CALL TO ORDER President Bucheck called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.

ANNOUNCEMENTS There were no announcements.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES After discussion of the minutes of the February 24, 2005 meeting, motion was made by Scheel and seconded by Borash to approve the minutes as corrected. Motion carried unanimously.

ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS Added to the agenda under Engineer Reports were: Watershed Management Plan, BWSR Challenge Grants, and Barr Engineering Celebration.

PUBLIC FORUM There was no discussion in the Public Forum segment of the meeting.

CHANGE IN ORDER OF AGENDA ITEMS At this time President Bucheck authorized a change in the order of agenda items.

Raleigh Creek At the last meeting the managers authorized Engineer Hanson to arrange for the clearing of ice from the Raleigh Creek culvert located at 28^th Street. At this meeting, Engineer Hanson reported that the work had been scheduled for March 1^st, but was cancelled, due to weather conditions. Engineer Hanson said the situation is being closely monitored. The managers agreed that this was satisfactory at this time.

Engineer Hanson reported that he and Secretary Scheel met with representatives of Washington County, and the Cities of Oakdale and Lake Elmo, on Tuesday, March 8^th, to discuss the South Fork of Raleigh Creek erosion issues. He and Secretary Scheel explained that Washington County has requested that Barr Engineering submit a proposal for engineering and design services for the construction of rock vanes and a low flow pipe along the ditch. Engineer Hanson said if the managers approve Barr, Engineering will make a proposal to Washington County. President Bucheck asked how the project costs would be paid. Engineer Hanson and Secretary Scheel said there were no commitments made at the meeting for paying for the project.

The managers agreed that they had no problem with Barr Engineering contracting with Washington County for the work.

Watershed Management Plan Engineer Hanson reported that the Washington Conservation District has submitted its comments on the draft Plan. He also reported that the Washington County Commissioners are meeting March 15^th and have suggested that a VBWD manager attend the meeting. Secretary Scheel will attend the meeting.

Board of Water and Soil Resources Challenge Grants Engineer Hanson informed the managers that Washington County is preparing several BWSR Challenge Grant applications, and would like to list Valley Branch Watershed District as a partner. The grant applications will likely be for 1) preparing a Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR) for groundwater rules and doing education; 2) creating and/or converting a water resources database and website for the Washington Conservation District to store Washington County data; 3) adding to the groundwater monitoring network; and 4) possibly studying the hydrology of wetlands in northern Washington County. Engineer Hanson noted that some of the application topics might be combined, and that Washington County is not seeking financial commitments at this time.

After the managers discussed the topics, motion by Bucheck and seconded by Scheel to support the BWSR challenge grants. Motion carried unanimously. Engineer Hanson will inform BWSR of this decision.

Barr Engineering Celebration Engineer Hanson told the managers that Barr Engineering is planning a celebration for leaders in watershed management. The celebration will be held April 12, 2005, at the Barr Engineering office, and all Valley Branch Watershed District managers and staff will be invited to attend.

Permit Request: Wildflower Shores Wetland Banking At the last meeting, the managers tabled the issue of the Wildflower Shores Wetland Banking Permit Request, until the status of the existing escrow balance is determined. Motion was made by Borash and seconded by Scheel to remove the discussion from the table. Motion carried unanimously.

Engineer Hanson had mailed to the managers a summary of the escrow balance activity in the permit. The summary showed that the escrow account balance is minus approximately $5,000. The managers discussed whether a new permit should be issued, or to continue with the original permit. Attorney Marshall advised that the managers could proceed with a new permit, but the same subject matters would apply. After discussion, motion was made by Bucheck and seconded by Fetcher to continue the original permit, # 99-9, with the modification conditions that had been discussed. Motion carried unanimously.

Sunnybrook Lake Engineer Hanson said he received a telephone call from the new owner of the Drusch property, William Bonta, with questions about the Sunnybrook Lake project, and he wants to meet with Engineer Hanson about the project. President Bucheck said Bob Rogalla called him with questions about the project, and Vice President Fetcher said Bruce Mogren had called him about the same thing. President Bucheck said he will be contacting the other residents who had not attended the VBWD January 27, 2005 meeting when the status of the Sunnybrook Lake Project was discussed. He also said that he and Engineer Hanson will meet with Mr. Bonta and Mr. Rogalla.

ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Scheel and seconded by Borash at 8:45 p.m. to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously.

Respectfully Submitted,

Donald Scheel, Secretary

Minutes Approved by Managers 03/24/05