Chairman Stuart Nelson said that Sherburne County is planning to turn three sections of county road over to Santiago Township for maintenance as part of the county-wide reversion plan that the State of Minnesota is recommending.

 

The area involved would include sections of 59th street, 85th street and 127th street, including a 7.5 mile tar/gravel road near the Danetown Cemetery.

 

Supervisor Jeff Pappenfus asked if the road signs on those sections currently meet the new state standards, which Nelson agreed should be examined during the annual township road trip to determine road conditions scheduled for Monday.

 

“It’s going to happen,” Nelson said of the planned reversion, and the board will have to consider adding the increased maintenance costs to the annual budget next year.

 

 

The board heard a presentation from administrators from the Princeton School District regarding the upcoming $29,955,000 referendum the district will hold next month in an attempt to fund renovations to district schools, which will include upgrades to the technology infrastructure, creating safe and secure entrances at all schools and providing handicapped accessibility in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

 

Princeton Superintendent Dr. Julia Espe, School Board Chairperson Deb Ulm and several other administrators attended the Santiago meeting. The district website (www.princeton.k12.mn.us) has a link to the project, called “Referendum Central”, which includes details of the proposed updates, a tax calculator for residential properties and a phone number for assistance in getting tax information on agricultural property, Espe said.

 

Santiago residents living in the Princeton School District will vote at the Blue Hill Town Hall, 15341 321st Ave., Princeton, MN.  Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, Ulm said.

 

Public hearings on the referendum will be held on Mon., April 14 at 7 p.m. at the Princeton Public Library, and Tue., May 6 at 5:30 p.m. in the Princeton School District office board room.  For more information, contact the Princeton School District at (763) 389-2422 or via e-mail at referendum@isd477.org.

 

 

Responding to a request for information from township resident Ron Rouse regarding the possibility of a natural gas pipeline hook-up on 67th St., Nelson said that he had been in contact with the township attorney on the matter and had been advised that the board has no authority in the matter.  Nelson said that the residents of that area would first have to form a homeowners association as a first step in gaining a pipeline connection.

 

 

Residents raised a question regarding the township‘s ISO insurance rating, which remains at nine even with the purchase of a new tanker truck for the Santiago Fire Station.  Becker firefighter Jeff Edling said that an ISO inspector would have to evaluate the station before the rating could be changed, and that he would being the matter up with Becker Fire Chief Doug Kolbinger and provide information to the Santiago board at a future meeting.

 

Of nearby townships, haven has an ISO rating of four, while Clear Lake is listed at seven.

 

Discussing the Walker Cemetery property, Nelson said that if a cemetery association could be formed, the township would have no issue with deeding the property over to it in the future.  The township currently owns the property by default after it was abandoned some years ago.

 

Treasurer Jeff Anderson informed the board that he will not seek another term, at least in the near future, as he has some family-related plans that he plans to pursue.

 

The sheriff’s report listed 34 calls for service in Santiago in the previous month, including 27 traffic stops. Nelson requested increased patrols on 62nd St.

in response to citizen complaints of excessive speed.  Installation of a “speed trailer” with a speed display sign was also discussed.