Residential issues, road and railroad updates, liquor and gambling licenses, snowplowing and the fall road tour were a few of the numerous items on this month’s agenda for the Becker Twp. Board.

 

Township resident Brian Levanduski — along with neighbors Tom and Marcia Boone — appeared before the board to talk about speeding in their neighborhood and the dangers they are worried about if something isn’t done about it.

 

Levanduski had an aerial map displayed on the screen for the board to see where he identified the roads where speeders race up and down the streets and where some drivers go “off-road” through farmer’s land at the end of cul-de-sacs to gain access to other roads instead of turning around.

 

The roads are at 173rd Ave. SE, 171st Ave. SE and 166th St. SE.

 

“We want to know if the township can put up signs or a barricade at the end of these roads to keep people from driving on field roads,” he said.

 

Levanduski said it would be nice if there were signs that said “dead end” so drivers wouldn’t enter the cul-de-sacs in the first place.

 

“The speeding has always been a problem,” said Marcia Boone. There’s always a handful of — usually teenagers — that race through the streets.”

 

Levanduski said he is really concerned because he has children who ride bikes in the neighborhood.

 

Sitting Chairman Brian Kolbinger said the issue is a law enforcement matter even though the township could certainly look into putting up a barricade or signs. He said the county sheriff’s department has been notified of the problem and they are patrolling more often and putting up speed carts in the area.

 

Clerk Lucinda Messman said she heard from County Attorney Kathleen Heaney, who said it would be beneficial to the county if someone was able to “catch” a violator in the act with a photo or video.

 

Levanduski said he and his neighbors have organized a neighborhood watch and hope to soon have photos or video from the speeders and violators.

 

Engineer Terrance VanderEyk said the 137th St. alignment was scheduled to be graded on Oct. 12 but the project was delayed due to Xcel Energy and BNSF issues. Eyk said they now have the project scheduled for Oct. 26 with a concrete pour scheduled for Oct. 28 and paving in early November.

 

“Hopefully we can still get this done this year,” said Eyk. “We are getting very close to the close of the construction season.”

 

Eyk said the Orrock Twp. Board recently approved major reconstruction on 243rd Ave. NW which is a road that runs off Co. Rd. 75 and becomes 109th St. SE in Becker Twp. Eyk said the road is being rebuilt so it can be taken down to the water table (swamp) level.

 

During construction of the road, a sign in Orrock Twp. will be set on 243rd Ave. as it travels west off Co. Rd. 75. and Eyk was informed another one would need to be set at the border of Orrock and Becker townships to ensure traffic from both directions is notified.

 

Kolbinger and board members said they plan to have a look at the road and the border between the two townships during its upcoming road tour.

 

Another road to be looked at is 77th Street where a resident has complained that the road features “washboarding” and needs to be fixed. Contractor Todd Schiendzelos said he just put about eight loads of gravel on it this past spring and since there is a lot of truck traffic through there, that must be the reason it is eroding so quickly.

 

The board asked Treasurer Tanya Danielson of there are funds available to fix the road yet this fall, and she said there was.

After further discussion and calculation, the board approved to spend up to $10,000 for materials (class five) and have Schiendzelos and Sons fix the 1/2-mile area along residential properties yet this year.

Hideout Bar & Grill

With a new bar/restaurant coming to occupy the old “Chico’s” building off Co. Rd. 11 and Hwy. 10, the owners of the Hideout Bar & Grill asked the board to approve an on-sale liquor license (also for Sunday sales) and a charitable gambling approval to sell pull-tabs and have it run by the BYSA.

 

The new owners of the Hideout Bar & Grill — Joe  and Tama Holtz — are also the owners of the Neighbors Eatery and Saloon in Albertville as well as Neighbors On The Rum in Princeton.

 

Kelli Bourgeois gave a report for the planning commission and said they approved a building permit for Beth and Jory Urness to build a home on their property while they remain living in their current dwelling‚ slated to be demolished.

 

Their property is located at 17167 117th St. in Becker Township.

 

Bourgeois said the situation was an odd one in that the Urnesses need to assure the township they plan on demolishing their current home before they build their new one on the same property. The Urnesses’ property is 40-acres and the demolition and construction of the new home is determined to have a one-week overlap.

 

• Bourgeois said there have been 33 single-family building permits applied for so far this year compared to just 18 in 2014;

 

• The fall road tour is tentatively scheduled for Mon., Nov. 2 in the morning;

 

• New forms to request quotes for township snowplowing and ice control services  were passed around and reviewed by the board;

 

• The Becker school system requested and was granted approval to use the township’s voting machines for their referendum election;

 

• The state auditor asked Messman to have an investments policy drawn up to comply with state statutes, so she did and she had the board review them and approve.

 

The next Becker Twp. Board meeting is Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.