Haven Township held one variance and two IUP (interim use permit) public hearings during their meeting Monday night. 

 

Nate Mueller approached the board concerning his IUP application for property he is interested in purchasing to use for his business, Mueller Auto Body Fabrication and Repair. Depending on business, he plans on building before next winter.

 

The board moved to make a favorable recommendation to the county.

 

Katrina Nygaard from Stantec approached the board concerning Minnesota Solar Community’s solar farm IUP application. The company is planning a 5-megawatt solar farm on 50 acres of farmland on Co Rd 8 that they will screen with two rows of coniferous trees. 

 

The board moved to make a favorable recommendation to the county.

 

Dave Ferkinhoff approached the board concerning his variance request for a new building on his 75th Ave. property. Because it’s zoned agricultural the setback line is 50,’ Ferkinhoff is requesting a variance for 25.’ 

 

The board moved to make a positive recommendation to the county.

 

Jon Bogart from Bogart, Pederson & Associates, Inc. presented the board with a revised estimate for $587,878 for the Elk River Estates road improvement project. He explained the proposal was higher than others the township had received due to extra work included, such as mailboxes, culverts and realigning one road. 

 

Supervisor Mark Knowles said they would be able to lower the estimate by taking out some items they typically did in-house, and asked for approval to go to bid with the project, which the board authorized.

 

Knowles informed the board residents from Sherwood West have signed a petition to have the board look at starting up their 64th Street/36th Ave. road project again. Originally scheduled for 2014, the project was halted when not all property owners would sign the necessary construction easements. 

 

He and Supervisor Kathi Kosloski met with some of the residents, and all property owners have now signed the easements. 

 

The board said they need to see where the cost of the Elk River Estates road project comes in, and indicated they would likely discuss the issue at their March meeting. The project would potentially be put on the township’s 2018 schedule.

 

Supervisor Jeff Schlingmann informed the board the county was asking if they could use Co Rd 91, which they recently forced back on the township, as a bypass when they replace a culvert during their Co Rd 8 road project. 

 

Dan Weber, assistant Sherburne County administrator, approached the board to explain the proposed tax abatement for Zablocki Roofing, who is looking to expand their business. The tax abatement would be on the county’s portion of the tax, not the township’s. 

 

Schlingmann questioned why the county would offer tax abatement to a local commercial company that wouldn’t be moving out of the area. 

 

“I’ve got a real problem with that for a commercial venture,” said Schlingmann. “It’s not a wise use of abatement.”

 

Weber explained they want to help local businesses. There’s a scoring system the county uses to make their decisions, and the abatement will increase the tax base and provide employment opportunities.

 

A motion passed to cancel the township’s landline,   which will save $1,000 per year.

 

The sheriff reported 75 calls for service for January, including one mail theft, one motor vehicle theft, one assault and a number of accidents.

 

Haven Township’s annual meeting will be March 14 at 7 p.m.; the next Haven Township monthly meeting will be March 20 at 7 p.m.