The Becker Township Board met Monday evening, with a public hearing and the Becker Legion lease highlighting a lengthy agenda.

Past Legion Commander Mark Swanson appeared before the board to express his gratitude for the work being done on the lease for the former fire hall building that has been home to Post 193 for the past several years.  

Swanson commended Supervisors Luke Babler and Robin Boros, along with Twp. Attorney Keli Bourgeios for their work on getting the lease documents ready.  He also said the Legion is looking forward to calling the building home for many years to come.

Current renovation plans call for a new roof and air handling equipment to be installed yet this year, with the Legion pursuing grant funding and donations to accomplish parts of the work.

Babler thanked Swanson and all of the Legion members for their service and noted that one of the best things the township can do to honor the Veterans’ duty and sacrifice is to partner with the club to ensure the success of their future.

The Board unanimously approved Chair Brian Kolbinger with the authority to sign the lease documents once they are finalized, a process expected to be completed in the next few days.

Public Hearing

The board held a public hearing to consider an application for the vacation of a drainage and utility easement located on a property just west of the Elk River and north of 107th St.

The applicants, Ben and Jennifer Johnson, would like to locate their new home to the north of the current proposed building site on the parcel.

Craig Wensmann, owner of Bogart, Pederson and Associates, did the original survey work on the parcel and is now assisting the Johnsons with elevation findings, soil borings and a new drainage plan to address water issues.  Wensmann was at the meeting to answer questions and also explain the process that was used in determining the proposed building site. He expressed his belief that the new building site location would not affect the water table in the area, because it was a simple replacement of square footage and all of the drainage would be into the same wetland as previously denoted.

Several neighboring property owners were at the meeting and spoke against the vacation of the easements, however, alleging that water drainage issues currently plaguing the area would be exacerbated by changing the grading and contours of the land.

Resident Ray Clark provided a packet of information with pictures and satellite images that he claimed showed work done on the property over the past several years has already changed drainage patterns.  He further stated his belief that the value of his adjoining property could be significantly lowered due to subsequent flooding and water retention issues if the easements were vacated.

Finally, Clark posed numerous questions to the board that he had submitted ahead of time and asked for the supervisors’ response.

Several other landowners in the area also spoke of their opposition to the vacation, voicing concerns about flooding and emergency vehicle access should the topography of the parcel be altered.

The Board addressed Clerk’s questions and noted that proper notice did not make it in a timely fashion to all affected property owners, therefore the public hearing was continued until next month’s meeting.

In Other News, the Board: 

• Heard from Capt. Broich of the SCSO about last month’s 199 calls for service, including 4 personal injury accidents (3 on county road 11) and 11 medicals;

• Awarded bids for snowplowing and general maintenance to Wruck Companies, the only bidder for both contracts, pending review by the road supervisors;

• Heard from Engineer Wes Davis about some paving issues on the Becker Township portion of 97th St. and authorized the road supervisors to inspect the issue before coming up with the appropriate remediation plans;

• Clarified that the Solar Overlay Group has morphed into a committee of Township and City officials looking at the Orderly Annexation Agreement and Joint Planing process;

• Learned the Deputy Clerk Fran Seeley will be retiring at the end of the year and started the search process for her replacement;

• Heard from CPA Ashley Meagher of Schlenner, Wenner and Co. about the 2022 audit, which turned up no significant issues.  Meagher also noted that Becker Township currently holds no debt, which is uncommon for governmental agencies and leaves the entity in excellent financial shape.