Tofte Fourth of July Parade Grand Marshal Jim King told his fellow township supervisors on June 9, 2011 that volunteers are still needed to keep the fireworks area clear of people on the Fourth of July. The area will need to be cleared of vehicles earlier in the day as well.
Town clerk Barb Gervais reported that she had received six requests for details on the township’s logo design contest. The logo will be part of the township’s new website that is still in the works. The winning contestant will be announced on the Fourth of July.
Fire Department report
Fire Chief Rich Nelson reported that Dave Rude had announced his retirement from the department. “He’s got a lot of years in and he feels it’s time,” Nelson said. He said he was happy that Rude would stay on and help train the young guys in until the end of the year.
A motion passed accepting Rude’s retirement. “Accepted with regret,” Supervisor Paul James said.
“Tell me about it,” said Nelson.
Nelson said his dad, John Nelson, was building a rack for equipment in the fire hall. This will enable them to stop using an old pickup truck to store equipment. They can then retire the truck and save some money on insurance, he said.
Superior National at Lutsen Golf Course asked for Tofte’s help with repairs to one of its flagpoles. Tofte has a ladder truck that can reach the pole. The board passed a motion authorizing this use of the truck. “It will be a good training exercise for the young guys,” said Supervisor Jim King, “and it’s good community service.”
While Tofte will be doing a good turn for Lutsen, Taconite Harbor will do a good turn for Tofte. Gravel has found its way into the hydrant Tofte has in the lake by the park, and Minnesota Power offered to help it get cleaned out. Lakehead Constructors out of Superior will be doing work at Minnesota Power and will have the right equipment to clean out Tofte’s hydrant. Jim King said Dave Rannetsberger at Minnesota Power would be coordinating with Dave Rude to get the job done. It will cost about $1,000, but Tofte won’t have to pay the company to make a special trip from the Twin Ports.
Tofte Homestead Road
Repairs are badly needed on the Tofte Homestead Road, and changes need to be made to improve its safety. The configuration at the bottom of the road does not leave enough visibility for vehicles exiting the road, and the roadside is crumbling into the creek bed beside it.
The erosion problem isn’t new. “That crick’s been a problem ever since I was a kid!” Rich Nelson said.
“Me too!” Supervisor Alan “DC” Olsen added.
Traffic on the road has increased since it was constructed. It used to not have much along it except for the cemetery at the end. “Pretty quiet neighbors up there!” Rich Nelson said.
The board spent some time discussing what could be done.
Paul James wasn’t sure if reconfiguring the road would solve all safety issues. “It isn’t going to slow anybody down,” he said. “It’ll speed things up if it does anything at all.” It also won’t be cheap, he said. “I just think this is going to cost a tremendous amount of money to do this.”
James said the speed bump could be a liability hazard for the township if a vehicle lost control going over it. He also said the 10 m.p.h. sign is not legal. The state does not allow a speed sign under 30 m.p.h. except for in front of a church or school.
“So we need Sawtooth Outfitters to either become a church or a school!” Olsen quipped.
The issue was tabled for the time being.
Park cleanup day
Jerry Gervais reported that Gary Hansen did a great deal of work on park cleanup day. The number of volunteers was limited because it was CCHS graduation day.
Salvage yard cleanup
King reported that Big Joe’s Salvage has until June 30 to install screening around the junkyard. If the deadline is not met, the issue will go to court “and it just ends up costing a lot more money,” he said. “The whole goal is to make things look neat and tidy, because it involves everybody else’s property tax value.”
AT&T tower
The cemetery is no longer an option for the AT&T tower, James reported. He would be asking Ken Nielson of Buhl Consulting, hired by AT&T, to consider other Tofte sites. Tofte resident Gary Kettleson said he would be willing to locate a tower on some land he owns. Supervisor Olsen wasn’t sure if the site would work for a tower the size AT&T would put up.
Birch Grove Community Center project
Boards detailing the Birch Grove Community Center outdoor recreation landscape were on display for an open house just before the meeting. Supervisor Olsen said the amount budgeted from the 1 percent sales and use tax might not cover everything on the plan right now. The original vision was a $1.5 million project that they scaled back to a half-million-dollar project.
County Commissioner Bruce Martinson said he had not heard any negative comments regarding the Birch Grove project. It’s the only project that has received no negative comments as far as he knows, he said.
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