Two township residents from 144th St. (east of Big Lake off of Hwy. 10) spoke during the open forum section of the recent Big Lake Twp. meeting. The neighbors were concerned about a new proposed apartment complex coming to the area. The proposal had traffic for the building being routed through their neighborhood, which the two speakers didn’t like.

One of the residents, Michelle Brisk-Wallace, said they liked their quiet neighborhood where kids could run around safely. She also was concerned the increased traffic could affect their home values.

A representative of the developer proposing the apartment building was also in attendance at the meeting. He reassured the board and audience that the developer was working with the city of Elk River (the building would fall within the city limits of Elk River) to do a traffic study. He also mentioned that the land to be developed was designated by the city as high-density residential, so, although residents of the area voiced concerns over increased traffic, the developer was not going beyond the parameters the city had set. 

Being that the apartments would be in Elk River, the board had limited ability to voice their opinion. They do have the ability to give input on how the township’s roads are used in this project. The board was unsatisfied with the current proposal. They  explored a couple of different options to divert traffic directly to Hwy. 10, but the developer’s representative stated that MnDOT was against creating a new intersection on the highway. 

No action was taken during the meeting on this issue, but the board said they would be in communication with the developer and would be on the lookout for the traffic study whenever it is available, all in order to find a better solution to the traffic issue. 

Board Reports

Mark Hedstrom reported good news from Big Lake Community Education. The organization had been projecting to end the academic year with only $2,000 left over in funds, but after applying for and receiving several grants, they will instead be ending the year at more than 400,000. They were considering ways to spend the money, including cutting down enrollment costs for community ed classes.

Town clerk Brenda Kimberly-Maas gave a couple of announcements at the end of the meeting, as well. The Big Lake Food Shelf will be distributing food to residents at the Lions Park on select Mondays this summer: June 21, July 19, and August 6. She also reminded board and audience members that the next meeting will be June 23, and there will be a public hearing regarding transitioning Co. Rd. 79 to a township road and 209th Ave. to a county road. 

In Other Business,the Board:

• Called for a public hearing on the intent to consider a franchise agreement with Midco;

• Recommended the county approve a new plat within the township;

• Discussed the progress of road maintenance in the township.