By Penny Leuthard, Staff Writer
The Clear Lake Twp. board of supervisors discussed the future of the township hall during their meeting Tuesday night. A recent windstorm tore siding off the north side of the building, and a discussion was held on what should be done to repair the damage and if it was worth spending the money to do so.
The township is unable to obtain supplies to match the current siding as it is no longer manufactured; the entire side of the building would need to be replaced. Chairman Gary Gray suggested they look for comparable material and patch the damage as best they could.
Treasurer Paul Goenner will also speak with the township’s insurance agency again.
The current township hall is for sale due to plans to build a new township hall at Clear Lake Twp. Park in the future.
Although prospective buyers have shown interest, the building has yet to be purchased. Options were discussed, including requesting the real estate agent contact the prospective buyers to ask for offers, selling the building on a real estate auction or tearing it down completely.
Road Report
The board approved three driveway requests, including a second driveway request for a property on 106th Street.
The board reviewed and approved partial payment of $45,424 on the 97th Street overlay project.
Scapanski
Karla Scapanski attended the meeting to introduce herself and ask for the community’s support in her bid for the 15B State Representative seat.
She explained why she was running, and stated although she has the DFL’s endorsement, she holds a lot of Republican views so she is able to talk to both sides.
Other Business
Gray updated the board on tree maintenance for solar farms, which was brought up at the board’s June meeting because of the poor appearance of many. To continue with their operating permit, solar farms are required by county ordinance to maintain their screening trees; any that have died must be replaced.
County zoning is aware of the issue and is in the process of contacting affected solar farms.
The problem of standing rain on the east side of township hall was brought to the attention of the Clear Lake City Council during its meeting Monday night. Reconstruction on Hwy 24 raised the elevation of the sidewalk, resulting in water not draining as it is supposed to.
Public Works Director Dustin Luhning will be contacting MnDOT to begin the process of fixing the issue.
Gray informed the board he believes progress on the new fire fill station will be moving forward by end of the month.
The sheriff reported 83 calls for service for June, including 35 traffic, one burglary, for which the suspect was arrested, one fatal motor vehicle accident on Hwy 10 and one personal injury accident.
The next Clear Lake Twp. meeting will be August 21 at 7 p.m.
