An on-going discussion of strategies to remove beaver dams and their attendant damage to property and roadways, an update on the construction of the pavilion in the town park and an equipment update on the defibrillators in place around the township were among the items on the agenda at the regular meeting of the Santiago Town board Wednesday night.

 

Board members continued a discussion from the October meeting regarding the prevalence and attendant damage caused by a series of beaver dams constructed in the 7th St. area which have led to road wash-outs there in the area known as Ditch 5 on the county ditch map.  Clearing out the estimated 900 feet of ditch line once the beavers are removed would cost an estimated $2,500 to $3,000, according to an earlier estimate of $1.60 per foot from contractor John Herbst.

 

Chairman Stuart Nelson said he would recuse himself from voting on any measure dealing with the particular location, since the ditch ran through a portion of his property.

 Supervisor Dave Jehoich said that the township cannot by regulation spend money for work on private land, or in adjoining Glendorado Township, which shares the same problem.  Board members agreed to meet with supervisors from Glendorado Township to see if an accommodation can be reached.

 

At the conclusion of the discussion, Jehoich and Supervisor Jeff Pappenfus voted to proceed with the removal of two large beaver dams on the west section of the ditch line, and also voted to table any further action on the east ditch section until after the discussion with the Glendorado officials.  The board also approved a resolution to authorize some unrelated ditch clearing work on 62nd St.

 

Building manager Matt Weber told the board that he had located new batteries for the defibrillators the township maintains, at an estimated cost of $1,636 for batteries with a four-year warranty and pads with a two-year warranty.

 

Weber also said that a problem noted last month with control of water into the building and holding tanks had been solved with repairs to a circuit board on the control panel.

 

The Santiago Lions Club submitted a bill for $9,000 for the new pavilion construction at Santiago Park, which was significantly less than the original $16,000 estimate.  Remaining funds will be used for cement work on the structure next spring.  Research has also confirmed that the annual levy for Santiago Park is $5,000 at this time.

 

The sheriff’s report showed 63 calls for service in Santiago Township in October, including 18 traffic stops.  There were three calls for service in the township on the Becker Fire Dept. report.