A drainage situation, a maintenance agreement and a road report were just some of the items discussed at Tuesday’s Clear Lake Twp. meeting.

 

Chairman Gary Gray said he went out to the end of the cul-de-sac on 37th Avenue where it appeared a resident was not happy with a culvert project, so they put in rocks and timbers and sacks of Sakrete to build a wall that now channels water onto the driveway of a neighbor.

 

Gray had taken pictures at the address of 8270 37th Ave. to show Engineer Terrance VanderEyk and fellow board members in which Bud Stimmler said, “It looks like he put a lot of work into it.”

 

Gray said the structure is in the right-of-way and possibly over the property line and if the Sakrete hardens, it will create a headwall that will prohibit the  snowplow truck’s duties and may even cause damage to the vehicle or the plow.

 

“That structure needs to be removed, right?” asked Gray to Eyk. 

 

Eyk nodded and said, “If he doesn’t remove it himself, we will go out there and do it and he will be assessed the fees via his property taxes.”

 

Gray said it not only will be a problem for the snowplows but the way it is designed, it will divert draining water to a neighbor’s driveway.

 

“It’s blocking all drainage,” Gray said.

 

Gray suggested the township clerk or Eyk send a letter to the property owner telling them they have a short time to take the wall down or it will be done for them. Contemporary safety standards for rural roadways require a 15 foot obstacle-free area, as measured from the edge of traffic lane, for recovery should a vehicle inadvertently leave the road.  Unpermitted obstructions within the right of way create a safety hazard to the travelling public.

 

After a stretch of 31st Avenue (2,550 feet) was recently turned back to the township,Clear Lake is responsible for creating a road maintenance agreement with Haven Twp., who owns 1,025 feet of the road.

 

The agreement will not be a 50/50 split, said Gray, because of the length of the road and any maintenance will be done by Clear Lake and the portion of Haven’s will be billed at a later date.

 

Eyk presented two estimates for road projects next spring and said one (for $66,782) is for overlays on 99th Street and Prairie Acres on Co. Rd. 53. The board advised Eyk to proceed with the project.

 

The second project is for sealcoating and comes in at around $81,000 for several streets in the township. Eyk told the board the county — who they usually piggy-back projects with to get the best costs — has told him they have zero sealcoating projects scheduled for 2016.

 

Thus, the township will have to let bids on their own — a process they haven’t done in numerous years.

 

Gray asked Eyk “if the township let out bids and the numbers were not good, could they disregard the bids and not do the project for now?”

 

Eyk said, “yes,” the township could do that.

 

Eyk said the bids coming in from the contractors would be around the same costs the county got but it is the administrative costs that will be higher due to not piggy-backing with the county.

 

“Let’s get a bid and see where we are at,” said Gray.

 

Eyk said he will let bids in February and by March the township can view them and decide whether to proceed or not.

 

Deputy Chris Aleshire said October was relatively quiet in Clear Lake Twp. with 74 calls for service that included 35 for traffic, three conservation calls (deer), three medicals, four alarms and one fire (barn).

 

• Clerk Mary Mathison said a resident sent  to her a bill  they received from the fire department for charges and is expecting the township to pay for it. Mathison was told to return it to the resident and if they refuse to pay, it will be submitted to the county to be charged to their property taxes for next year;

 

• Mathison said she got a bill from the county for recent sealcoating and she asked if she should create an invoice for Palmer Twp. for their share. The board decided she should wait to pay the bill and invoice Palmer until the striping bill comes in in the near future in which Mathison can take care of both matters at that time;

 

• Gray said he will contact an electrician to run wiring for the hall meeting room so the clerk, deputy clerk and treasurer can have wi-fi coverage for their newly-acquired computer equipment;

 

• Treasurer Paul Goenner made suggestions to the board about whether the township should go to a money market account with a different bank that has a higher interest rate or stay with their current bank and a lower rate. Gray suggested Goenner talk to the current bank and see if they can increase the rate a little to compensate for the difference.

 

The next Clear Lake Twp. meeting is Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.