Strategies for upcoming and curtailed township road construction projects, an update on the investigation involving the Del-Tone shooting range a request for comment on an application for an amendment to a Sherburne County zoning ordinance were among the items discussed at the regular meeting of the Haven Township Board Monday night.

 

Supervisor Michael Pesch commented on the need for a uniform policy for the township to follow when planning road improvement projects. In particular he mentioned the planned effort to redirect water run-off off of a roadway in the Sherwood Shores development, which was stalled after the board was unable to get approval of temporary easements from all residents in the construction area last year.

 

Pesch stated the engineering planning on the project has already been done, and paid for by the township.  Those plans have a “limited shelf life,” Pesch said, and may be of little value going forward as regulations change and the work would have to be redone.

 

Chairman Jeff Schlingmann stated that “easements are the problem,” though the township will “need to do something” going forward or “return to gravel roads.”  

 

Potential solutions discussed included a proposal to secure all easements in an area before any engineering work in done, a special assessment for a specific project, or condemnation proceedings on a specific right-of-way in order to get a project underway.  Attorney David Meyers stated a condemnation process will be lengthy and will include high costs to the township.

 

Vice-Chairman Mark Knowles stated the board could consider a policy of asking residents for easements prior to any road projects, and that plans could be communicated a year in advance at the annual meeting and via the township newsletter.

 

At the conclusion of the discussion, the board agreed to update the township road project list and present it at the annual meeting each year.

 

Schlingmann told the board that the recent investigation by the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office regarding potential public safety issues at the Del-Tone shooting range has turned up no new information, and the case is currently listed as “inactive.”

 

Zoning Amendment Comment

A request from Sherburne County Zoning Specialist Marc Schneider in regard to a request for an amendment to the county zoning ordinance pertaining to interim use permits (IUPs) for contractor’s yard.

 

Schlingmann stated the expansion of such operations could be a problem for rural areas, with trucks and heavy equipment operating on roads that are not designed for such usage.  He also stated that government “has no responsibility to business” in regard of providing exceptions to existing regulations.

 

Following the discussion, the board voted to send a negative comment to the zoning office, with the suggestion medium and large contractors seek an update on the current ordinance.

 

Supervisor Kathy Sims-Kosloski told the board a 2017 air show at the St. Cloud Regional Airport is currently under consideration.

 

The sheriff’s report indicated that there were 39 calls for service in Haven Township in July, including 13 traffic stops resulting in five citations being issued.  There were also two vehicle accidents with injuries in that period.