The Fourth of July is a big event in Tofte, but it might become bigger.
At the February 9, 2012 meeting of the Tofte township board, Chair Paul James said a Fourth of July committee might try to extend the day’s activities and make it more of a festival. He said he would like to bring more business to local merchants, and this would be one way to do it.
Supervisor Jim King said they are looking at holding the parade later, offering music in the park, and making it an all-day affair.
Jerry Gervais recommended that they close the park road for safety that day. James suggested that they lease AEOA buses and shuttle people to and from the Birch Grove Community Center parking lot.
James expressed concern over people who get inebriated when the beer garden is open too long. Fire Chief Rich Nelson said this has not been a problem in the last couple of years. “It’s pretty much our only fundraiser of the year,” he said.
The 2012 Lutsen 99er has been scheduled for June 23, reported race organizer Adam Harju. This year the race will entail more trail riding and less distance over gravel roads, but it will also provide easier access for spectators, he said. Participants from five states and two Canadian provinces have already signed up.
Last year’s race had 100 riders, although they could accommodate 500, Harju said. Lifetime Fitness, which owns the race, agreed to lower the entry fee in hopes of drawing more participants. Harju said he would like to see the race host 1,500 riders, similar to other big bike races in the region.
Harju told the board he hoped the fire and rescue departments could be present at this year’s race. The National Ski Patrol will also be helping out, he said. He heard no complaints regarding road usage last year.
The board voted to send Harju a letter of support for the race.
Franchise exemption
The board voted to exempt the township from its right to enter a franchise agreement with a cable TV company when Arrowhead Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI) installs broadband infrastructure. The township would have a right to 5 percent of the revenue from cable TV accounts without such an exemption.
Paul James said he figured local customers would probably end up paying the cost of the township’s 5 percent share, and that would be like a tax without citizens having any say in it.
Joe Buttweiler of AECI said a large community could take in a significant amount of revenue this way. Grand Marais has such an agreement with Mediacom. Buttweiler brought the issue to the board because AECI is required to report to the federal government on whether the township would be taking advantage of its rights to a franchise agreement or not.
When the project is complete, customers will be able to get broadband Internet, phone, and TV service through AECI. Buttweiler said they are hoping to get the vast majority of the work done by the end of 2012, but the TV service is turning out to be the most legally complicated.
Numerous packages will be available, Buttweiler said, but they are expecting to offer 10 megabyte uploads and downloads that would fluctuate down to about 9½ megabytes during peak use. No one would get cut off after maxing out their allowed monthly megabyte quota as is the case with some Internet accounts in Cook County now.
“Excellent!” Paul James said. “This is exciting!”
Customers signing on to AECI’s phone services will be able to keep their current landline phone numbers. AECI might have a new prefix for new accounts and existing accounts that want a new number, Buttweiler said. He hopes people will pay less for all three services together than they are paying now.
Other companies will be allowed to lease space on the lines from AECI. The exemption the board authorized is subject to review and modification every five years.
Senior housing
James reported that he has met with numerous people at the courthouse, the hospital, and the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation about building a senior housing unit on Birch Grove Community Center grounds. They are discussing providing housing with various levels of service available. This would come with much fewer licensing, staffing, and building requirements than an assisted living unit.
They are working on keeping costs down, James said. He said the state average for assisted living is $3,360 a month, and the state average for a nursing home is $6,235.
Birch Grove architectural fees
Rob Barse of ORB Management, which is overseeing the outdoor recreational facility upgrades at Birch Grove Community Center, reported that he was carefully examining the bills coming in from The Meyer Group for its architectural fees, which have exceeded what was budgeted by 33 percent.
Some of the extra costs were related to design changes that were necessary after a fuel cap on the property was mistaken for a well cap. Billed items have included trips to Grand Marais from the Duluth office, at $1,250 each. Barse said ORB believes some of the extra costs are “unjustified.”
Barse said he told The Meyer Group that they will be paid for only one person coming up to Grand Marais at a time, and any overages would need to be preapproved by the township board.
“Thanks for keeping track of that,” Paul James said. “We appreciate it.”
Salvage yard
Supervisor Jim King reported that Joe Sanders would appear in court again on March 20 to discuss progress on cleaning up Big Joe’s Salvage Yard to conform to Cook County zoning ordinances. At a hearing about 10 days prior, King said, the judge had expressed dismay that the issue has been taking so much time to get settled.
King said Sanders and his attorney agreed that the Highway 61 side of the property would be in compliance by the next court date. Sanders has until May to complete the work, which will include the Caribou Trail side of the property as well.
Playground equipment for park
The playground equipment at Birch Grove Community Center is going to be transferred to the town park when the Community Center grounds are upgraded. James indicated that they would be careful to leave enough space for people to hold weddings and other special occasions in the park. “We want to have a nice play area but also keep our green space,” he said.
Speed bump
Jerry Gervais reported that he removed the speed bump from the Tofte Homestead Road as advised by numerous government officials and the township attorney. Liquid tar would need to be poured into the holes left behind, he said, so that water wouldn’t fill them up, freeze, and cause the asphalt to heave. The board gave him the go-ahead to finish the job.
Fire and rescue
One new firefighter was undergoing training, and another young man had expressed interest and started attending meetings, Fire Chief Rich Nelson reported.
A leak in the pumping system from Lake Superior was reducing water pressure, Nelson said, lengthening the time it took to fill their tankers. He said he would dig it up the following weekend if the weather were not too cold.
Rescue Squad Chief Louis Trachta reported, “Everything’s running smoothly.” One call regarding a car accident at the county line required heavy rescue equipment.
West End EDA representation
A replacement has not been found yet for EDA board member Jim Hall, who fulfilled the maximum number of consecutive terms allowed, reported West End County Commissioner Bruce Martinson. Martinson said he hoped a West End resident would replace Hall. “I think it could be important to have someone else besides me on the EDA board,” he said.
Elections and annual meeting
Polls will be open at Tofte Town Hall on Tuesday, March 13 from 5-8 p.m. before the annual town meeting. Paul James and Clerk Barb Gervais will both be running unopposed for re-election. Supervisor Alan “D.C.” Olsen wondered if there were going to be debates. Rich Nelson said, “Paul can argue with himself!”
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