The Santiago Twp. Board met Wednesday evening to discuss road issues, a CUP for a property and were introduced to two Democrats running for election.

 

Sheriff Joel brott was invited to the township board meeting so the board members could ask him how they can solve the issue of speeders in town and making the intersection of Co. Rd. 11 and Co. Rd. 3 safer.

 

Last month, the board discussed at length the issues the town is experiencing with traffic speeding right through town, ignoring the slower speed signs and not being able to see the unsecured ones that keep getting stolen.

 

Brott’s department, in the past, has supplied the township with crosswalk signs that have twice been stolen. Brott told the board prior that he can no longer keep providing the signs and the board said they’d like to see something more permanent anyways.

 

Chairman Stuart Nelson asked Brott for some advice on how to deal with the issue and suggested the possibility of putting in a crosswalk at the intersection since many kids and some disabled citizens have trouble crossing there.

 

Nelson and the board members also said many of the speeding issues are the result of gravel trucks ignoring the posted speed signs.

 

Brott suggested he talk to the county’s new public works director and have him come to a future board meeting to hear their concerns. The director could also go on-site and review the situation and instruct the board on what he suggests and how it can be funded.

 

“We want something permanent this time,” Clerk Kathy Woolard said.

 

Brott also said he would send a message to his patrol units in the area to keep an eye on things in the meantime. He also suggested in bringing a speed trailer to the area to see if motorists heed the lighted warnings.

 

In other road news, Dave Jehoich told the board parts of 155th Avenue is under water and has been barricaded. He suggested the board possibly use fill for reinforcement once the water recedes. The board members agreed to table the issue for now and re-discuss after the water recedes and the issue re-evaluated.

 

Jehoich also told the board the ditches have been mowed and some gravel has been brought in for certain projects. Also, a culvert on 7th Street is in need of some rocks on one side so it won’t be undercut.

 

Deputy Andy Oaches said the sheriff’s department received 38 calls for service for Santiago Twp. with the majority being traffic calls. He also said one of the calls was a complaint from an elderly person who said the caller was trying to scam them in a gift card scheme.

 

Woolard said she got a call from someone who called her grandma and was trying to portray her grandson while asking for money. Woolard said she figured it was a scam since the person had an accent and after she called 911 to report it, the caller called back two more times trying to finish the ruse.

 

Karla Scapanski of Sartell introduced herself to the board and mentioned she was running a campaign to capture the legislative seat for District 15B currently held by Jim Newberger.

 

Scapanski said she is a graduate of SCSU in criminal justice and a wife and mother of three kids. She has worked in law enforcement, school and child care and treatment centers.

 

She claims she is a grass-roots girl and wants to be an advocate for the people of the townships and cities she would represent should she win the election.

 

Chilah Brown is running for the open senate seat soon to be vacated by Dave Brown (no relation). She is a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and is running as a Democrat.

 

Chilah is a resident of Isle and works in tribal government. She is a graduate from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and her reason for running is to “bridge the gap between communities so we can come together to address issues and to create solutions that will benefit all.” 

 

Andrew Mathews is the Republican-endorsed candidate seeking the seat.

 

A new, updated comment form was submitted to the board in regards to the CUP application for the Craig Schwartzkopf property. The form was originally signed-off on in April but a new form was needed to be sent to the county for approval.

 

The board agreed to re-sign the comment form with the inclusion that the property owner clean up the property according to county specifications.

 

Nelson reported there was nothing to report for the zoning, fire department, parks and building commissions.

 

The next Santiago Twp. Board meeting is Aug. 10 at 7 p.m.