Alice Pickering
Wyoming Reporter

There will be no Wyoming Business Barns, the Wyoming City Council learned at its meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

Trailhead Land Development Corporation has withdrawn its land use application. During its meeting last week, council members unanimously acknowledged withdrawal of the application.

Attorney Dave Snyder explained that the company has decided not to proceed with the application because there are disputes with easements on the east side of the property. Final plat approval for the project was tabled indefinitely at the council meeting June 5, because of land title disputes.

Morrell Trucking currently holds a trucking easement on the site.

However, Snyder said the easements are “permitted encumbrances under the purchase agreement” and Trailhead knew about them when the agreement was signed. His legal opinion is that Trailhead is not permitted to object to the easements.

The city’s Economic Development Authority, the Chisago County Housing and Redevelopment Authority and the Chisago County HRA entered into a purchase agreement with the company in November 2006.

With Trailhead not going ahead with its application, the city can take action to terminate the purchase agreement. One of the terms of the agreement is that with its cancellation, the EDA retains earnest money in the amount of $25,000.

By a vote of 5-0, council gave approval for the cancellation of the purchase agreement.

Appeal denied

The Wyoming City/Township petition to the Minnesota Supreme Court to review a Minnesota Court of Appeals decision on the proposed city-town merger was denied Sept. 27.

Information came from city staff on Thursday, Oct. 4.

In September, the council reviewed a letter from Roger Elmore, chairman of Wyoming Town Board, to Chisago City Council.

In the letter, Elmore reviewed the position held by the city and Wyoming Township regarding the joint merger petition. A recap of the city of Wyoming and Wyoming Township position is that the two are intent upon merger as set out in the original proposal.

“We are steadfast in our commitment to uphold the wishes of both of Wyomings,” Elmore said. He said township and city residents heard loud and clear in public forums; bring the two communities together as one Wyoming.

Planning item

At the last council meeting, a variance request for a wall sign, larger than ordinance allows, was granted to Wyoming Industrial Park business owner Gene Hallberg.

The planning commission had recommended against approval, but council looked at the examples and scale of the proposal and approved the request. Planning commission members were working with the existing ordinance in making the recommendation.

Hallberg had not attended the planning commission hearing about his variance request for a larger wall sign, but had attended the council meeting.

Planning would have preferred to have the matter referred back to the commission, with Hallberg in attendance. They acknowledged the ordinance may need review.

Computer purchase

The Wyoming and North Branch police departments had joined with Chisago County when computers were purchased for the county. They operated under the same system and allowed communication between jurisdictions.

At the time, the Lakes Area Police Department (Chisago City and Lindstrom) opted to go with another system which did not work with the county system.

At a time when the computers need to be upgraded, Lakes Area wants to adopt the same system as the county. The cost has gone up for the computers and set-up, and the money has already been budgeted. The cost to upgrade all the squad cars and add the LAPD would be about $500,000, according to Acting Police Chief Scott Dexter. That’s about $300,000 more than budgeted.

Dexter explained that if the computers in the city squads are not upgraded at the same time Washington County switches to the new computers, the city’s squad cars will not be able to communicate with other agencies. The change is anticipated sometime in the first quarter of 2008.

Dexter said County Commissioner Ben Montzka of Wyoming proposed bonding for the additional money for the computers. No decision about bonding has been made.

Xccent review

City and township officials met with representatives of Xccent the last week in September. A 12-acre parcel south of the Fairview campus is where the Wisconsin company is proposing a new manufacturing plant. Xccent plans to hire local workers for the expansion.

Attorney Snyder told the council that the annexation of the parcel could be completed by a joint powers agreement. He estimated it could be completed in 90 to 180 days.

Council reports

In council reports, Joe Zerwas and Tom LaBarre thanked the Stagecoach Days committee, city staff, parks, police department, and maintenance department for a successful event on Saturday, Sept. 29.

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