Sally Nankivell of the Lutsen-Tofte Tourism Association spoke to the Schroeder town board Tuesday, October 13, 2009 in support of the proposed 1% tax on the current mail-in referendum ballot.
The two questions on the ballot regard authorizing the county to collect a 1% sales tax for seven capital improvement projects throughout the county and to operate a telephone utility as part of an ultra high speed fiber optic broadband Internet network.
Providing broadband access throughout the county is crucial, Nankivell said. “It’s just like getting electricity to homes.”
If both questions pass, the county board would appoint a board of directors comprised of one county commissioner and numerous experts in technology and business. A professional staff would be hired to construct and run the system. Town supervisor Bill McKeever said he is concerned about the government choosing people to do the work and getting involved in business.
Boreal Access, the local Internet provider, has had “huge success,” town clerk Carol Tveekrem said, and offers good prices.
Town hall septic system
Septic installer Scott Robinson advised the Schroeder town board on options for upgrading the town hall septic system in order to bring it up to code. A log kept since June 2006 shows that the water use at the town hall varies widely, from 10 to 333 gallons a day depending on the activities going on.
Having a kitchen from which most food is merely served rather than a commercial kitchen where a lot of food is prepared will make fewer demands on the septic system, Robinson said, because it will not need to digest as many food scraps.
Robinson suggested that the board anticipate future uses for the town hall so the system would not be outdated for a long time. He recommended installation of a “dialer” that would call someone when water is being used unnecessarily, such as if a toilet were leaking. Several people teasingly nominated others at the meeting to be called by the automatic dialing system, but no one volunteered to be the one called.
Bill McKeever, owner of McKeever Well Drilling, said 90% of the people who call him saying their well has run dry have a running toilet that is using up all their water.
Robinson outlined various construction options that would reduce the likelihood of lines freezing, a problem exacerbated when a system is not in constant use. If done right, the system could be “almost foolproof,” he said.
Robinson agreed to put in writing two of the designs they discussed with specifications that could be used by a bidder to estimate the potential cost. Robinson said he charges $550 for designing a system but would take that amount off the price if he were the successful bidder.
Bids awarded
The board voted to hire Edwin E. Thoreson Inc. to repair the sinkhole in the parking lot and drainage tile leading to it.
Township snowplowing will be done by two parties this year. Floyd Johnson will take the three small township roads and the town hall, and Curtis Laboda will take the Sugarloaf Road. Both will be paid $75 an hour. Johnson said he is trying to ease out of the snowplowing business. In a separate phone conversation, McKeever said that Johnson’s father used to plow the Sugarloaf Road with horses.
Cap Trico of Two Harbors will be supplying the town hall with its propane this winter pending verification of a price of $1.17 9/10 per gallon.
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