The Palmer Twp. Board met Monday evening and put most of the finishing touches on their process for implementing the surface water use ordinance on the upper Briggs Lake chain.
The ordinance had been in effect for many years, although some disagreement with county officials led the board to make some modifications over the past year to ensure it could be enforced in a legal manner. Monday’s business was to adopt a resolution allowing for the calibrating of the high water gauge that is used to provide an accurate measurement, thus triggering the “no wake” rules for a minimum of 48 hours.
Supervisor Steve Demeules usually takes on the task of checking the readings and Monday’s approval will allow him to continue with his efforts.
He also noted that earlier in the day, the MN DNR had finally provided a letter indicating its approval of the ordinance revisions. Demeules reported that all that is left for the season is for Sherburne County to come out and verify the gauge’s calibration, whereupon the township can then put the regulations into effect as needed to protect the shorelines of the three lakes – Julia, Briggs and Rush.
There was a consensus from the Supervisors and members of the public in attendance that the issuance of a few tickets by the SCSO water patrol will help in getting the word out that the township is serious about enforcement of the rules.
Sheriff
Sheriff Joel Brott joined the board to present the 2021 Annual Report, which showed that Palmer continues to be a safe township. Brott indicated that in 2021 there were 1,151 calls for service within the township, an upward departure from the 798 calls in the 2020 COVID-19 reporting year. That was a trend that was true county-wide, as lockdowns and stay at home orders led to lower numbers all around during 2020.
Brott explained that the top occurrence in the category of Serious Criminal Activity, defined as crimes that impact the quality of life in a reporting area, continued to be thefts, as 16 were reported last year in Palmer.
The Sheriff encouraged the board and members of the public to follow his office on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter for up to date information.
Roads
In the ever popular road maintenance category, Chairman Mike Ganz noted that he had been in contact with Knife River and it will be several weeks until hot mix is available to start patching potholes. Until then, residents were encouraged to slow down to avoid the pitfalls.
“We will get after them as soon as we can,” Ganz noted.
The board also agreed to do some street sweeping this year as soon as the ice and snow season is over, and they also approved a cost share with Clear Lake Township for crack filling and sealing on 67th St., the road that leads to the Elk Lake public access.
Wipper Pit
Demeules provided an update on the Wipper Pit acquisition, as the Phase 1 Environmental Study was completed and delivered that same day. The 114 page document contained voluminous amounts of data for the board to review, with one highlight being the recommendation of a phase 2 review. Demeules explained that he is in the process of obtaining a quote for that project, while he had also been in contact with Sherburne County.
He said he started the conversation with county staff about the need for county and Vonco funding for the project, while also finding out that the parcels not eligible for subdivision as had been questioned at the recent open house.
While Demeules noted the phase 1 report didn’t show any “smoking guns”, it would still be in the township’s best interests to pursue the costs and scope for the phase 2 study to determine next steps.
In Other Business, the Board:
• Set June 4 from 7 a.m. until Noon for the annual clean up day, which will include appliance and electronics recycling;
• Noted that Palmer Park will open for rentals on the first weekend in May until the third Sunday in September;
• Heard from Demeules about several Lake Association activities, including the garage sale (May 12-15), Hwy. 25 Clean up (May 14) and first general meeting (June 10). In addition, there are two open terms on the TLID;
• Recognized the efforts of Roofers Local #96, who had recently donated the labor and materials to re-roof the Candy Shack at Palmer Park;
• Discussed obtaining quotes for the reclaim and resurfacing of 109th Ave. on the west side of Briggs Lake;
• Heard from Fire Chief Ron Koren about last month’s 23 calls for service for the CLFD, which included seven medicals and two fires in Palmer Twp.;
• Heard from Haven Supervisor Eric Meyer, who introduced himself as a candidate for Sher. Co. Commissioner, as Felix Schmiesing recently announced his retirement.
