McKeever Well Drilling was busy two weeks ago putting in a well for the senior housing that will be built behind the Birch Grove Community Center in the coming year. The first houses should be available to lease in July of 2015.
Meeting weekly, Tofte supervisors have been spending a great deal of time getting all of the pieces ready to build 12 senior housing units on 29 acres of township property that also houses the Birch Grove Community Center.
Construction has already begun. Charles Lamb of Lamb Construction has blasted rock to allow McKeever Well Drilling to drill a well, said Tofte Supervisor Paul James.
The well is 350 feet deep and pumps 30 gallons of water per minute, said Supervisor Jeanne Larson.
On November 11 the board hired Larson to manage the senior housing project (SHP). Larson’s reimbursement was initially $20 per hour but a week later the board increased her pay to $30 per hour. Larson said she has been spending about 30 hours a week attending to her new duties, but added, “But I see my hours going down as we get over this initial hump.”
Supervisor Jim King praised Larson for her work over the last month, and he noted how much more efficient it was to have someone living in Tofte attend to all of the duties and be available when needed. Larson has taken over most of the work once performed by Dick Grabko of Community Resource Development (CRD) who was let go at the end of September. The township was paying CRD $3,000 per month for its services.
Led by Grabko, CRD spent the last year writing grants and helping the township board work with its township attorney, architects, and bankers.
“Dick is still available to us and he will be paid on an hourly basis if we need his help,” said Larson.
Dynamic Homes was selected to build the townhouses. At the December 11 township meeting the board authorized a preliminary down payment of $60,000 to be paid to Dynamic Homes. That money will be borrowed from a local bank and repaid once the township authorizes the sale of general obligation abatement bonds that will be repaid over a 20-year period. The bonds will be sold late winter or early spring when the project gets into high gear. The first homes should be completed by July 1, 2015.
In addition to working with contractors, Larson has been working with Cook County Planning and Zoning on securing needed plats and building permits. She will soon look for a marketing/sales business to help pre-sell leases. The two-bedroom homes are expected to lease for about $1,000 per month.
Other business
. Phil Bonin of Arrowhead Locksmith was hired to install two keypad locks and change several entrance door locks at Birch Grove Community Center and School. There was quite a bit of discussion about placing safety locks on school doors that could only be locked from the inside and not opened from the outside in case of a gun- or knife-wielding intruder who came into the building with bad intentions. However, one gentleman from the audience asked what would happen if a teacher left the room and a kid locked them out? Another person asked what would happen if a bad person got into a schoolroom and locked the door behind them? Who could help the kids in that situation? In the end the safety locks for school doors were left off the list. Bonin will work with Birch Grove Director Caroline Wood to determine which locks need replacing. James said this would be the third or fourth time since 2006 that entrance locks have been changed at Birch Grove.
. Wood said the foundation had raised $5,500 during the third quarter. She said that without ongoing fundraising or more funds derived through grants or donations from the townships or county, the current budget would only allow for a director to be paid 10 hours per week.
. At the county’s recommendation the Foundation is looking at changing its fiscal year to January 1 to the end of December to match the county and township fiscal years. Currently the foundation runs its fiscal year from July 1 to the end of June. The county has suggested the change so it can get a more accurate understanding of the Foundation’s budget when it comes in with requests for county funds, said Wood.
. The board approved a joint powers agreement with the state to clear snow from Surfside Resort to Château Leveaux on the Gitchi Gami Trail. Cook County Towing was low bidder at $340 per time to clear snow when it reaches 4 inches or more, as measured at the post office in Tofte. The path must be cleared to a width of 48 inches.
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