A solar farm, road maintenance, parks and trails and the sheriff’s report were all part of Tuesday’s Clear Lake Twp. Board meeting.

 

Tom Green of SoCore Energy discussed a proposed five mega-watt solar farm to be located within the Clear Lake Twp.  

 

SoCore Energy purchased 40 acres of farmland located north of Hwy. 24 and west of Co. Rd. 8. The township road of 58th Avenue borders the purchased property to the east and 92nd Street to the south.  

 

Green anticipates construction to start in the spring or early summer of 2016. 

 

Township supervisors recommended proper access roads be created so that no property behind the proposed solar farm is land-locked. The supervisors also suggested damage to any township road during the construction phase be repaired at the company’s expense. 

 

Chairman Gary Gray said he will contact the Sherburne County Zoning department to discuss the  concerns as a part of the township input.

 

The addition of notes to an existing joint resolution between Clear Lake Twp. and Haven Twp. was discussed by Gray, Bud Stimmler and Joe Goenner. 

 

The joint resolution involves the maintenance of 31st Avenue, a road shared with Haven Twp.  Wording was added to show that Clear Lake Twp. will provide winter maintenance for snow removal and sanding to the entire length of the road and Haven Twp. would be billed for their portion of the road at the conclusion of the winter maintenance period.

 

Haven Township owns 29 percent of 31st Avenue. 

 

Chairman Gray instructed Todd Schendzielos to keep track of time spent on that road for winter snow plowing and sanding. 

 

Other notes were added to the joint resolution involving maintenance costs to the same road during the summer months. 

 

Mary Mathison, the Clear Lake Twp. Clerk, will update the resolution and send it to  Haven Twp. for their review.

 

Treasurer Paul Goenner said he will pay the bill for road maintenance completed in 2015 on 67th Street — the maintenance that included seal coating and road striping. 

 

Mathison said she will send an invoice to Palmer Twp. for their share of the maintenance on that road, showing a breakdown of separate costs for seal coating and striping.

 

Twp. Engineer Terrance VanderEyk reported on anticipated road projects for 2016. He said specifications for road overlays will be sent to Sherburne Co. within a week. 

 

For seal coating projects, Eyk will create the specifications and anticipates letting out those bids in February of 2016. A notice will be submitted to the Citizen by early January to advertise those bids.

 

Stimmler requested authorization to purchase one bundle of Norway Pine trees and one bundle of White Spruce trees at a cost of $32 for each bundle for the township park. The township will receive a five percent discount if ordered prior to February. 

 

Chairman Gray made a motion to authorize the purchase, with a second made by Joe Goenner.

 

Deputy Chris Aleshire of the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Dept. reported on the month of November. 

 

There were 49 calls for service of which 17 calls were for traffic violations. One call was for theft of an outdoor wood burner, one a fraud report of a caller claiming they were from the IRS, one damage to a mailbox and one fire call related to a controlled burn of trees.

 

Treasurer Paul Goenner purchased a $50,000 CD from the St. Cloud Federal Credit Union at an interest rate of 1.25% for 18 months.

 

The next Clear Lake Twp, Board Meeting is Jan. 19 at 7 p.m.