Although the timeline hasn’t been finalized, Clear Lake area residents can look forward to the day when a picnic pavilion is located in the Township Park thanks to a generous donation from the Clear Lake Lions Club.
Township Chair Gary Gray announced at Tuesday night’s Twp. Board meeting that the Lions had donated $25,000 to help make the project happen.
Gray noted that with construction and materials cost currently sky high, there will need to be some fine tuning on the project and it could take place yet this summer or wait until the spring of 2022.
The supervisors were extremely pleased with the donation and are hoping it can become an entire community project to see the pavilion come to fruition.
“It’s really a community project so having some community help would be cool,” Gray said.
Supervisor Ross Imholte noted that the township would be happy to receive other monetary donations or in-kind services such as materials, concrete, dirt work or labor to complete the project.
Clean Up Day
The board heard from members of the Clean Up Day Task Force as to the details surrounding the May 1st event, which will be held from 7:30 am until Noon.
The event has been moved to a new location — the Town Hall — and the supervisors are hoping that everyone is aware of that detail as the old location of the event is no longer township owned.
Some changes to the fee structure have been implemented in an effort to recover costs, but it was noted that the event is never a money-maker for the township.
The Task Force has been working hard on a new layout design for the event to keep it as efficient as possible for residents who are looking to dispose of items such as mattresses and box springs, all the way to scrap metal or old appliances.
Supervisor Bud Stimmler noted that he will place a sign near Co. Rd. 8 to help people locate the event since it is a new location. So far, the Task Force noted a dozen volunteer workers have been secured while more are being sought.
County Update
County Administrator Bruce Messelt spoke to the board and offered an update on the County’s activities over the past year.
He noted that the county’s population is nearing 100,000 residents, although final census numbers have yet to be released.
New construction across the county is brisk, as over $1 million in permit fees were collected a year ago, while the first quarter of 2021 is also at a record pace.
Home values are on the rise, with the average priced sale in 2020 being $293,600. This represents about an 8% increase in home values and for the first time in history, home sales are exceeding the asking price on a consistent basis.
In transportation trends, Messelt noted some pre-covid statistics that show approximately half of the working population in Sherburne leaves the county for work and 52% of residents commute over one-half hour to get to work (the state average is 30%).
Messelt noted that the commissioners have a goal to keep more people working within the county at well-paying jobs and as a result, they have instituted an Entrepreneur Lab that aims to help existing businesses expand. Three of four new jobs are created by existing buisnesses and the county is working hard to help current businesses thrive.
In terms of taxes, the tax rate has been trending down an average of 1.9% per year.
At the end of Messelt’s presentation, Stimmler asked about the railroad crossings on County Road 8, as they are quite bumpy and could pose a hazard to unsuspecting drivers. Stimmler hoped for a permanent fix and in the meantime asked for a “bump ahead” sign to be placed. Messelt assured him that he would connect with Public Works Director Andrew Witter and the issue will be investigated.
In Other Business, The Board:
• Reviewed the Sheriff’s report which showed 79 calls for service, including 35 traffic stops;
• Heard from engineer Terrence Vander Eyk about the spring road tour, as well as a large Cottonwood tree that will need to be removed from the Sherwood Shores area before the early summer road project. Eyk also sought and received approval for a change order in the amount of $1,250 so the Sherwood Shores reclaim project can start a few weeks earlier, allowing for a better reclamation process due to the temperature of the road bed;
• Approved a positive comment form for the county’s Board of Appeals for a bluff variance request for Alex and Danielle Jones to construct a shed on their property;
• Reaffirmed their plans to construct the roadway in Sherwood Shores to modern engineering specifications and dimensions, including a shoulder. Gray reported good attendance at the recent meetings to discuss the project and reported that the meeting video will also be placed for public viewing on the township website.
