Sunday, August 3rd, 2025 Church Directory
RICHARD LARSON. (Patriot photo by Mark Kolbinger.)

Palmer board addresses roads, Town Hall rentals

The Palmer Township Board met Monday evening and tackled a hefty agenda that included road updates, as well as the issue of the renting the Town Hall to the public.

The board awarded two construction projects to the low bidder, MJS Dirtworks, who will be raising and re-paving both 42nd and 109th.

Timelines were discussed, as well as a pre-construction meeting to ensure that residents in the area are kept in the loop before the project is started.

While the roadways will be raised, there are also plans to establish larger retention ponds to help with water run-off and flood control. How this water will affect local property owners was discussed, along with culvert placements.

Resident John Koubsky discussed his well location at the meeting and was given assurances that if the new retention pond creates any issues with his water source, the township will work with him to rectify the situation.

Flashing Lights

Supervisor Richard Larson updated the board on the flashing light project which will bring a flashing amber strobe to both ends of Co. Rd. 6.  He applauded the help he received from both Sheriff Joel Brott and the Sherburne County Public Works department.  ARPA funds will be used to complete the project and Larson said he was confident that it will make a real difference for school bus and pedestrian safety in the town. In addition, he has requested that the flashing light on the end of town near the Fire Department be moved further for safety reasons.  The issue is being studied.

Hall Rental

The issue of the rental of the Town Hall was brought up by residents during the open forum, as the board had recently taken action to suspend all rentals while the rental agreement was being revised.

Chair Ganz explained that the old rental agreement was 19 years old and is currently being revised by legal counsel. He stated that once a draft policy is prepared, the board will seek input from the public and will be transparent into the process.

Over the past few months, several letters have been exchanged between the township and the SHED Church, a local congregation that had been using the hall for services for approximately 16 months.  

All three supervisors weighed in on the matter, noting that some of the issues included the church not paying the $100 deposit amount, utilizing a storage area without permission and also covering a security camera in the meeting area.

Supervisor Steve Demeules addressed the security camera issue, noting that the township has eight cameras and they all show on the camera app at the same time. One of the cameras is trained on an electrical panel that is regularly monitored by township personnel, and that is how it was discovered that a camera had been covered up during the church services.

Several of the residents in attendance at the meeting asked questions about the process, with Charlene Langowski commending the board for how they are handling the situation moving forward. She said that she and her husband attend every monthly meeting and were concerned that there has been misinformation being posted on social media by certain residents.  She noted that none of the people complaining on Facebook were at the meeting to have their voices heard — a comment that drew a round of applause from the audience.

In Other Business, the Board:

• Heard from Commander Ben Zawacki of the SCSO, who explained the 85 calls for service in February;

• Discussed discussed road maintenance and snow issues with the road contractors John and Jake Herbst. The record setting snowfall has caused some challenges, but the township and residents in attendance commended the father-son duo for their efforts this past winter:

• Set May 20 as the tentative date for the annual clean-up day;

• Reminded lake residents to tie down any possessions that might otherwise get carried away by the expected high water level this spring;

• Presented Richard Larson a plaque recognizing his 14 years of service on the board.  Larson read a statement thanking the residents for their support over the years.