The Santiago Twp. Board met last Wednesday and once again, 67th St. was on the agenda, as this time the supervisors took action to clarify a portion of the roadway to the eastern side of the cul de sac located off Co. Rd. 23.

In the past, the township had designated the road a cartway, assuming that was the status of an old farm road located in the area.

However, with additional information gathered by the supervisors and Clerk Kathy Woolard, the board now believes that portion of the trail is a private roadway.

Woolard has been in contact with Sherburne County, and she noted that county staff have assured her there were four pieces of documentation on file relating to that area – two ditch liens and a mortgage document among them – but no easements.

“That means it is out of our control and we don’t have to deal with it,” Supervisor Jeff Pappenfus stated, referring to the area to the east of the cul de sac, which eventually connects to Co. Rd. 11. “That means it is a private roadway and not a cartway.”

Resident Craig Schwarzkopf was at the meeting and showed documentation to the board regarding the law he thought pertained to the roadway when he owned land in the area. He had made improvements to the road base in the area, as he had earlier been told it was a cartway.

“There was a 33 foot easement recorded by me after I had it surveyed,” Schwarzkopf stated, clarifying that there was ingress, egress and utility language in the easement. “I’m not sure why the county doesn’t have record of it.”

Schwarzkopf went on to explain how he had followed the law when he improved the road base material.

“I try to be a law abiding citizen,” Schwarzkopf said. “This [referring to a copy of the statute] is what I followed when I was told it was a cartway.”

“Well, now we know it’s a private road and so it’s up to you guys [landowners] to do what you want with it,” Pappenfus responded.

Both Schwarzkopf and the board seemed to agree that if the roadway was indeed private, the contiguous property owners would have control over the “field road”.

Supervisor Dave Jehoich felt the township should adopt a new resolution, noting the private roadway status of the area east of the cul de sac.

Chariman Stuart Nelson then drafted language to that effect, and the board passed it unanimously.

The board also noted it would be in contact with the Becker Twp. Board, who has placed a Minimum Maintenance Road sign at the same location. Being 67th St. is a shared roadway, each township borders one side of the road – Santiago to the north and Becker to the south.

“We need to talk to Becker to have them take down that sign,” Pappenfus said.

In Other Business, the Board:

• Listened to SCSO Sgt. Andy Ochs, who reported 62 calls for service for the township for December, with traffic stops being the most common incident;

• Heard the road report from Supervisor Dave Jehoich and contractor John Herbst.  Because of frost issues, the culvert on 67th St. will likely wait until spring, while brush trimming and cutting will be done on days with warmer weather;

• Set April 4 as the Board of Equalization meeting date;

• Heard from firefighter Matt Weber, who reported on 70 calls in December for the Becker Fire Department, including five in Santiago Twp.;

• Clarified the finances in the Equipment Fund for the fire department substation, and asked Weber to keep them apprised of equipment or truck needs well in advance so additional funds can be discussed as needed;

• Discussed ARPA funds and listened as Woolard reported that this money can now be used for general fund expenditures, such as roads;

• Passed a motion to continue to explore working with the county on possible additions to the rural broadband project.

The board’s next meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Santiago Town Hall.