The Clear Lake Township Board met Tuesday evening and took final actions tied to its expenditures of the CARES Act funds it received to deal with the pandemic.

The board has purchased a good deal of equipment for holding elections in the future at their new township hall and between voting booths, a new ballot machine and other needed equipment it should be well prepared for when it hosts its own polling site.

This year’s election will be held in conjunction with the City of Clear Lake at City Hall.

In addition to the elections expenditures, the board allocated $2,200 to the Clear Lake Fire Department for the purchase of new turn out gear and also appropriated $2,250 to the Clear Lake/Clearwater area food shelf.

The hope of the board is to hold the November meeting at the new township hall, as construction is basically complete and the furniture and other final preparations are coming along nicely.  CARES Act funding was also used to upgrade the technological capabilities of the town hall so virtual meetings can be held in the future should the Covid situation dictate.  Overall, the board is well satisfied with its planned teleconferencing capabilities should they be needed.

After discussing its options, the board decided to hold off on an Open House for the new town hall, as they preferred to wait until such a time as they could have a larger crowd and not have to deal with social distancing and precautions.

Sgt. Chris Aleshire delivered the Sheriff’s report, which covered September calls.  Among the notable calls were one funeral escort and one garage burglary where the suspect was apprehended.

Next, the board finalized the 76th street agreement with Mr. Corrigan, as all the paperwork was signed and completed.

In new business, the board gave favorable approval to a septic variance for Kyle Haller, as well as a standard variance for David Werschay.

William Risse of Geronimo Energy was unable to attend the meeting due to the weather so his discussion and presentation was postponed until the November meeting when the proposed solar farm will be discussed.

The board did welcome one resident of the Sherwood Shores development who was there to gain insight into the board’s plans for the development’s roadway.  Her concerns centered around increased traffic and reduced safety if the road was extended.

The board assured her that their only intention is to resurface the roadway because of the deteriorating condition of the asphalt.

The next board meeting is scheduled for Nov. 17 with the hopes it can be held in person at the new town hall.