People with gates at the end of their driveways or private roads are not accessible to the local fire department if their houses catch on fire. This was a concern raised by Fire Chief Phil Bonin at the Schroeder Township Board meeting September 10, 2013. Bonin said he would not use a department truck to break a steel gate.
Numerous Schroeder properties are known to be blocked off by gates. Bonin said he gets requests from insurance companies regarding things such as how far a property is from the nearest fire hall and response time in case of fire.
Board Treasurer Alicia Kangas wondered if a property owner who had installed a gate at the end of a private road could be held liable for damage to other properties that are accessed from that road through an easement.
The board decided to try to send letters out to all property owners known to have gates on their properties, telling them that they are not protected by the fire department because their properties are inaccessible. One issue was that they were not sure how to contact some owners, particularly those who live outside the county most of the time.
Another danger the fire chief mentioned was water. Bonin said the department had conducted several water rescues lately. People continue to get into trouble in the Temperance River. “I now keep a water kit in the truck,” he said. It consists of a throw rope and a life preserver.
Fire Chief Bonin reported that the fire department’s pancake breakfast fundraiser on Father Baraga Day brought in 80 people.
Busy beavers
The beavers alongside the Sugarloaf Road have been busy – very, very busy.
The township has a permit from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to trap beaver. Board member Roger “Bill” McKeever said that every time they get rid of the beavers there, however, more move in and take their place.
The beavers would be left to their own devices if it weren’t for the fact that the culvert under the road gets plugged and the road overflows with river water, creating washouts in the summer and ice in the winter.
“We get rid of them – two days later, there’s more,” McKeever said.
The township has removed 13 beavers so far. “It’s really a problem,” McKeever said. “You can’t trap something that keeps moving in. I’ve never seen anything that is as persistent as this in my life.”
“They’re persistent,” Deputy Clerk Gale Ring agreed.
McKeever said he thinks they may need to destroy the beaver house. The township did that once before, he said, and the river was clear of beaver at that spot for about four years.
Maintenance and winter prep
The board will be seeking bids for snowplowing and wants them in by November so they can be ready for snow. Board members also talked about going out for bids before the end of the year for brushing where Sugarloaf Road and Father Baraga Road meet Highway 61. That work would be done when the snow goes out.
The township will be keeping an old grave warmer to help soften the ground for digging in the wintertime. Bill McKeever recommended keeping it even though it’s old. He said it also provides an easy way to thaw out a frozen septic system.
Although the porta-potties in various locations will be left out until October 21, the Monday after MEA weekend, flowers and planters in the cemetery need to be removed by October 15.
McKeever recommended simply replacing a leaky faucet in the town hall women’s bathroom rather than spending money on getting it fixed.
Wood chips will be laid down at some point where the tansy was removed from the Welcome Walls in August, a project that was completed with the help of the Minnesota Conservation Corps and a lot of local volunteers.
“It looks 100 percent better,” said Skip Lamb.
Township park development
Jim Norvell, champion of the Father Baraga’s Cross historic site and the Schroeder Township park adjacent to it, travelled from his new home in Duluth to report on the grant-funded planning being done for the township park.
Planned for the park is an open space by the lake with a picnic shelter set back from the lake. A vegetation buffer between the park and the beach will absorb storm water and prevent erosion. A handicap-accessible parking lot will be located near a pit toilet. The site will have informational kiosks in several places, and the cross will have benches near it that are cohesive with the design of the cross. The boat launch will remain.
One resident who lives along Father Baraga Road protested further development of what is already there. She said the boat launch is not functional, the road would not accommodate increased activity, and it would need brushing and plowing.
Jim Norvell said they hope to address boat accessibility over the course of time. Skip Lamb said this is a 20-year plan, and the township will be focusing on what can be done on its own land, even though the park plan includes enhancements to the cross area, owned by the Catholic Diocese of Duluth, and the river area, owned by Skip and Linda Lamb.
Regarding the road leading to the park, which has several private properties along it, Bill McKeever said, “It’s a town road.”
Public meetings have been held on enhancement of the park, with notices in the paper and on WTIP Radio, said township supervisor Tina McKeever. It has been discussed at township annual meetings as well.
The property owner said a lot of people are out of the area when the first half of the annual meeting is held in March. Tina McKeever responded by saying they can’t help whether people are in town at that time.
Bill McKeever agreed that the boat ramp is not good for anything except canoes and kayaks but that it’s great for them because they don’t have to worry about getting in the way of bigger boats in Taconite Harbor.
The property owner opposing the plans said some people prefer the park in a more wild state. “I think it’s a very elaborate idea and I don’t think it belongs here,” she said.
Skip Lamb, on the planning task force, said they are staying within the original footprint of the park and simply enhancing what’s already there.
The next step in the planning process will be to hold more public meetings. These will be noticed at Temperance Traders and the post office, in the Cook County News-Herald, and on WTIP Radio. Drawings of the proposed plan can be viewed at the town hall.
Schroeder Area Historical Society
Linda Lamb said an estimated 75-100 people attended John Schroeder Day festivities.
On September 21 from 1 to 4 p.m., the Schroeder Area Historical Society will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Cross River Heritage Center with an open house. The archive room will be open during the open house.
“We’re always looking for volunteers to come and help us,” Lamb said. “There’s a job for everybody.”
County septic ordinance
A public hearing on the proposed county septic ordinance will be held September 25 at 6 p.m. in the courthouse commissioners’ room in Grand Marais. At the suggestion of County Commissioner Bruce Martinson of Schroeder, the board passed a motion authorizing a letter to be sent to the county board requesting that public hearings on the proposed ordinance be held in numerous locations throughout the county, including the West End. Bill McKeever said he thought hearings should also be held up the Gunflint Trail and in Hovland.
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