During their March meeting, Lynden Twp. discussed road updates, the new fire contract and an anonymous complaint.

 

 

Supervisor Dennis Niemi informed the board that after he contacted Sen. Jeff Howe for assistance the permit for the 13th Ave. culvert repair was received from the DNR. He will work with Schendzielos to ensure the project is completed as soon as conditions permit, however, work can’t begin before June 15.

 

Niemi has received a number of calls for damaged mailboxes. The township’s policy is that neither they nor their contractor are responsible for replacement unless a swing-away mailbox support is used.

 

Short Elliot & Hendrickson Engineering reviewed bids for the resurfacing of 7th Ave. and 189th Street project, and recommended Knife River be awarded the bid; Johnson questioned how a subsurface bid can be made without having soil borings completed.

 

A motion carried accepting the bid from Knife River, not to exceed $76,304.

 

 

Supervisors Anne Ackerman and Dave Johnson have attended several meetings with Clearwater Twp. and the City of Clearwater to finalize changes to the fire contract formula. The new contract is based on historical usage data, with Lynden paying 23%, Clearwater Twp. paying 24% and the City of Clearwater paying 53%. 

 

Although the contract has an automatic renewal, the intention is that further discussions will occur in order to finalize a long-term plan for contract calculations. 

 

Ackerman informed the board there were discrepancies between call reports provided by Stearns Co. and the call numbers provided by Clearwater. She has notified City Administrator Keven Kress and Fire Chief Ryan Pridgeon of the issue, and has requested Kress provide a detailed 2018 call report to use for cross-checking.

 

The fire contract with Annandale Fire Dept. will remain the same. Projected long-term needs for the department include a tanker, walk-in vehicle and new fire hall roof.

 

 

Jeff Johnson informed the board Stearns Co. had denied his request for an accessory building as the public hearing notification was received too late for the board to submit official comment in support of the application.

 

 

The township received an anonymous letter questioning whether Tails of Gold Kennel was still operating after their permit was revoked. The township’s complaint policy states anonymous complaints are considered suspect; the identity of complainants is considered confidential.

 

If the complainant chooses to identify him or herself the board will gather additional information and review the complaint at that time.

 

The township’s internet service was cancelled March 1 by Arvig, James Kantor will research service options.

 

The township’s newsletter was mailed Feb. 22; next year the board will request it be sent out closer to the annual meeting.

 

The next Lynden Twp. meeting will be April 1 at 7 p.m.