The Palmer Twp. Board met Monday evening with road maintenance, a Palmer Park update, and the possible acquisition of a parcel of land to be used for a residential compost facility, all being issues that highlighted the agenda.
In recent weeks, there has been a good deal of road shouldering finished with completion of that project scheduled in the near future. The board also reviewed a previous bid for the seal coating project on 95th avenue, which came in at $23,000. The board decided to try and complete that project, pending final cost verification, as well as reviewing a similar application that had been completed in Santiago Twp.
To prepare the roads for the upcoming winter, there will be more patching and some brush cutting completed this fall after Palmer Day.
Palmer Park
The supervisors discussed operations at Palmer Park and it was noted that someone has been driving a golf cart and four wheelers on the trails and causing some damage. Ganz reported that he had spoken with the kids who were on the golf cart and is checking into possible age limits or ordinances that cover these types of vehicles.He will report back at the next meeting with any additional information.
The issue of dogs being in the park was again brought up, although if they are service animals there is little that can be done about the issue.
The board decided that Palmer Park pavilion rentals could continue through September, but the water will be shut off in October.
They also reviewed the tennis court bids from Dermco, which came in at $82,000, and no further action was taken on the issue at this time.
When looking ahead to next summer, the board discussed the possibility of having music in the park as a possible event for area residents.
Compost Facility
The township continues to explore the establishment of a compost facility for residents in conjunction with Sherburne County. The location would be at the Wipper Pit and next steps will include looking at the value of the land and possible offers for purchase.
Currently, some residents report bringing their leaves and brush all the way to the compost site in Becker and having a closer location would add a level of convenience.
Sheriff/Fire
Commander Bob Stangler presented this month’s statistics for the Sheriff’s Office, noting 123 calls for service, down slightly from the 163 calls in 2019 before the pandemic affected 63 calls in 2020.
Traffic stops continue to be a common occurrence in the township, while there were also 27 boating contacts with four citations being issued.
A resident noted that there had been another accident at the instruction of CSAHs 23 and 3, where a flashing stop sign had been added.
Chairman Mike Ganz inquired about the possibility of installing a dynamic speed sign to help control vehicle speeds through town and potential costs were discussed. More information will be collected on the possibility and it will be looked at in the future.
Captain Chad Koren was on hand to update the board on last month’s calls for the CLFD, which totaled 16, five of which were in Palmer. Three calls were for medical aid, while two fires were also noted.
In Other Business, the Board:
• Heard from Supervisor Steve Demeules about the recent efforts of the lake association in dealing with purple loosestrife that has been located in the bayou and the east side of Rush Lake, as well as their plans for Palmer Day (It was noted that help is still needed and volunteers are encouraged to contact the lake association or show up at the Annual Meeting to be held on August 21 at 10 a.m. at the Town Hall);
• Approved a liquor license for the new owners of Kinitski’s;
• Heard an update from Demeules on the proposed Sherburne County parking ordinance which is being brought back to the planning commission;
• Learned that the proposed park concept on the shores of Elk Lake has been completed and a copy will be posted at Town Hall.
