Alice Pickering
Wyoming Area Reporter

A probation hearing for Wyoming resident Charles Vogel took place June 23 and he is serving 120 days in the Chisago County Jail in Center City.

Vogel’s property on the east side of Wyoming has been condemned because of accumulated junk and debris. The problem is long-standing.

Acting Police Chief Scott Dexter told the Wyoming City Council on June 18th that the Anoka County judge hearing the case is unfamiliar with Vogel’s history and the particular situation, and wanted to allow input from the city attorney.

The Vogel property which was once cleaned up by the city has again deteriorated. There are still junk cars, auto parts, piles of tires and old appliances in the yard.

Council member Blake Tiedeman said that with the history of the site he really wants to pursue cleanup. The rest of the council agreed.

The judge is willing to work with the city to reach a solution. Criminal prosecution would likely result in some punishment in the form of jail time or probation.

Since the main goal is to have the site cleaned up thoroughly and permanently, City Attorney Dave Snyder suggested that a civil suit might be the way to go. That way a lien or liens can be placed against the property to pay for the cleanup.

Snyder is to review the file in order to give an opinion about the case to the judge and is to attend the hearing. He will come back to council with a recommendation, cost estimate for the cleanup, and perhaps also a cap on cost.

In the meantime the property is to remain vacated. With the additional explanation about the police report, council accepted it unanimously.

Mayor Sheldon Anderson, in an interview last week, said he was encouraged to see Vogel family members begin the clean-up task. Getting the property clean remains the city goal, he said, not seeing Mr. Vogel in jail.

If the property can be satisfactorily cleaned, the mayor said steps could be taken to have Vogel released from jail.

Sewer update

The Chisago Lakes Joint Sewer Commission is still reporting fluctuations in chemicals harmful to the processing of wastewater coming into the treatment plant, according to Council representative Joe Zerwas.

Fluctuations are daily and seem to be coming from Wyoming. Tiedeman asked if operators can use sensors at lift stations or mobile ones to determine the source of the chemicals.

Jason Windingstad, maintenance operations worker, told the council that crews are watching on a daily basis for problems; “hot loads.” Ponds are not affected like the wastewater treatment plant, so there is no way of knowing if the problem (of the chemicals) has been going on for five or six years.

He and others have periodically detected, by distinct smell, what he believes are chemicals near Fallbrook Ave. without having to open hatches for the wastewater. He said technicians are trying to narrow down which chemicals are coming into the system, to compare them with what businesses in the city use. Education for the business owners is important, he said.

Zerwas said the problem has to be remedied before the MPCA begins levying fines, which could begin on September 1.

Permit debate

Council member Gary Menne questioned the building permit issued for the Hallberg reconstruction. He objected because no sprinklers will be installed in what remains of the wood frame buildings.

Menne said he was led to believe there was to be a sprinkler system installed (in the entire building).

Zerwas also thought there should be sprinklers in the reconstructed building.

According to the plan, sprinklers will be installed in the new part of the building. Firewalls are being constructed to compartmentalize the (wood) buildings “below the square foot threshold that would require threshold that would require the sprinklers,” according to the report from building inspector Fred Weck.

Fire Chief Dennis Berry said the new part of the building is supposed to be metal, hooking up to the remaining wood frame building.

Administrator Craig Mattson said he deferred to the building inspector on the decision. Council approved the building inspector’s report by a vote of 5-0, based on clarification of the building permit issues.

lawmakers visit

State Rep. Jeremy Kalin and Sen. Rick Olseen reported on their experiences in the past legislative session. Kalin has an interest in energy efficiency and conservation.

Chisago County cellulosic ethanol, prairie grass is more efficient than corn. The challenge is to grow commercial industrial tax base, while keeping the rural character of the area. He mentioned research which suggests that prairie grasses may be the best new source of fuel. Some studies show that the bio-fuel need merely be physically transformed into pellets which can replace up to 20 percent of the fuel to power electricity generating plants without any change in the technology.

Kalin is concerned about unfunded mandate for special education. Funding is to come from a different source, no longer to be taken from the general education fund.

Olseen speculated that by 2025 about 25 percent of the electricity needs in the state can come from renewable sources. This would provide economic development in terms of construction, maintenance, and ongoing support for the systems.

Although there have been some proposals to cut several counties from the JOBZ program, Olseen anticipates the same rules to continue for the near future. For counties near bordering states, the enticement is lower commercial taxes for companies.

JOBZ is a way for Minnesota to stay competitive as it tries to retain and attract businesses, he said. Anticipating the township/city merger, when population reaches 5000, the city will be eligible for money for city streets, so the reliance will not be so heavily on property taxes, he said. Olseen does not believe there will be a special legislative session called this year.

Olseen is also trying to improve the way absentee ballots for military personnel stationed overseas are counted. Now, to be counted, votes must to be mailed 45 days before an election.

Both legislators were asked about the Code Ready program to improve intergovernmental communication about disasters. Another component is for citizens to take action on their own to make preparations for an emergency of at least 72 hours; natural emergencies or possible epidemic. More information is available at www.codeready.org.

Menne upset

Menne is angry about the storm water assessment in the city. He claims nothing has been done with the money collected and the city is holding the money.

Commercial property is usually charged at a higher rate than residential property because usually business sites have more impervious surface and thus generate more run-off.

Erichson said the assessment is a user fee and (rates are higher on commercial property) because they generate more run-off. That’s the premise of the system.

Funds are dedicated to solve problems related to storm water. Of the estimated $200,000 in the dedicated fund, it would not cover the cost of any one project.

Cities use special district to raise money to remedy utility problems, much like capital funds are built into a city budget to gradually accumulate money to make capital purchases or for a specific building project. There was no action taken after the protest.

More business

As part of the consent agenda, the council approved a pay voucher for North Pine Aggregate, Inc., in the amount of $8558.84, for removal of bio-solids, as part of the decommissioning of the wastewater treatment site.

A pay voucher for Peterson Companies, Inc. was also approved for $18,185.85, for removal of final portions of pipe and other structures from the same area. Council vote was 5-0 in favor of the action.

Zerwas questioned a bill from the engineering firm WSB to the city. Engineer Mark Erichson said this is the result of an early stage feasibility study to extend water and sewer service to the Xccent site. The area is south of the Fairview Lakes Medical Center campus.

Any bills to the city for the feasibility study are to be reimbursed to the city from the Xccent escrow account, according to Mattson.

Council members voted 5-0 to approve a donation of $8500 from the city’s charitable gambling receipts to the ISD 831 Forest Lake Teen Center. The teen center provides a safe haven for teens to hang out and participate with peers in activities.

As part of new business council members approved an adjusted payment of $430.12 to Chisago County Government Center, reimbursement of amounts paid for animal control services. These are charges from November 1, 2006 to May 14, 2007.

Council approved the final plat of Sunrise River Estates, Plat 5. Recommendation for approval came from the planning commission.

In response to questions from resident Chip Yeager which came during the open forum, Mattson will provide an analysis of the water use from a comparable time period before the new meters were installed and since then. Yeager asked if the city has tightened up on lost water.

Yeager also asked if the police are enforcing the odd-even watering ban A second question was related to the sprinkling ban. Odd-even watering schedule is being followed. Dexter said he would remind officers to enforce the sprinkling ban, especially in this dry, hot weather.

The next Wyoming City Council meeting is 7 p.m., Tuesday, July 10.

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