xcel, but complicated regulations do not permit him to do this.

Strandlund still wants to secure natural gas for the development. ìI donít want to drop it,î he said. The board authorized Attorney Robert Vose to meet with Xcel on behalf of the township to see if progress can be made on negotiations.

Clerk Judy Hanna was directed to send a letter to Vose. This may result is a complaint with the Public Utilities Commission.

Carlone visits

Resident Sal Carlone appeared again before the town board Nov. 22 with a written request the township participate in building a new street into his proposed development. His letter is a summary of attempts, from his point of view, to develop a portion of his property.

In July the board approved a sketch plan based on Carlone meeting established set-backs, payment of park dedication fee, extension of Danube Street south along the eastern border of the plat, and 225th west into the site.

The board asked for the street extension requirement to meet public safety standards for emergency vehicles. Three of the lots are slightly smaller than the 2.5-acre township requirement, because of the land required for the streets. The vote then was 4-1 with Supervisor Rudi McCurdy voting against approval.

According to Carlone, neighbors on the dead-end streets that abut his property are against opening these streets to through traffic, because it would increase the traffic.

The plan he brought to the Nov. 9 meeting was different from the one that was approved in July. It is for one a single five-acre parcel with a cul-de-sac at the west end of 225th Ave, with no further divisions right now. To meet existing requirements, the lot would need to be larger than five acres to also provide enough land for the road.

He said the township could build this street without any cost to the township by simply assessing the new homes which would be built on the land. He asked for a response from the board within 10 days.

Other business

In other business, the board:

ïTabled a decision about leasing a Bobcat until Dec. 13.

ïAffirmed the decision to use the current rules to assign plots in the Linwood Cemetery.

ïApproved a sketch plan for Bruce Fagin for a development on Sunrise Road.

ïVoted unanimously to establish a task force to determine advantages and disadvantages of becoming incorporated.

ïTabled discussion of the vehicle-storage ordinance until the Dec. 13 meeting.

ïDetermined the township has responsibly notified residents who have had address changes. Some residents have had corrections to house addresses to make it easier for rescue squads to locate them. It is to their advantage to use the information to make corrections on house numbers.

ïSet Feb. 1 as the date to advertise for road grading bids. This will provide bids which more accurately reflect fluctuating fuel costs.

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Forest Lake Times
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