The Tofte town board decided to try to meet with KGM Contractors Inc. construction manager Keith Line regarding a bill of approximately $13,900 it sent to the township for paving it completed this summer. KGM had agreed to do $30,000 worth of paving in exchange for being allowed to store 30,000 yards of blasted rock on the township’s old airstrip.
Supervisor D.C. Olsen reported that the township asked the Cook County Highway Department to estimate the amount of rock in KGM’s rock pile. The county measured with GPS equipment and came up with 39,881 cubic yards, which is 9,881 yards more than Tofte had agreed to let KGM store.
Town supervisor D.C. Olsen said that KGM had agreed to provide a dollar’s worth of paving for each cubic yard of rock it is storing on the airstrip. KGM did about $43,900 worth of paving for the township, he said, but since it is storing almost $40,000 worth of gravel instead of $30,000 worth, the township should pay significantly less than the approximately $13,900 it has been billed.
In addition, KGM had to get a conditional use permit (CUP) from the county in order to store the gravel on the airstrip, and that only allows them to store 30,000 cubic yards. “I think that kind of puts us in a bad position with the county,” board chair Paul James said. County Commissioner Bruce Martinson said he thinks the county board could amend the CUP without it having to go back to the Planning Commission for approval.
Jerry Gervais said that Planning & Zoning Director Tim Nelson told him that any rock beyond the amount allowed by KGM would be considered the property of the township.
Last month the board had discussed questions regarding whether KGM had actually laid as much pavement as it said it had, but Olsen reported that after taking measurements on the job, he believes KGM’s figures regarding the amount of pavement they had laid were fairly accurate.
The board decided to hold off on paying the bill and to request that Keith Line meet with them in person to discuss the matter.
Fire and rescue
The Tofte Fire Department received a $1,000 grant from the Minnesota State Volunteer Firefighters Association for training on driving the new fire tender. Mesabi Community College will provide the training, which is required by FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency). Fire Chief Rich Nelson said he feels good about getting professional training for the crew.
The board discussed the possibility of selling the old fire tender to Birch Grove Community Center for a nominal fee for use in flooding the ice rink. Thetender would need to be stored in a garage with insulation and electricity, and only people with a Class B license would be able to drive it.
The board thought someone in the community with the right type of garage might be willing to lease some storage space for it. Because of conditions attached to the grant that helped purchase the new tender, the old one cannot be stored in the department’s garage.
Fire Chief Nelson said the fire department has been “pretty quiet,” but Rescue Chief Louise Trachta said, “We’ve been completely busy.” The rescue squad has been called to help set up several Life Flight landings. They have lights on their trucks that enable helicopters to land safely at Satellite’s Country Inn. Her crew has also helped rescue several injured hikers. Wilderness rescues require a lot of personnel and equipment, she said, and she appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with other emergency response units. Collaboration helps everyone, she said.
“We’re at about 31 calls this year,” Trachta said. The squad responded to a total of 50 calls in 2009. The squad has 10 volunteers on it right now, with three more planning to get training this fall. “The more the merrier to help us out,” Trachta said. Her squad has worked professionally on all its calls, even when she is not there to oversee them, she said.
West End resident and North Shore Hospital board member Tom Spence Sr. wanted to clarify some statements that were made at last month’s Tofte town board meeting regarding why Duluth hospitals were no longer providing their own Life Flight helicopters. They decided to discontinue providing helicopter service independently and joined a consortium instead. Theservice is located in Hibbing because it is believed to get the greatest number of patients to hospitals in the shortest amount of time. Unfortunately, it adds about 10 minutes for Cook County patients.
Highway 61 crosswalks
Town clerk Barb Gervais told the board she has been trying to reach Todd Campbell at the Minnesota Department of Transportation regarding the possibility of getting crosswalks across Highway 61 between Coho Café and North Shore Market and outside Bluefin’s guest services building.
Amount spent on insurance
The board discussed whether the township’s buildings should be insured for their depreciated value or their replacement value. The buildings are currently insured for most of their replacement value. The difference between insuring for depreciated and replacement values is several thousand dollars, however. The board decided to bring the issue to the citizens at next spring’s annual town meeting.
PILT payment
The town of Tofte received $1,882.40 from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as payment in lieu of taxes. It will be placed once again in the township’s Rainy Day Fund.
Low water level at dock
Lake Superior’s water level is so low right now, Paul James said, that getting in and out of boats at the Tofte dock is very difficult. The board discussed installing a bumper of some sort to make it easier. D.C. Olsen recommended that they look at the dock at Taconite Harbor, which has such a bumper.
Fireworks company
Board chair Paul James reported that after contracting with Arrowhead Fireworks to provide this year’s Fourth of July celebration, they received notice that the owner of the family-owned company had died. James wanted the company to know that Tofte would like to use their services again next year if they are still in business but wanted to give them some time to grieve. He asked town clerk Barb Gervais to send a sympathy card that would also tactfully let them know the township is still interested in their services.
Town website and email address
Tofte is soon going to be on the cyber map and already has a site reserved at toftemn.com/. Town clerk Barb Gervais said she has been told it would cost about $600 to get someone to design the website. On it will be information regarding use of the town park, cemetery policies, and contact information, as well as forms that can be downloaded.
Gervais has set up an email account with local Internet provider Boreal Access. It is toftemn@boreal.org.
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