Minutes of Regular Meeting
# 690 Held in the
Lake Elmo City Council Chambers
Thursday, July 10, 2003
| MANAGERS PRESENT: |
Dave Bucheck, President; Don Scheel, Secretary; Dale Borash, Treasurer; and Duane Johnson, Manager |
| MANAGER ABSENT: | Lincoln Fetcher, Vice President |
| STAFF PRESENT: |
John Hanson, Barr Engineering; Barb Wolle, Attorney; Ray Roemmich, Inspector |
| STAFF ABSENT: | Karen Schultz, Recording Secretary |
| OTHERS PRESENT: | Chuck Taylor, CAC; Jeff Berg, Washington Conservation District; Sharon Schwarze, Grant City Council; and Mike Johnson, Bibeau's Landing Permit |
CALL TO ORDER
President Bucheck called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.ANNOUNCEMENTS There were no announcements.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES After discussion of the minutes of the June 26, 2003 meeting, motion was made by Scheel, seconded by Borash, to approve the minutes as amended. Motion carried unanimously.
ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS Under Managers, Increased Liability Insurance; Under Engineer, Updates from Jeff Berg; BWSR Challenge Grant.
PUBLIC FORUM Sharon Schwarze, Grant City Council, asked the managers if there had been any progress on the purchase of easements for the new culverts in the City of Grant in the Jocelyn Road area. Attorney Wolle and President Bucheck both answered that the issue has been held up because some people were less than enthusiastic about the appraisals of the land, and that the managers still had some specific questions, so more internal discussions are necessary. Sharon Schwarze asked about the time schedule, and President Bucheck said that the complete board of managers needs to be in attendance for the discussion, so it will depend on everyone=s schedule. Sharon also asked whether the subject of Sunnybrook Lake will be discussed at the Issue Identification Workshop on July 31st. President Bucheck answered that the July 31st Workshop will be held to identify the issues in the next 10 years in the watershed, and that issue will certainly be identified.
CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT Chuck Taylor had mailed the lake levels report to the managers, and discussed it with the managers at the meeting.
SECRETARY=S REPORT Secretary Scheel reported that he had distributed the mail
INSPECTOR=S REPORT Inspector Roemmich reported on inspections he has made since the last meeting
ATTORNEY=S REPORT Attorney Wolle had nothing new to report.
TREASURER=S REPORT Treasurer Borash said there is an increase of $961 in the liability insurance coverage. The managers agreed that the insurance agent, John Hoffman, ICS Agency, should be invited to the next managers= meeting to discuss recent changes in the managers= insurance coverage, as well as the cost.
ENGINEER=S REPORT Permit Request: Bibeau=s Landing, Mahtomedi At the last meeting the managers agreed to postpone the discussion of the Bibeau=s Landing permit request because the Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP) would need to review the permit application. Engineer Hanson now said that the TEP concurred that further documentation needs to be submitted by the developer, concerning the filling of the wetlands on the site.
The managers agreed that there was nothing that could be done with the permit application until the developer complies with the law.
LCMR Grant: Inter-Community Groundwater Sustainability Study At the last meeting the managers directed Engineer Hanson to draft a letter to Washington County concerning VBWD=s continued leadership, project management assistance, and financial support for the LCMR study of Washington County=s groundwater. Engineer Hanson had sent copies of the draft letter to the managers.
The managers also discussed the BWSR Challenge Grants that are available to eligible local units of government. Washington County and the Washington Conservation District have applied for money for a groundwater/surface water study for southern Washington County, in which the VBWD had sent a letter of support for the grant. Washington County also submitted a grant to develop a groundwater monitoring network and would like a letter of support from the VBWD. Engineer Hanson had prepared a draft letter for the managers to consider.
After discussion, motion was made by Scheel and seconded by Johnson that President Bucheck sign the two letters to Cindy Weckwerth, Washington County Public Health and Environment, supporting the LCMR study and the challenge grant application. Motion carried unanimously.
FEMA Mapping At the last meeting, the managers agreed to enter into a contract with Washington County to calculate flood levels in certain priority basins in the county, and the contract was signed by President Bucheck. At this meeting Engineer Hanson informed the managers that the contract has been revised by changing the amount of money from $69,945, to $65,945. Attorney Wolle indicated that some other clauses had been added to the contract. After discussion, motion was made by Bucheck, seconded by Scheel, to approve the Washington county FEMA mapping program with the revised cost of $65,945. Motion carried unanimously.
Downs Lake Project Update Engineer Hanson said the contractor has completed many of the tasks that were on the punch list to finish the project. He said one resident did have complaints about the project, particularly related to mosquitos, and he suggested that she attend a managers= meeting.
Washington County Fair Engineer Hanson reported that most of the time slots are filled for working at the Washington County Fair. There are a few time slots left, and he hoped that other watershed district managers and staff would fill them.
2005-2015 Watershed Management Plan Engineer Hanson reported that a minimum of 19 persons, and a maximum of 23, have replied that they will attend the Issue Identification Workshop on July 31st.
Update From Jeff Berg Jeff Berg, Washington Conservation District, updated the managers on the topics that he had discussed with them at a previous meeting. He said there will be money available for the assistance that the Conservation District provides to local government units (LGU) who are administrating the Wetland Conservation Act, but he=s not sure how much. He said LGUs will be charged if the WCD is administrating the Wetland Conservation Act for them, but will not be charged for technical assistance that is required by Minnesota Statute. For the VBWD, little is expected to change.
Jeff said the DeMontreville Lake Public Access project is finished, except for the fence that will be installed to protect the plants. He said the sign also needs to be placed at the site.
Jeff concluded by saying the Valley Creek Neighborhood Wilds program is mostly complete.
Fields of St. Croix II Engineer Hanson said he and Inspector Roemmich had visited the Fields of St. Croix II development, and prepared a list of erosion and sedimentation issues. The managers were provided the list. The managers agreed that since the project is not completed, the developer should be made aware of the list, and that if the developer wishes to attend a meeting, the managers would welcome him.
MANAGERS= REPORT Next Meeting - July 24, 2003 The managers expect to have a quorum at the next meeting. Manager Johnson said he will be absent.
ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Scheel and seconded by Borash at 8:15 p.m. to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully Submitted,
Donald Scheel, Secretary
Minutes Approved by Managers 07/24/03