At the Thursday, September 10 meeting of the Tofte town board, Supervisor D.C. Olsen reported, “There’s a lot going on at Birch Grove.”
The Birch Grove Community School has 40 K-5 students and 12 preschoolers, and the new pellet boiler is ready to go when the weather turns cold.
The community room at Birch Grove Community Center will be getting some new carpeting this fall, part of a plan to replace some carpeting each year, Olsen said. Larry Martin submitted the lower of two bids — $810 — for installation of the carpeting. Olsen said he thinks the entire project, including carpeting and delivery, will be under $2,200. Jerry Gervais and Supervisor Paul James both said Martin does a great job, and he is local. A motion passed (with Supervisor Tom Muntean absent) giving Birch Grove Community Center authority to buy and install new carpeting.
Requests for bids were sent out to every excavating contractor in Tofte for drainage ditching around the community center in two places: beside the new pellet equipment and in an erosion-prone area beside Good Neighbor Hill Road. Olsen said that contractor bids must be included when submitting a permit application to the county Planning & Zoning Department. Contractors have a hard time making accurate bids, however, when they don’t know the specifications that will be included with the permit. The township only received one bid for each area to be ditched. Greg Vetter won the bids for a total cost of $1,170. “He does a lot of this work for cost,” Supervisor James said.
Seniors with mobility challenges are having difficulty getting into the Birch Grove Community Center, Olsen reported. James agreed, saying, “Our seniors are struggling.” Darrell Carpenter submitted a bid for $1,000 to remove the current ramp and replace it with a concrete ramp. “He’s putting in a pretty low bid,” James added. A motion passed to hire Carpenter to replace the ramp.
Good treatment from bank
Six of Tofte’s certificates of deposit (CDs) expired September 15, and the board voted to roll five of them over to new six-month CDs. The five CDs total about $18,000, and according to Town Treasurer Mary Jane Huggins, as long as the total amount stays above $10,000, Grand Marais State Bank would give them a 1.71% interest rate rather than a 0.5% interest rate.
“The bank has been really good to the town,” Supervisor James said.
Park improvements
The sixth CD, containing the park fund, will be rolled temporarily into the general fund so it can be accessed to pay for an electrical outlet near the swing set area in the park. Theoutlet would provide electricity for weddings and musical performances.
James recommended installing 100- amp service on a pole in a central location or a location that could be easily accessed and maintained. To avoid unauthorized use of the outlet, it could be turned off except when the service was paid for as part of a park rental package.
Requests for proposals will be sent to four local electrical contractors: Peak Electric, Kevin Mackey, Nordic Electric, and David Rude.
Proposals will be sent to local contractors Greg Vetter and Jerry Gervais for installation of a covered electrical conduit in the park. It would require Class 5 gravel, rock, topsoil, mulch, and grass seed. Paul James said he would work with the county Planning & Zoning Department to make sure the work is done properly.
Help from John Nelson
Tofte Citizen of the Year John Nelson agreed to do several things for the township. Nelson maintains the park and said he would look at what would be needed to repair the dock at the boat launch in the park. Jerry Gervais said Charles Lamb told him the town could use some telephone poles that he had sitting nearby if they had a need for them.
Nelson also agreed to oversee installation of permanent safety fencing that leads to the water pump out in the lake. A fencing contractor had given Supervisor Olsen a bid of $1,456 to do the job. Nelson offered to donate 25-foot-long two-inch solid steel drill rods for the fence posts. He will ask Charles Lamb to install the posts, and James said installing chain link fencing over them would not be a problem.
Nelson also agreed to clear some brush and branches from around the fire hall. TheFirewise program had given the township a good rating but recommended the vegetative clearing.
Snowplowing needs
The town board discussed specifications for removing snow from the fire hall, town hall, park, and cemetery this winter. Snowfalls of three or more inches will be plowed. Walkways need to be maintained, and fire truck access to the water supply in the park must be maintained with adequate turnaround space. Sand might be needed, especially for the fire trucks, but the board did not make any decision about obtaining or spreading sand. An ad for bids will be published in the paper.
Fire and rescue
Supervisor James reported that new fire department gear, including air tanks, would be arriving September 14. Tofte and Lutsen fire departments will join together in October for training, since both departments will have the same type of new gear.
Louis Trachta’s rescue squad report was brief: “We’re consistently busy. Other than that, everything is going fine.”
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