After some of Tofte’s Fourth of July fireworks blew up in the town park last year, the Independence Day fireworks will never be quite the same. Tofte supervisor Paul James reported at the Thursday, May 13, 2010 township meeting that he and others would be meeting with representatives of Arrowhead Fireworks, a professional fireworks company, the following week to create a plan for igniting them safely.
The fireworks will need to be set off in a new place, which means spectators can no longer watch from their old vantage points. They must be at least 210 feet from where the fireworks are ignited. Finding space for the spectators will be a challenge.
“We’re going to have to be really creative,” James said, “because this is a big change. It’s either that or no fireworks.”
The display will have to use shells smaller than three inches. Three-inch shells would require 280 feet of clearance, which is hard to find with all the buildings around, said Supervisor Jim King.
James wondered if they should ignite the fireworks more slowly and make them last longer or ignite them closer together for a more dramatic effect. Jerry Gervais thought they should last a little longer, but John Nelson thought they should be more awe-inspiring. Nelson recommended shooting them off with one to two seconds between shells.
The park will need some brushing to accommodate spectators in new places. Theboard invites volunteers to help clean up the park Saturday, June 19 starting at 9:00 a.m.
Schroeder donated $800 toward the cost of Tofte’s Fourth of July fireworks. Lutsen has not sent a donation.
Rescue Squad and Fire
Department
Rescue Squad Chief Louise Trachta reported that an accident involving three people in one car at the entrance to Minnesota Power on Highway 61 in Taconite Harbor resulted in “a few broken bones but nothing serious.” Thecar hit an electric pole after swerving to miss a deer.
The Township of Schroeder sent Tofte $10,500 for its annual share in the cost of the Rescue Squad along with a signed agreement for one year. The Tofte board will suggest to the Schroeder board that they get together in November to discuss the actual cost of operating the Rescue Squad.
Theboard opened bids from 10 companies hoping to sell a tactical tender to the township. Bids ranged from $148,000 to $190,235 but did not include all the same features. Upon opening one of the lowest bids, Supervisor D.C. Olsen asked, “Does that include the truck?” The bids, many of them presented in large binders, had been mailed in tightly sealed boxes and padded envelopes that Olsen struggled to open. “We should disqualify people for making packages too hard to open!” he joked.
“When they say sealed bids,” Supervisor Paul James said, “they mean it!”
The supervisors and Fire Chief Rich Nelson planned to review all the bids and try to select the best one, not necessarily the cheapest one. The department has $156,988 in its budget for the new truck.
Township pay scale
In an effort to pay the township clerk and treasurer fairly, the board made some decisions on the pay rate for those positions but also made some decisions on the pay rate for supervisors.
Tofte had been paying its clerk $20 an hour for work outside the monthly board meeting with no per diem for the meeting itself. Lutsen’s clerk also gets $20 an hour for work done outside the meeting plus a per diem. Schroeder’s clerk gets $13 an hour for work done outside the meeting plus $75 a meeting.
Tofte’s treasurer had been getting a per diem for the meeting but nothing for work done outside the meeting.
Supervisor Olsen said he believes all of them should be paid the same whether they are a clerk, a treasurer, or a supervisor. “I don’t know why we would treat anyone differently,” he said.
Clerk Barb Gervais advocated for supervisors to get paid for the work they do outside the meeting. Long-time town supervisor John Nelson said supervisors do a lot of work outside the monthly meeting.
Olsen said he would only expect to be compensated for work the board has specifically commissioned him to do, such as being on the 1% county sales tax committee. He wouldn’t charge, however, for helping out at the town park. He suggested that they be paid if they have to miss work to carry out supervisor duties.
“Part of it,” said Supervisor Paul James, “is you wanting to serve the community. We’re certainly not doing it because we’re going to get rich.” Supervisor Jim King joked, well, that’s what he had been hoping!
The board unanimously passed a motion to pay the clerk and treasurer $75 per meeting plus $20 an hour for work done outside the meeting and to pay supervisors $75 per meeting plus $20 for work done outside the meeting, but only by prior approval of the board.
Birch Grove 1% projects
Supervisor Olsen said he met with a landscape architect about improvements that could be made to outdoor recreational facilities at Birch Grove from 1% sales tax proceeds. Theplan would include swings, a feature not available now, and an additional area with equipment designed for small children.
The board discussed the material to be used for padding underneath the playground equipment. Rubber underlayment would cost about $9,000 but would last longer than wood chips, which would cost about $3,000.
Olsen was also waiting for a second estimate on curb and sidewalk replacement.
“I really think Tofte is moving forward,” said County Commissioner Bruce Martinson.
Supervisor Paul James expressed his concern that the community center facility being planned for Grand Marais would use up a lot of the 1% money and then cost the county a lot to maintain each year.
“Right now it seems like the community center is driving the whole wagon,” he said. He feared that all the other potential projects discussed for the 1% money would be an afterthought and that very little money would be left for them.
Supervisor Olsen reported that 117 people showed up for the most recent community lunch at Birch Grove. “Not bad with 120 people living in the Town of Tofte,” he said.
Self-directed audit
The board voted to conduct an audit of township records, with each supervisor responsible for an area in which he has no ongoing responsibilities or special interest. This would be, according to Supervisor King, “a chance for us to see what we have on the books and see if we need to make updates, corrections, or changes.” He hopes the process can be completed by October.
“I think this is a great idea,” said James. The township continues to grow, he said, and they need to do whatever they can to protect its interests.
Jim King will review fire and rescue records and documents, DC Olsen will review park and cemetery records and documents, and Paul James will review Birch Grove Community Center records and documents.
Tofte roads
John Nelson and Jerry Gervais talked about county roads in Tofte that need maintenance. Commissioner Martinson said Cook County Highway Department Maintenance Supervisor Russell Klegstad would be at the June meeting to discuss needed roadwork.
Those in attendance also discussed the need for culvert replacement on the Birch Grove Community Center road. Gervais said he has been talking with U.S. Forest Service and DNR officials about property boundaries adjacent to the road. He said some discrepancies have been found regarding which road portions are under whose jurisdiction. Theprocess could take awhile. Somewhere in the discussion DC Olsen said, “I wasn’t talking about common sense. I was talking about the government.”
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