The Clearwater Twp. Board of Supervisors held a long discussion on a proposed road project planning procedure during their December meeting.  

Chairperson Rose Thelen stated that a procedure is about visibility and transparency and began the discussion with a review of her draft procedure; Bill Langenbacher also submitted a draft. 

Thelen’s procedure began projects with a road review and the supervisors discussing it at the next meeting. Before a decision is made the township informs residents so they can come to the next meeting and give their input. After that the board decides if the project is a go.

Concerns about sections of the proposal came up quickly, the largest regarding when residents when be notified of the upcoming road projects and whether they needed a written notification, and the fact that the board needs to start looking at potential road projects three to five years in advance for budgeting purposes. 

Mike Ludenia indicated that property owners are concerned with what will happen to their property during a road project, but if they’re brought in that early the board won’t have answers for them. He advised they only be notified of new projects, not road maintenance, as they’re two different entities.

Clerk Jean Just suggested including upcoming road projects in the township’s newsletter and letting residents know where they can find additional information on the website and proposed notifying people when a project is going to be done, not when making decisions on it.

Langenbacher and Supervisor Scott Miller both recommended projects be brought up at the township’s annual meeting after the board had decided on them. 

As the board couldn’t come to an agreement the proposed road project planning procedure was tabled.

Huber Ave.

Mark Sitzmeyer approached the board to discuss problems that are occurring along north Huber Ave. due to increased traffic from the Cedar South development. He explained that the road is constantly being torn up by the traffic, which has gotten so heavy that the chloride put down in the summer for dust control doesn’t last long. 

The board agreed to look into possible solutions, starting with a traffic counter.

Grants Update

Just and Langenbacher researched the noxious and invasive weed grant and determined there isn’t enough time to gather all the information needed before the due date. The township will keep note of the grant for next year.

The board briefly discussed areas that needed spraying, including buckthorn along Huber Ave., and agreed it would be best to hire a licensed operator rather than have Mike Ludenia do the work.

The township received another $3,300 from the ARP grant as some townships didn’t apply for the funding. A brief discussion was once again held on potential purchases; Just is waiting for advice from the MN Assoc. of Twps. 

Other Business

The board reviewed their recent road tour and discussed a number of road projects that should be considered, including 150th up to Huber Ave., the bank on the east side of Grover Ave. Re-chip sealing Ray’s Addition, 160th, Filmore, Evans, and Elder (with Silver Creek Twp.) needs to be done next year, which will take up a large portion of the year’s road budget.

A motion carried approving the final fire contract with the City of Clearwater and Lynden Twp.

A motion carried approving a six-month contract with Innovative Cleaning Service, to be reviewed at the end of the six months.

A motion carried approving gambling permits for Silver Bullet Saddle Club.

The next Clearwater Twp. meeting will be Jan. 3 at 7 p.m.