During their recent meeting, the Big Lake Town Board heard that the Big Lake Post Office is looking into relocating. Supervisor Mark Hedstrom noted that they have needed a larger building for quite some time, but news that the Becker Post Office will need to relocate soon made the Big Lake Post Office start looking into their own situation with more urgency. 

Originally, the plan was to relocate both the Becker and Big Lake post offices to route through the Monticello Post Office instead, but it was found there would not be enough space to adequately expand the Monticello location to accommodate two more cities. The post office is now looking at options to move to another location in Big Lake, but everything is still in preliminary stages. Hedstrom opined that the old Windstream building would be absolutely perfect for the job. The board agreed that it would be best for the post office to stay in Big Lake rather than move to Monticello, and they asked Clerk Brenda Kimberly-Maas to draft a letter to the postal service voicing their opinion. 

Fire Report

Big Lake Fire Chief Seth Hansen noted the department has been working on some training with the new ladder truck, which operates differently from the old ladder truck. He also noted that dry conditions have led to a couple of brush fires which the department has handled.

Alfords Property

Resident John Alfords has been trying to build a home on his property by Birch Lake but has been having a lot of difficulty. He was told by the county that since his property abuts state land, he needs to have a 100 foot setback for anything he builds. He contacted the state, who seemed open to allowing a variance for him, so long as the county was on board. As part of the process, Alfords approached the board for their opinion — which was favorable — in order to continue the process with the county. The town board also agreed to call a hearing to vacate their right of way on his property, which will take place at the next regular meeting on June 11. The right of way was reserved for the township to build a future road, but Alfords said the land lead back into wetlands and there would be no possible way for the township to ever build a road there anyway. 

Recycle Day Recap

Big Lake Recycle Day, which is a partnership between Big Lake Township, Big Lake City, and Orrock Township, was a success. There was less of a turnout than last year, which Clerk Brenda Kimberly-Maas said was a trend from the past few years. The decrease may have been due to the weather, or it could be residents taking advantage of other recycling programs available. Regardless, the township has not been seeing an increase in items dumped in ditches, which is what the program was created to prevent. Next year, the hours of operation for the event will be reduced due to the downward trend of participation. The event is paid for in part by the participants, in part by a county grant, and in part by the participating municipalities. 

In Other Business, the Board:

• Renewed their membership with the Sherburne History Center at a cost of $1,200;

• Heard the road committee is still waiting to hear on pricing for additional road projects.