During their meeting last week, resident James Thomas approached the Clearwater Twp. Board to discuss his zoning request.
He explained he owns 30 acres on Jarvis Ave., which he would like to split two 10-acre lots from. The land is currently zoned agriculture; he would like to see it converted to homestead. He raises grass fed beef and the land isn’t good for farming, so he has no use for it.
Thomas provided the board with research he had done prior to the meeting, including surrounding properties and where the two lots would have road access. He had also spoken with Wright Co., where he was told they would take into consideration how the township felt about it.
A discussion was held on the county’s land use map, which was created to map out planned growth, along with the properties surrounding Thomas’, which are all also zoned agriculture.
“It’s hard to deviate from the county’s land use plan,” said Supervisor Rose Thelen. “We’ve had others who have gone down that road and the county has denied them.”
Chairman Bill Langenbacher said he didn’t think Thomas would get very far with the county as they’ve been strict with it in the past.
“I’m not sure we’re ready to deviate from the land use plan right now,” said Supervisor Scott Miller. “It could potentially create more problems, and others will want to do the same thing.”
A motion carried to send their reservations about the request to the county.
CUP Request
John Mickelson approached the board to request a CUP for an office/warehouse on property along Hwy. 75 which was purchased by RB Scott, a company dealing in sand and gravel process equipment. Based out of Eau Claire, WI, the company purchased the land to build a branch facility on.
Mickelson provided an overview of the parcel and explained he had met with the county to discuss setbacks and road access to the property. The planned outdoor courtyard will be screened. The new facility will create jobs and have a low traffic count.
As the property is in the orderly annexation area with the City of Clearwater, they have also been notified.
Having no objections, a motion carried to send a positive recommendation to the county.
CARES Act
Clerk Jean Just updated the board on the CARES Act, informing them the township had received approximately $35,000. They can now either fill out expenditure forms and submit for purchases or make a resolution to give all the money to the county. Purchases for reimbursement would then be submitted to the county, and any unused money would go back to the state. All purchases must be COVID related.
A discussion was held on potential purchases and which option would be easiest to work with. The board then approved Resolution 2020-010, authorizing the money to go to Wright Co. The board has until Nov. 25 to spend the money.
Just requested the board provide her with a list of items for her to get prices on and provided them with quotes she’d received from Now It Connects (NIC) for a new desktop computer and laptop. Their current computers aren’t compatible with Zoom, and the township’s desktop computer was stolen during a recent break in.
After discussing the merits of purchasing another desktop computer versus a laptop, a motion carried accepting NIC’s quote of $758 for a laptop for the treasurer and $1,735 for a laptop with a dock station, which can then be used outside of the township hall if needed.
Fire Contract
The City of Clearwater reviewed the most recent update to the fire contract and came back with another version, which was forwarded to the township’s attorney.
His recommended changes and compromises include: Two out of the three entities can call a meeting with a max of three times a year. Agree to quarterly reports instead of monthly, and no more than a 10% increase of the budget over the two-year term.
All entities agreed to a representative of the fire department attending the townships’ annual meetings, and the city requested the townships provide of a map of the fire service areas.
Instead of adjourning the meeting that evening, it was put on hold until after the Zoom meeting with Lynden Twp. on Sept. 14 to discuss the recent changes.
Other Business
A junk complaint for a Hendrix Ave. property was received from Wright Co.; they’ve asked the township to start the process of getting it cleaned up. The township will send the property owner a warning letter and request a cleanup plan be submitted.
Miller updated the board on the Nixon Lake access cleanup, indicating he plans to design a piece of equipment that will push the remainder of the debris out to the lake’s drop off point.
Thelen announced she had dropped out of the upcoming election for township supervisor and has put all her support behind candidate Jackie Moll.
A motion carried accepting the gravel quote received at $5.85/ton.
The next Clearwater Twp. meeting will be Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
