Sand Creek Township
Monthly Meeting Minutes
November 1st, 2018
DRAFT
Officers Present
Chairman
Chad Sandey, Supervisor Bill Schneider, Supervisor Bruce Hunstad, Treasurer Myron
Pauly, Shelley Pauly, Clerk and Emily Nordick, Deputy Clerk
Others Present
Deputy Kes – Scott County Sheriff Dept,
Curt Hennes, Russell Hiltner, Aaron Hurley, Deb Pauly, Mark & Jennifer
Jensen, Beverly Koehnen, Bob Wolf, Todd Dvorak.
Called to Order
The regular monthly meeting was called
to order at 7:05 pm by Chairman Chad Sandey. The Pledge of Allegiance was said.
Minutes
Minutes for the October
meeting were presented to the Board. Motion
to approve the minutes by Bruce, second by Bill, Unanimous. Motion to erase the October recording of
minutes by Chad, second by Bruce, Unanimous.
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer’s
Report for October was submitted by Myron. Motion
to accept the report by Bruce, second by Bill, Unanimous.
Monthly Claims
Stantec $ 30,481.02
Bryan Rock $ 374.88
Avenet (Govoffice
website) $ 845.00
Dvorak Excavating $
6,171.00
Dem-Con (disposal of
road finds) $ 66.48
Shelley Pauly (cell phone
& black ink) $
124.69
MN Assoc. Townships (registration
fees) $ 495.00
City of Jordan (annual
fire contract) $126,895.85
Payroll $ 447.90
Payroll $ 248.19
Payroll $ 69.26
Payroll $ 761.89
Payroll $ 369.40
Payroll $ 392.49
Payroll $ 332.46
Bill Schneider –
Mileage, Disposal Fee $ 55.05
Total $168,130.56
Short
discussion about township website and fees.
Question to Kyle (Stantec) regarding reimbursement for 169 Corridor Study. Motion by Bruce to accept the monthly
charges as read, second by Bill, Unanimous.
Public Comment – Bruce commented
that absentee voting is open now through November 6th. Jennifer Jensen explained that they will be taking
their old farmhouse down and will be having a SWAT clearing exercise and
controlled burn on their property.
BUSINESS/DISCUSSION:
Moment of silence for
Les Thill: Les
played a very strong part of the board and was a member for over twenty years.
Flowers were sent from the Board to the memorial service. Thoughts and prayers
to the family.
Sheriff’s Department: Deputy Kes – There
were 58 calls (no trends), a new deputy will be on the road after Thanksgiving.
Bill asked if there were any accidents going south on 169 in the new
construction area and Deputy Kes explained that the area is much improved.
Jennifer asked about who to contact to find out about how many sex offenders
live in the area. Bill asked if we could see more Deputy or Sherriff vehicles
on the gravel/township roads.
Prior Lake Spring Lake
Watershed District: Curt Hennes explained that they completed the
fall cleanup at Sand Point Park where they bring leaves to ORF which has
organic recycling. Sutton Lake berm is waiting on a permit from the DNR. Next
spring projects include iron sand filters for water quality. This winter they
are trying to finish the outlet channel repairs from 2014 flooding (for upper watershed
storage for a few weeks at a time to slow erosion). There are a lot of issues
with thin plastic bags and how the piles of bags collect in the Pacific Ocean. Fish
kill in September was due to 2 different viruses There are 2 open positions on
Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District which will close on November 9th.
Go to the County Commissioner’s office for an application.
Stantec – TH 169
Corridor Study: Kyle explained that the
169 Corridor Study draft report is in process and will be given to the township,
county and other local agencies. The goal is to improve access to 169 as there
are safety issues with 39% heavy truck traffic and the intersections at 166th
Street and Bluff Drive. Stantec is working on cost estimates based on level of
improvements – interim (low hanging fruit), mid-term (practical changes), long
range (overpass/underpass, and frontage/backage roads). Scott County wants to
use the preliminary plans in the 2040 Comp Plan so they can be recognized and
understood and referenced if there are problems with the new 41 & 169
intersection and with 169 & 282/9 in Jordan. Some sources of funding can be
found in co-op projects for construction and engineering but not for
right-of-way acquisition or design. The current plans we have from Stantec can
be considered as an initial design concept that will help us qualify for co-op
funding. There is the potential for Federal and State money and grant money (LRAP
and Cooperative Agreement Funding) once the report is finalized. There will be about
a ~30 day comment period by the public, township,
county, etc. before we will receive the final report.
Capital Improvement
Plan:
Bruce updated the report and explained
that Golfview Drive project is complete. We may want to pay ½ the bill from CIP
account and ½ from Roads and Bridges account since it was a significant project.
There are water drainage issues on Golfview at the Ridges so it will be added
to the spreadsheet. Bill said that he may take care of the issue himself. General
maintenance should only be required for the remainder of the year.
2040 Comp Plan: Bruce made minor updates to the Comp Plan.
Most dealt with the annexation map (Appendix A - comments about boundaries
moving to urban transition), transportation (Appendix B - 169 Study Report and
grant), issues and opportunities map (Appendix C – Corridor Study maps), and long-range
planning. In the Parks and Trails area, we proposed closing the Union Pacific
train track (safety issues as it runs parallel to 169 and would eliminate multiple
access points to 169) and use it for a bike and walking trail. Minnesota
Association of Townships has a potential grant opportunity to help close a
train track. Chad explained that two items have come into play for the 2040
Comp Plan: 2 years ago, we were asked to start thinking about the plan which then
included citizen input via Herb Baldwin with the Long-Range Planning Meetings and
we also asked Stantec to create the issues and opportunities map for 169 which
evolved into the 169 Corridor Study.
