County Highway Engineer David Betts and Highway Maintenance Supervisor Russell Klegstad attended the April 12 Schroeder town board meeting and updated the board on various road projects. They also ironed out some issues regarding the county helping the township with work the township doesn’t have the equipment to handle itself.
Betts said striping on the Cramer Road is slated for this summer. The work probably won’t start until July to make sure temperatures are warm enough for the paint to take, he said.
Klegstad said more calcium chloride should be available for the road this summer because the county board approved extra spending on it. “It really cuts your grading down,” McKeever said, although he said other factors such as moisture affect conditions as well.
Klegstad said some people want calcium chloride, some don’t, and some don’t understand it. It saves taxpayers money, he said, and it improves safety not only by keeping the dust down but in other ways as well. “It saves a lot of money,” he said.
Supervisor Roger “Bill” McKeever asked Betts and Klegstad to let them know when they have hot mix in the area so they could use some of it to fix problems in the town hall parking lot.
Betts asked the board what they wanted to talk to them about. McKeever said despite what some people might say, the county helping the township out with road maintenance – such as sanding icy spots or winging snow from the roadsides – does not displace private business. The township could hire Isak Hansen to do this kind of work, but it would cost the township a lot, he said.
The county board has said they don’t want the Highway Department to interfere with private business, Klegstad said. He then addressed the issue of who would be authorized to call the county to request roadwork on behalf of the township. He indicated that one citizen “went off” on him once, and he won’t tolerate that. Betts said they needed the township board to authorize two or three people ahead of time to make such requests.
Township Clerk Carol Tveekrem will draft a letter designating who is authorized to request the county’s help on roadwork.
McKeever also said he hoped the Highway Department employee already working in the area would know when conditions would warrant the county helping out with things the township didn’t have the equipment to do. Klegstad said he would support his workers taking that initiative with the county board’s permission.
Betts said the county would have three trucks coming up for sale this summer, one expected to be quite inexpensive that would come with a plow, a wing, and a sander. One of the trucks that has about 300,000 or 400,000 miles on it has a “million-mile motor,” Klegstad said. McKeever asked Betts and Klegstad to notify the township when the county is ready to sell.
McKeever asked Betts and Klegstad how they deal with beaver that plug up culverts and cause roads to flood. Klegstad said that the township is the road authority and can legally trap them within 100 feet of the road.
Betts said two of his employees are also trappers, and it’s cheapest to hire them to trap on an hourly rate after work hours. Klegstad said he has been in contact with West End DNR Conservation Officer Tom Wahlstrom regarding beavers. Klegstad suggested that if the township hires trappers, they give them an authorization letter to carry with them.
Fire department quiet
The fire department received no calls in March, reported Fire Chief Phil Bonin. “No calls so far this month,” he added, “so we’re doing good.”
Lawn mowing bids
The board reviewed at least four bids they received for mowing grass at the ball field, the cemetery, town hall, and the park on Baraga’s Cross Road. Deb Johnson, whose husband Greg was one of the bidders, made some comments about the bids and advocated for their business.
The board went with the lowest bid, which was from Carl Crawford. McKeever and Tveekrem expressed regret that they couldn’t give business to all of the bidders, however. Tveekrem called the News-Herald the next week to say that because of some businessrelated things that came up, Crawford withdrew his bid and the job went to Greg Johnson.
Solar powered flagpole light
The board discussed ordering new flagpole equipment, including a solarpowered light so the flag could be kept up at night. McKeever said he has used that kind of light to illuminate a sign at Satellite’s Country Inn, and it works all night long even in the wintertime.
The board passed a motion authorizing Tveekrem to order what was needed, although she will look for sales before buying a new flagpole.
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