On behalf of the Township of Schroeder on September 14, 2010, Town Clerk Carol Tveekrem presented Judy Gregg with a certificate of appreciation for her grandson, Boy Scout Austin Cooper-Gregg, who refurbished the lawn at the Schroeder Cemetery this summer. Cooper-Greg’s grandfather – Judy Gregg’s husband – used to be a town supervisor and is now buried in the Schroeder Cemetery.
At the beginning of the September 14, 2010 Schroeder town board meeting, Judy Gregg accepted a certificate of appreciation from the township on behalf of her grandson, Boy Scout Austin Cooper-Gregg. This summer he completed a lawnrefurbishing project in the Schroeder Cemetery.
Cooper-Gregg’s grandfather, Larry Gregg, used to be a town supervisor and is now buried in the cemetery. Supervisor Tina McKeever said, “He did a fabulous job with the cemetery.”
Theboard passed a motion to have John Nelson make a new sign to replace the rusted metal one that arches over the entrance to the cemetery. Supervisor Roger “Bill” McKeever said it has not been painted since he painted it when he was in high school.
Fire and rescue report
Fire Chief Phil Bonin reported that the fire and rescue squad had been called out five times in the preceding week and a half, mostly in the rain or in the dark. Theywere called out eight to ten times in August, he said.
Two new rescue squad members are being trained at a cost of $320 to the department, which will need to purchase equipment for them as well. Floyd Johnson recommended that they apply for an Operation Roundup grant from Arrowhead Electric Cooperative Inc.
Roads and building
maintenance
Johnson reported that a culvert on the Sugarloaf Road was plugged and would need Jerry Gervais to unplug it with his processor. Supervisor Ross Willson said the bump sign on the Cramer Road keeps blowing down. Johnson told County Commissioner Bruce Martinson that one of the county roads in Lutsen hadn’t been graded since May. When Martinson asked him which one, Johnson told him to go drive the roads in Lutsen and find it himself. Better yet, he added, “Get in your car and I’ll drive!”
Martinson quipped back, saying bad roads slow drivers down. Johnson said he never sees commissioners, the highway engineer, or the maintenance supervisor driving West End roads. Martinson said he would get Maintenance Supervisor Russell Klegstad to attend the next Schroeder town board meeting. Several people said they didn’t care if he comes to the meeting; they just wanted Martinson to get him to fix the roads.
Theboard passed a motion to have Scott Robinson fix the ball field fence. He was currently working on replacing the town hall septic system. He would also be asked to fix the storm drain in the parking lot.
Theboard passed a motion to ask Tim Goetll to fix two leaking toilets in the fire hall. Town Clerk Carol Tveekrem said the leaking in the town hall sink had stopped, but she wasn’t sure why. Either the gunk that caused the leak cleared out, she said, or the gunk filled in the gap where the leak had been.
The board discussed options for buying propane for the heating season and how to get the most for their money.
Budget
Tveekrem said the township needs to start setting its budget ahead of each year instead of approving it in March when they’re already a fourth of the way through the year.
Sewer and septics
The Tofte-Schroeder Sanitary Sewer District (TSSSD) will levy $15,000 in 2011, down from its 2010 levy of $30,000. The cost is equivalent to $7 per $100,000 in property value. Schroeder will be assessed one-third of the total.
One community member at the meeting who asked to remain anonymous stated that the three Tofte TSSSD board members – Paul James, Dave Rude, and Gary Kettleson (who has since resigned) – advocated for a higher levy amount but didn’t want the vote to be split by township, so they agreed to go with the lower levy amount. Schroeder is in the process of pursuing withdrawal from the TSSSD.
Frustrations were raised by some at the meeting over the county’s new septic inspector, Mitchell Everson, not passing septic systems that had been designed and installed by licensed professionals. Phil Bonin said that Everson was requiring him to put in a much more expensive system at his home than he thought was necessary. Deputy Clerk Gail Ring suggested that if people are afraid they will be required to replace their failing septic systems with more expensive ones, they might not get them fixed.
Supervisors Bill McKeever and Ross Willson directed Clerk Tveekrem to send a letter to county commissioners expressing concern over the stringency of the septic inspector’s requirements. (Tina McKeever had left the meeting early.)
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