On the agenda for Tuesday’s Clear Lake Township meeting was a solar garden presentation, the Sherburne County Sheriff’s annual report and seal coat project bids.

 

Solar Garden Presentation

Mary Matze from Ecoplexus introduced the company and gave a short presentation on plans they have for a solar garden in Clear Lake Township. 

 

Chairperson Gary Gray mentioned screening has been an issue with solar farms in the past, so he asked what their plans were in this instance. Matze responded they were proposing evergreen-based screening on all sides.

 

Chairperson Gray also asked about their decommissioning plan, which planning and zoning is always concerned with. Matze stressed they’ve already had conversations with the county and are prepared to work with them on this issue.

 

The board didn’t foresee any issues with the proposal, so they agreed to send their comment form to the county with the requirement that any damage done to the roads will be paid for by the contractors. 

 

County Sheriff Joel Brott presented their 2015 annual report to the board, stating that overall, things have been a bit better than the previous two years. 

 

Total Sherburne County law enforcement contacts in Clear Lake Twp. were 898 for 2015. He broke down the numbers, stating that knowing them gives the township an idea of what they can expect next year unless there is a significant population change. 

 

Sheriff Brott informed the board there is a new problem taking over, that of distracted driving, in particular texting and phone use. He noted that even if you’re stopped at a stoplight it’s still an offense to text. He indicated they would be doing a media release to the public on the subject soon.

 

Bids for the 2016 township seal coat projects were opened at 7:30 p.m., with only one company, Astech, submitting a bid. The board approved the bid in the amount of $71,000 with it being contingent upon the engineer’s review. Once that has occurred an abstract of bids will be written and Astech contacted. 

 

Erling and Michelle Teigen approached the board requesting to split their 8.8-acre industrial zoned property into two lots, one 3.8 and one 5. The board approved the request with no concerns.

 

Haven Township returned the resolution concerning sharing the cost of maintaining 31st Avenue with minor changes; they own 29% of the road. The board briefly discussed, then approved the changes.

 

Chairperson Gray met with Mayor Tim Goenner and City Council Member Dale Powers in regards to the City of Clear Lake’s annexation requests. For the short term they want to annex the lift station and one parcel for a well. 

 

“After that they’ll figure out an orderly annexation with us,” said Gray. “This is the beginning of an on-going project.”

 

Vice Chairperson Bud Stimmler updated the board on the Clear Lake area history book. There is now a partial list of chapters and topics, and the group has started to edit and add to chapters the author has already completed.

 

Chairperson Gray informed the board the Clear Lake Fire Dept is in the process of purchasing a new grass truck.

 

The sheriff reported 62 incidents for Jan., including 26 traffic violations, one burglary, one domestic assault, three accidents and seven public assists.

 

The next Township meeting will be held March 15 at 7 p.m.