Last Wednesday, 26 residents from Palmer showed up at the Town Hall for an open house to hear about the township’s efforts to date in the acquisition of a 40 acre parcel of land known locally as the “Wipper Pit” – formally known as parcel #40-021-2300 – which sits west of town on 42nd St.

Supervisors Steve Demeules and Richard Larson led the informational meeting, with Demeules presenting a powerpoint that explained the township’s work to date. Both men also answered questions from residents that centered around the purchase price, environmental concerns and past, current and possible future uses of the land.  Board Chairman Mike Ganz was present in the audience, but has recused himself from the decision making process because of a conflict of interest.

Demeules started the presentation with a pictorial history of the land, including aerial photos dating back to 1938; by 1953, a photo showed evidence that mining operations had started on the property.

From there, a discussion ensued regarding several suggested uses that have been proposed for the tract, including the establishment of a transfer station for yard waste, which has long been a goal of the county and local residents.

“It wouldn’t be a compost facility, as that’s a completely different set of rules,” Demeules said.

Generally, most people agreed that having a yard waste collection area could have a positive effect on water quality on area lakes.

Additional potential uses that have been discussed included a dog park, clean up day hosting site, sewage dump station for RV’s – especially ice houses – and a storage area for township road repair material.  

Demeules explained that last year, the township signed a purchase agreement for $200,000 for the property, which had originally been listed for $235,000. He noted that the township has a full opt-out clause in place for the property, relating to a current phase 1 environmental study that is being conducted by West Central Environmental Consultants.

Several residents questioned the purchase price for the land, feeling that $5,000 per acre was too much to pay since the county taxable value in 2021 was listed at $135,600.  

Demeules responded that values are rising rapidly and the county is expecting values to increase by approximately 20% for the 2023 valuations.

For comparison’s sake, it was noted that the township was offered a seven acre parcel adjacent to the current Palmer Park for expansion, but that purchase would have been in the $250,000 range.

Next, a sketch of the parcel was presented, with locations for the possible uses, as well as a description of the Interim Use Permit (IUP) that would need to be obtained from Sherburne County to establish the transfer station.

Demeules reviewed that there had been a meeting with county officials in January, followed by a meeting with Vonco, Inc. representatives about the possible collection of the organic yard waste materials for a project the company is developing related to food waste recycling.

SCORE grant funds would be one revenue source used for the transfer station, which likely would be free for residents to use in dropping off brush, lawn clippings and even weeds harvested from area lakes.

Commercial dumping of brush and yard waste materials was discussed, as was the amount of traffic the transfer station might produce.

Another topic that drew questions from the audience related to the amount of concrete and other materials that have been dumped at the site over many years.

Demeules had obtained a quote in the amount of approximately $37,000 to crush and reclaim some 4,000 tons of concrete, although most people believe there are many additional tons at the location. The crushed concrete could be used for the establishment of roads at the site or used on other township projects.  Excess concrete could also be sold to generate revenue for the continued development of the site.

Getting back to the environmental study, Demeules noted that the phase 1 report should be complete soon and depending on the consultant’s recommendations, there likely could be more testing needed on the land and groundwater to determine if there were additional pollutants that would need to be mitigated.

The consultant did discover that in the 1970’s, the State of Minnesota reviewed the property and declared it a dump site.  Other residents spoke of the area being used as a community dump and wondering what might be contained in the soils and mounds on the property. One resident even volunteered his time and the use of his skid loader to clear wooded areas on the property to aid in the soil and water sampling efforts.

“We are waiting for the consultant’s plan and quote for the next steps of what might need to be done,” Demeules said.

Several of the residents lived adjacent or near the site and voiced their support for testing the area to determine what environmental impacts might be located there. This idea seemed to draw a level of consensus, as residents noted it would be good to test the water and soil regardless of if the township goes through with the purchase.

Demeules then outlined some of the supporters of the project, which seem to be concentrated along the lakes, including the TLID, SWCD and BLCA members.

Several other issues were discussed at the meeting, but perhaps the one that drew the most attention was that of continued mining activity at the site. Several years ago, there was a proposal from a large company who had plans to operate the gravel pit, which would have brought an increased amount of traffic and noise to the area.  It was reported that at that time, the plan had drawn considerable backlash from residents in the area.

Demeules responded that having township control of the parcel was one way to ensure that mining operations didn’t start back up in the future.

“We have no plans to have a mining operation there,” he stated, while also noting that the current landowners could have sold to a company who would operate a gravel pit or asphalt plant. He explained that the township doesn’t have the legal authority to prohibit a company from doing additional mining at the parcel.

One resident asked if a special election would be held to determine the next steps, but Demeules indicated that was unlikely and that the township board will continue to be transparent with the process moving forward.  One resident opined that there were only 25 or so people at the meeting out of perhaps 3,500 township residents, despite the meeting being well-publicized.

“Thank you for coming tonight,” Demeules told the crowd, as he wrapped up the meeting and assured residents he will be in touch with the recommendations for the next steps.