Alice Pickering
Linwood Area Reporter

For Mel Pfaffendorf and Dave Tryon, the Dec. 12 Linwood Town Board meeting was their last as supervisors. With the conclusion of the meeting, they completed their respective terms.

Neither ran for office in the November election. Howard Holm and Robert Johnson, newly-elected supervisors, take office in January.

A special budget meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007. By that date most departments plan to have preliminary budgets.

A proposed budget and a proposed levy must be ready for the annual meeting in March.

Road projects

The town board approved the payment for the street work completed on Birchwood Circle in the amount of $129,309.37. Final payment for repairs on 237th, Thames, and Japura Streets, in the amount of $500 was approved.

The bill for the first payment on the Hornsby Bridge repair is $143,911.70. Part of the money for the repair was to come from Anoka County ($25,000), with a federal grant to cover all but $20,000 which was to be the townshipís responsibility.

Supervisors held off on a decision on the Hornsby bill until it is determined how the costs have been determined.

There are still concerns about the condition of Lyons Street. There was another request for the unpaved portion of the street to be paved.

Lent and Linwood townships share the cost of road maintenance, which require the road to be graded at least three times a week. Supervisor Phil Osterhus requested a traffic study be completed on the road.

The vote was 4-0 in support of contacting the appropriate agency. Supervisor Scott Bailey did not attend.

Other topics

Andrew Luedtke was approved as a new member of the Linwood Fire Department, contingent on passing the physical exam. Luedtke has successfully completed the Physical Agility Test.Fire Chief Joe Dolphy made the request.

FEMA has accepted the Anoka County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Cities and townships in Anoka County must also adopt a resolution accepting the plan.

Dolphy will submit a sample resolution to the township office before action is taken.

Dolphy said the fire department has received a $500 matching grant from the DNR. Plans are to use the money to purchase additional pagers for fire fighters. Contracts need to be signed by designated township officials and returned to the DNR.

Supervisors will investigate several new complaints about nuisance properties as well as continuing to follow-up on existing ones. There has also been another complaint about the Linwood Pizza sign. Attorney Gerald Randall is reviewing the sign ordinance so there may be clarification at a later meeting.

Supervisors approved a variance request by Daniel Shultz to build a garage closer to the road than the house. Findings of fact support the decision.

For lakeshore homes, usually the house is close to the water and the lake side of the house is considered the front. The vote was 4-0.

Other business

In other business, the board:

ïCertified the 2007 tax levy in the amount of $1.2 million.

ïLearned that the sign advertising Shadow Ridge Development lots has been removed.

ïTabled a decision on the recycling contract with Anoka County.

ïLearned there were 15 emergency responses by the fire department in November; seven were medical calls and eight were fire runs.

ïApproved the size and wording for cemetery regulations that are to be placed near the Linwood Cemetery entrance.

ïApproved work crews to attend state spring maintenance training Expo Workshops.

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