Minutes of Regular Meeting # 770 Held in the Lake Elmo City Council Chambers
Thursday, April 12,  2007 

MANAGERS PRESENT:  Lincoln Fetcher, President; Dave Bucheck, Vice President; Don Scheel, Secretary, and Dale Borash, Treasurer; Duane Johnson, Manager

OTHERS PRESENT:  Chuck Taylor, Citizens Advisory Committee; Dr. Mike Manthei, Silver Lake Improvement Association; Wendy Griffin and Jay Riggs, Washington Conservation District

ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS Added to the agenda under Managers: Managers= Continuing Education.

PUBLIC FORUM Silver Lake Dr. Mike Manthei, Silver Lake Improvement Association, was present to request funds from the VBWD for the Association to begin a whole-lake aquatic plant treatment of Silver Lake. Silver Lake was awarded a $10,000 Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grant for the use of AEndothall / 2,4-D@ in combination. However, Dr. Manthei said there are legal restrictions on the use of that treatment. The DNR expects that it will take three to five years of treatments to control the Eurasian watermilfoil and curlyleaf pondweed. Both plants will eventually return, and may eventually come to dominate the lake again. The cost of this year=s treatment is estimated to be approximately $40,000. Dr. Manthei has raised over $36,000, including $17,000 from Silver Lake area landowners and businesses; $8,400 from the City of North St. Paul; and $1,000 from Ramsey County. The City of Oakdale has committed $3,600, with the stipulation that all the other stakeholders also contribute. The City of Maplewood recently voted not to contribute anything, but Dr. Manthei said he plans to again ask the City of Maplewood for assistance.

After discussion, the managers agreed that VBWD has already made quite a contribution toward protecting Silver Lake and that managing aquatic plants for recreational purposes is not one of the VBWD missions. Motion was made by Scheel and seconded by Bucheck to ask Dr. Manthei to return in two weeks, for the managers= next meeting, after he has a good idea of the amount of money still needed. Motion carried unanimously.

SECRETARY=S REPORT Secretary Scheel reported that the mail had been distributed.

INSPECTOR=S REPORT Inspector Roemmich said there was nothing new to report.

ATTORNEY=S REPORT Attorney Marshall said he had received an invoice from Lillie Suburban Newspapers for the publishing of the VBWD Revised Rules and Regulations. He gave the invoice to Treasurer Borash.

WASHINGTON CONSERVATION DISTRICT MLCCS Jay Riggs said most of the land cover mapping has been completed in the area of VBWD, but there is still an area of the City of Oakdale that is not complete because of some Washington Conservation District (WCD) staff communication misunderstandings. Mr. Riggs explained that the wetlands within the VBWD have been mapped, but that the Function and Value Assessments have not been done. President Fetcher reviewed the memorandum that the WCD had provided the managers last year regarding the WCD=s proposal to complete both the MLCCS and Function and Value wetland assessments. Mr. Riggs asked the managers to contribute more financial assistance to complete the Function and Value assessments. President Fetcher directed Engineer Hanson to schedule a meeting between the WCD, Barr, and Vice President Bucheck to discuss the additional funds requested by the WCD.

Lake Staff Gages Jay Riggs and Wendy Griffin discussed with the managers the situation of the lake staff gages on certain lakes in the District. The gages have all been placed in the lakes that typically have gages. After discussion, the managers directed Engineer Hanson to work with the WCD to also have gages installed at Echo Lake, Bay Lake, and Acorn Lake. In addition, Engineer Hanson was directed to look for volunteers to read gages at Weber Pond, Capaul=s Pond, Legion Pond, Goose Lake, Clear Lake, Mergens Pond, Rose Lake, and Kraemer Pond. The WCD will also help to find volunteers.

ENGINEER=S REPORT Permit Request: Griggs= Long Lake Shoreline Stabilization, Pine Springs At the last meeting, the managers agreed to support a shoreline restoration project on Long Lake with $2,400 in cost share assistance. For this meeting, Engineer Hanson had mailed to the managers a Permit Review Memorandum, describing the Bill Griggs Lakeshore Restoration, Permit 2007-09, located at 77 Long Lake Road, Mahtomedi, in part of the SW 1/4, Section 32, Township 30 North, Range 21 West. The purpose of the project is to plant a vegetative buffer along the property owner=s Long Lake shoreline.

While the project will improve the current shoreline, the buffer is proposed to be approximately only half the width of that required by the VBWD. After discussion, motion was made by Fetcher and seconded by Scheel to approve Permit # 2007-09 with the engineer=s suggested site-specific conditions and the standard conditions and with a condition that the VBWD encourages the landowner to make the buffer wider and that the VBWD would support providing additional funds to make it wider. Motion carried 3 to 2, with the following vote: Fetcher, Yes; Scheel, Yes; Borash, Yes; Bucheck, No; Johnson, No.

After discussion of the stormwater management, the wetland management and buffers, and the floodplain management, motion was made by Fetcher and seconded by Borash to approve Permit # 2007-08, and to strongly urge the landowner to plant a vegetative buffer upstream of the retaining wall, with the engineer=s suggested site-specific conditions. Motion carried unanimously.

MANAGERS= REPORT Next Meeting - April 26, 2007 The managers expect to have a quorum present at the next meeting on April 26, 2007.

OLD BUSINESS BMP Cost Share Program Vice President Bucheck said he will put together a sample program for the managers= review. It will be a homeowner program involving best management practices. Vice President Bucheck said he will be prepared to present this to the managers at a meeting within a month.