After uncertainty regarding whether a Schroeder resident in the Tofte-Schroeder Sanitary Sewer District (TSSSD) board could be found to replace outgoing board member Rick Anderson, Charlie Muggley stepped up to the plate.
Schroeder continues its process of trying to withdraw from the district because a municipal sewer system would be too costly. Schroeder Town Supervisor Roger “Bill” McKeever said at a Jan. 12 town board meeting he is “not expecting any blessing” from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency since the alternative to municipal treatment is individual septic systems.
Clerk Carol Tveekrem read a list of stipulations for withdrawal that Rick Anderson had suggested at a TSSSD meeting. It included a requirement that current septic systems that have been identified with problems be updated before withdrawal is approved. County Commissioner Bruce Martinson suggested that the conditions on the list might be redundant with the septic ordinance currently being crafted by the county.
Regulations regarding the same things are not needed at multiple levels of government, McKeever stated. In addition, he said the county board needs to say no to enforcing regulations it can’t afford to enforce, even if that means saying no to state and federal government.
If you don’t do what you’re told to do, Martinson countered, you can incur fines by the day.
McKeever said the government tends to claim that what it is requiring, such as a municipal water and sewer system, won’t cost much, but people who do that kind of work know that it will cost a lot more than the government says it will.
At the end of the meeting, Carol Tveekrem went over mail that had come to the township. She noted a survey from the state regarding invasive tree pests. “I don’t know what I’ll be able to contribute to that,” she said.
“You’re going to have to get rid of me!” said McKeever.
New firefighters
The fire department has four new volunteers, reported Fire Chief Phil Bonin. Eight of the department’s 10 firefighters are planning to take the training being coordinated by the Tofte Fire Department. It will involve training two days a week and every other Saturday for three months.
The department currently has enough gear, Bonin said, but he had to order four more pagers.
Cemetery markers
McKeever said he and three other people spent three hours together plus additional time individually over the weekend trying to find cemetery markers. Not only were the markers buried under the snow, they had become buried under the soil after being installed 3½ years ago, he said. He found three markers but never could find a fourth, although he figured out where it was supposed to be.
McKeever suggested that at the town meeting in March townspeople consider purchasing a good quality metal detector. Bonin said good ones can distinguish various types of metal and how deep they are buried. A good one can be purchased for around $300, he said.
Town hall building maintenance
McKeever reported that he had installed a new water pump and low water control in the town hall building after an unidentified man called saying no water was coming into the building. The low water control McKeever replaced had been installed before the new town hall replaced the old one, he said. More work is still needed. McKeever figured something stuck and burned out the pump.
With Supervisor Catherine Johnson absent, board members McKeever and Ross Willson voted to have the work done at some point, probably when the weather is warmer. McKeever said he hesitated to second the motion because he is a contractor himself. Fire Chief Bonin agreed to keep checking on the situation until then since he is in the building frequently.
Also discussed was a need for a backup propane heater in the building. Bonin said the pilot has gone out from time to time. McKeever said he stops in to check on the heat when he’s in the area. He said he could invite heating contractor Jim Koski to the next meeting, or they could ask propane delivery companies for prices. Floyd Johnson recommended Koski because he’s local and can be reached easily. McKeever said Koski is backlogged with furnace cleanings right now.
The board (McKeever and Willson) voted to ask Koski to install a backup heater if his cost estimate is reasonable and he has the time to do it.
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