Coming off a well attended and structured township annual meeting held just two days before, Tofte supervisors were relieved to hold a more relaxed session on March 12. Still, some interesting things came from that meeting.
Housing slowed by septic questions
Supervisor Jeanne Larson gave an update on the 12-unit senior housing project the township is in the process of building. As housing project leader, Larson has been working to obtain a conditional use permit (CUP) from the county for the planned unit development (PUD) so the six townhouses to be built by Dynamic Homes can be placed on town land behind the Birch Grove Community Center.
“Our engineer in Duluth tells me one thing and [Cook County Planning & Zoning Environmental Health and Septic Inspector] Mitch Everson tells me another. I would like to get all of us together for a meeting and plow through this. Right now it’s a ‘he said, she said’ thing and it needs to get fixed,” Larson said.
Supervisor Jim King noted that Jerry Gervais, a member of the Cook County Planning and Zoning Committee, was in the audience. “Maybe Jerry can help us with this,” said King.
Gervais, who works as a septic installer, directed his answer to Larson, “Right now 28 out of 32 sewer contractors are boycotting the county.”
Gervais said the problem was not with Everson, but Planning & Zoning Director Tim Nelson. Gervais empathized with Nelson because his wife is ill and he is taking care of her, but added, “Until this all gets cleared up the contractors have said they will not dig sewers this summer. We’re trying to get this resolved. I would recommend you go talk to Tim.”
“Nothing is going to happen until you get the soil tested,” said Supervisor Paul James, who said he tried to get Everson to inspect last fall.
“Two years ago Scott Robinson [an installer and inspector from Lake County] did a preliminary plan for the 12-unit housing. We paid him $6,000. He took soil samples of the site and performed a soil analysis and he took pictures and put it all on a CD and Mitch isn’t allowing it. And Mitch was there when Scott was doing it.
“Do you think the soil changed in two years?” James asked rhetorically.
Maintenance supervisor needed?
Supervisor King said the township might want to think about hiring a maintenance supervisor. “I got a call at 20 minutes to 8 a.m. from Skip Lamb that there was a water leak in a classroom at the school. He asked me what he could do or what he should do. I told him to do whatever he could and he got the leak stopped. A little while later Tim Schliep came over to do some repairs and Service Master came from Silver Bay to clean up. It got me thinking about all of the things the town has responsibility to maintain.”
King read the names of 10 people who take the responsibility to mow, plow, plumb, paint, rake, brush, haul, shovel, clean etc. “All of this and then we are going to get into repairs for senior housing? How are we going to handle all of this? We need to start looking for answers.”
“I think we need a maintenance supervisor,” said James. “We can’t replace those people. We just need a ‘go to’ person who would know who to call when something needs to get done.”
“I hate to say this but maybe we need to appoint another committee to look at this,” said King. “Or a short term task force. There’s a lot of ways we could go with this, but we need to decide something soon.”
After some discussion it was decided to seek out people who have knowledge in this area and form a short-term task force.
Marketing committee needed?
Larson said she had a meeting with Timber Wolf Realty, which is interested in marketing and managing the senior housing. “Their group would also be very interested in being in charge of marketing and property management, and maybe they would even be interested in managing the maintenance for the Birch Grove Community Center, senior housing, town hall, park and cemetery,” said Larson.
“Let’s put together a rental, marketing, maintenance and management job description first,” said James.
Larson said it might be time to form a five-person committee that would be tasked with overseeing and helping to direct the marketing and renting of the units. She made a motion to that effect that passed unanimously.
Outdoor classroom up for sale
Judy Motschenbacher came with a report from the Birch Grove Community School concerning the sale of the outdoor classroom.
“The school is selling the timber frame structure, but first we would like to know if the township wants it,” Motschenbacher said, adding that the school would like to know if the town was interested by March 21 because if the township is not interested, the school needs to market the structure.
Larson asked if the sale could be delayed, stating that the town board had some questions it would like answered before proceeding. She asked if waiting until the April 9 town meeting would give the school enough time to answer the township’s questions. Motschenbacher said yes.
“How much are you asking?” inquired Larson.
Motschenbacher said the minimum bid is $60,000. “We have $69,000 into it,” she said.
James asked how much Minnesota Power had contributed to construction of the outdoor classroom. “They gave us $20,000,” replied Motschenbacher.
“How much money did the school put into it?” Larson asked.
“We put sweat equity into it. The money came from grants and donations. The timber frame was made at North House for $12,000,” said Motschenbacher.
She promised to be back with answers and proof of title ensuring that the school board has the right to sell the building.
No West End Search & Rescue equipment?
The board approved an agreement for the Cook County Search & Rescue squad to use the Sawbill garage and Tofte’s fire and rescue equipment.
However, James said he had been contacted by the Emergency Management director in Grand Marais informing him that the search and rescue equipment owned by the Cook County Search & Rescue was going to be pulled from Tofte and brought to Grand Marais because the storage unit in Tofte didn’t have electricity or heat.
The equipment, which is used if necessary by Tofte or Cook County Sheriff Department personnel, includes a snowmobile and trailer, a 6-wheel all terrain vehicle and a Chevy Tahoe.
“I’m thinking about calling Pat Eliasen and letting him know about this,” said Co-EMS Chief Phil Bonin.
“I think that’s a good idea. Let the sheriff know what’s going on,” James said.
In other business
. Tofte Clerk Barb Gervais asked for and received permission to once again apply for the Great Place grant. Last year she applied on behalf of the township and Tofte received $1,000 that was used to purchase picnic tables.
. The board transferred $8,000 to the Birch Grove Community School from the township’s savings account. The money was promised to the school at the 2014 township’s annual meeting.
. Before the meeting ended, Supervisor King said he wanted to address the board. Visibly upset, he asked Supervisor James to read a statement for him.
“Yesterday, March 11, I was informed that a Facebook posting by a member of the Birch Grove School Board stated, ‘If you can’t come there to do good things then don’t come at all’ relating to my vote to oppose [I believe] an illegal request to commit the town to a 5-year plan to donate $20,000 per year to the charter school. As I cannot support this commitment until advised of the legality, I must abstain from any motions or measures related to Birch Grove Charter School.
“If I, as an elected individual, had made a similar statement about a member of another community organization, I would probably be facing a lawsuit,” King’s statement read.
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