DRT Meetings: Cottage Homesteads USA is a developer who is
looking at 114 acres of bluff land to re-divide 14 residential lots (Planned
Unit Development) with 2.77 acres to 10.42 acres lots. The lots would need
construction of a private road from 173rd Street to the current driveway
and remove the 169 access. Planned Unit Development requires public values.
High points are: storm drainage mitigation, slope friendly construction, will
try not to get variances (for setbacks), erosion control, etc. Proposes a Home
Owners Association (HOA) to maintain the road and cover the cost for any infrastructure
costs. The County Planning and Zoning reiterated their zoning and what can and
can’t be done today, hydric soils, frontage roads to sub-divisions, etc. Natural
Resources representative requires a Management Resource plan and explained that
there are no disturbances allowed within a bluff area, wetland delineation is
required, etc. Environmental Services explained about septic systems (2 per lot).
Transportation representative liked the removal of access at 169 but Highway
staff was not aware of any MNDOT projects that could help with the 173rd
Street connection. Sand Creek Township and Kyle from Stantec are concerned
about development of the bluff area. We are still dealing with the erosion issues
on the steep hills and bluffs from the 2014 heavy rain storms. Concerns about
HOA being/staying solvent. The developer is still optimistic about working
through the requirements.
Valley View Drive
weight restrictions: Russell Hiltner and
his uncle are interested in a home on 15 acres as a place to build a shed for storing
construction equipment for their business. Their largest vehicle has loaded
weighted at 9-ton per axle and would be interested in getting a permit. There
are larger vehicles using the road now but most are emergency vehicles which
are exempted and are driving at their own peril. Valley View Drive is a 4-ton
road due to the way it was constructed. It can likely take more weight than
that and is posted at 4-tons for township legal rights. Chad explained that
Russell and his Uncle should discuss their ideas with Greg Wagner or Marty
Schmitz and the Scott County Planning Department.
Storage Unit for
Township:
Shelley found storage units in Jordan
and New Prague. The township has both boxes and totes to store. Shelley will
check on prices for a 10’ x 15’ environmentally controlled space.
Website Updates: CIP and 2040 Comp Plan will be added to the
website. Herb has said that he can give us a soft copy of the Long-Range
Planning 2040 Comp Plan. Email addresses have been created for the township
board.
Signatures needed:
2019 Fire Contract with Jordan Fire Department:
$93,716.07 for the base amount of the invoice,
$33,179.78 for truck debt, for a total of $126,895.85. Motion to sign the fire contract for the year (2019) by Bruce, second
by Bill. Unanimous.
Gambling permit for Pheasants Forever for
Ridges at Sand Creek for the last week of February 2019: Motion to sign and approve the gambling permit for the Pheasants
Forever for February 2019 by Bruce, second by Bill. Unanimous.
Township Mileage for MN/County Town Road Fund:
In order to allocate the road funds in
2019, the mileage for 2018 must be certified. In 2017, the Township had 41.296
miles. The township now has 41.016 since the City of Jordan has taken .28 miles
(Broadway) by annexation. Motion to sign
the township mileage for Sand Creek Township for a new total mileage of 41.016 by
Bruce, second by Bill. Unanimous.
Jaguar Communications: 2925 173rd
Street permit. There were problems with previous work done. Chad will sign the
permit but hold it until the conversation with Bill regarding the unresolved
issues (cut culvert and junction boxes) and a check ($) from Jaguar. Bill will
do a follow up letter about what was discussed.
Reports and
Discussions:
Bruce Hunstad: Bruce has worked on the Golfview Drive project
site, and 169 Coalition Executive Board. Discussions about prioritizing future
river crossing capacity (managing extra traffic during 35W construction), key
grade separations (intersections which includes Bluff Drive, Renaissance
Festival, Jordan signal, Hwy 41 & 169), Trunk Highway 13 and the Savage
Port access (safety), 169 Express Service (bus). Meetings will be kept at twice
a year (spring & fall).
Bill Schneider: Bill went to the SCALE meeting. Topics
included Scott County incomes and how much is being paid in rent, and workforce
trends.
Road Report: Bill explained the blacktop on Golfview Drive will
need a little more work and the gravel roads look good. A property owner on
Redwing Ave. is having issues with beavers and their dam. Motion to accept this month’s road report by Bruce, second by Chad.
Unanimous.
Chad asked Todd if he had anything to add.
Todd explained that he added a new piece of equipment to trim trees and would
be interested in bidding any work.
Chad Sandey: Chad has forwarded the packet from the County
regarding Sever’s Market. They are interested in
buying land (100+ acres) on the SE corner of 14 and 169 (in Louisville
Township). They would move their Sever’s Corn Maze
& Fall Festival operation to that location, and include a Winter Festival
(December to March). Chad believes that it is a great use of the property. They
also need to consider Sand Creek Township’s road alignment plan. The Board took
a tour of the CHS grain storage as part of the 169 Corridor Coalition. Elections
are coming up.
Motion to adjourn the
meeting at 10:00 pm by Bill, second by Bruce, Unanimous.
Submitted By:
_____________________________________________________
Emily Nordick, Deputy Clerk
Approved by
______________________________________________________
Chairman, Chad Sandey