Fred Heinonen
Scandia Area Reporter

On Tuesday, Feb. 6 the Scandia City Council selected the new city logo from the final four entries.

The winning entry came from Sheri Olson Howell from the Stacy – Forest Lake area. It has SCANDIA over Minnesota clearly defined with a Dala horse above Scandia.

This is symmetrically bracketed on both sides by attractive scrolling.

Three of the four finalists contained Dala horses. The only one without a horse had a local monument depicted in place of the letter I in Scandia.

The council reserved the right to experiment with different colors before making the selection official. The logo can be found on the Scandia website; www.ci.scandia.mn.us.

Council updates

City Planner Richard Thompson presented his 20-page draft of a new city mining ordinance to the planning commission and council for review.

Among the many issues discussed were: a 40-acre minimum, 5-year permits, inspections, odors, noise, weekends, hauling routes, fees, groundwater plans, ground water encroachment, reclamation, guarantees, and asphalt and ready mix plants.

The council approved Scandia Park and Recreation Committee appointments of Dave Smith as chair and Karen Schik as vice-chair for 2007.

Council members Mike Harnetty and Donnette Yehle reported on their recent beneficial attendance at the League of Minnesota Cities Conference. They both reported learning a lot about city functions.

Harnetty stressed how much emphasis was put on the importance of the comprehensive plan at the base of so many other functions.

The council reviewed a letter from citizen, John Lindell, contesting the validity of a plus or minus one-acre buildable lot stated in the preliminary plat of German Lake Vistas. Lindell contends the developer does not use the high water mark of the lake when calculating the minimum buildable acreage for lot four.

The developer, who had used an aerial photo for the water line, will be asked to certify measurements depicting the exact high water line.

Variances

The planning commission and council reviewed and approved variances for two Big Marine Lake properties.

Eugene and Bonnie Thielbar, 19471 Manning Trail N., got a lot size variance (2.5 to 1.7 acre) and three setback variances that were continued from Nov. 14. They are removing two old cabins and building a new house that will significantly improve the property. They must improve the road before a building permit will be issued.

Steven Lombitto, 18633 Langly Court N., got a lot size variance (2.5 to 0.1 acre) an impervious surface variance (25 percent to about 35 percent from current 50 percent) and many setback variances.

It will be the first in the area to go to two stories and the first two story so close (32 feet) to the lake. A maximum roof pitch of 6/12 was set to limit the height of the house to 28 feet. Overall the new house is considered a major improvement for the area.

Old business

The city council will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, March 6 to discuss a new swimming pool ordinance.

In November, Pamela Huberty requested an amendment to the development code to allow UL-approved, keyed covers as an alternative to fencing for swimming pool safety.

Next meeting

The next Scandia City Council meeting is slated for 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 20.

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