Not a lot took place at the February 9, 2010 Schroeder town board meeting, but those present advanced the cause of ideas as they discussed thoughts that sprang from the agenda.
Commissioner Bruce Martinson asked if anyone on the board was trained to be on the Board of Equalization later this year. Supervisor Roger “Bill” McKeever took issue with the concept of such training. Boards of Equalization were intended for peers to use their common sense to consider property values, he said, not for government-trained people to use government formulas. Town Clerk Carol Tveekrem said the training requirement might have resulted from boards making improper decisions.
Fire Chief Phil Bonin reported that five Schroeder residents have been attending firefighting training with other area firedepartments. Thecost of the training has been covered, so anyone else wanting to attend the training can do so for free.
If Cook County transitions to the state-advocated 800 megahertz communication system that would allow emergency and government entities to interface, the Schroeder Fire Department would need to invest in new radios – to the tune of $100,000, Bonin said. McKeever mentioned a letter from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources that stated some areas would not switch to the new frequency because of the expense.
In a February 17 phone conversation with Cook County Emergency Management Director Jim Wiinanen, Wiinanen said that if county commissioners decide to switch to the 800 megahertz system, the county would be likely to work with all public entities to make the switchover financially feasible, perhaps by accessing grant funding.
Clerk Tveekrem read a letter from Tofte Town Clerk Barb Gervais asking Schroeder for $10,400 — its half of the annual cost of Tofte’s rescue squad services. Tveekrem did not agree with Tofte’s estimate of the rescue squad’s share in the cost of the Tofte fire hall. Supervisor McKeever said Tofte should not have based its estimate on the cost of renting commercial buildings in Duluth, an amount that includes profit and property taxes.
McKeever reported that he had recently slid sideways in his vehicle down the Sugarloaf Road because of ice on the road. Floyd Johnson had good news about the ice: The ice had cleared from Sugarloaf, and “Schroeder has an outdoor skating rink over here at the ballpark!”
“It looks great!” Deputy Clerk Gale Ring said.
“Oh, cripes,” said Johnson, “it’s a third of an acre!”
McKeever reported that one of the town hall toilets stuck and drained the well dry. He figured it ran six to eight gallons of water a minute. Fortunately, he had installed a new low water control, which worked as it was supposed to work. The low water control keeps a submersible pump from burning out if the pump is not underwater.
Donation requests have been coming in, Tveekrem reported. The Schroeder Historical Society has requested $5,000, more than the $3,000 Schroeder has donated each of the last two years. Eight thousand people visited the museum last year. Floyd Johnson suggested that they charge each visitor $2 instead of letting them in for free. Thiswould generate for the historical society 16,000 more dollars in a year. Birch Grove Foundation is asking for $3,500, $500 more than last year, and Tofte is asking for an increase from the $500 Schroeder donated for last year’s 4th of July fireworks (see related Tofte town board story on page A8).
Those present discussed the town’s intention to withdraw from the Tofte- Schroeder Sanitary Sewer District (TSSSD). Clerk Tveekrem said recent TSSSD meeting minutes talked about whether all Schroeder septic systems would need to be in compliance with county ordinance before the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency would allow it to withdraw. Roger McKeever said that after inspections in the area, county septic inspector LeRoy Halberg found nothing wrong with two of the systems deemed not in compliance.
Tveekrem reported that the county Assessor’s Office has answered a question regarding whether a married couple could claim homestead credit at their Fredenberg Creek home as well as another home in the county. Theycan each claim half credit, one on one home and the other on the other home. An IRRB grant required that each property in the development would be homesteaded by 2007.
Lastly, Tveekrem reported that they had received a letter from a vexillologist – a person who studies flags – who wanted to know about Schroeder’s town flag. Perhaps coming up with a town flag could be a project for the town board.
Leave a Reply