Minutes of Regular Meeting
# 783 Held in the
Lake Elmo City Council Chambers
Thursday, October 25, 2007
MANAGERS PRESENT: Lincoln Fetcher, President; Don Scheel, Secretary, and Dale Borash, Treasurer;
MANAGERS ABSENT: Dave Bucheck, Vice President; and Duane Johnson, Manager
STAFF PRESENT: John Hanson, Barr Engineering; Ray Marshall, Attorney; and Ray Roemmich, Inspector; Karen Schultz, Recording Secretary
STAFF ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Rusty Schmidt, Washington Conservation District; Brian Buchmayer and James Price, Long Lake Association
CALL TO ORDER President Fetcher called the meeting to order at 7:08 pm.
ANNOUNCEMENTS There were no announcements.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES After discussion of the minutes of the October 11, 2007 meeting, motion was made by Borash and seconded by Scheel to approve the minutes as distributed. Motion carried unanimously.
ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS Added to the agenda were the following: Under Managers: Silver Lake; Appointment of New Manager; Under Engineer: Land and Water Legacy; Century College Update.
PUBLIC FORUM There was no discussion in the Public Forum segment of the meeting.
SECRETARY=S REPORT Secretary Scheel reported that the mail had been distributed.
INSPECTOR=S REPORT Inspector Roemmich reported on his inspections made since the last meeting. He reported that he and Secretary Scheel had toured certain areas of VBWD yesterday, October 24th. He updated the managers on the Century College project.
ATTORNEY=S REPORT Park Meadows Attorney Marshall reported that a letter has been sent to the attorney for the City of Lake Elmo, and copied it to the developer of Park Meadows, regarding issues that VBWD has with the permit for the project, as directed by the managers at the last meeting. No reply has been received.
Mark Mann Infiltration Basin Engineer Hanson and Attorney Marshall reported that Attorney Wolle and Barr staff met with Mr. Mann on October 16th to discuss the proposed infiltration basin. Engineer Hanson said that Mr. Mann has limited the area in which the VBWD could use for the infiltration basin. He also reported that Mr. Mann has planted several large trees in the area, which makes the area only about 1.7 acres. After discussion, motion was made by Scheel and seconded by Borash to authorize Attorneys Wolle and Marshall to hire a surveyor to get the legal description of the Mann property. Motion carried unanimously.
TREASURER=S REPORT Treasurer Borash distributed copies of the Administrative and Program Budgets for Fiscal Year 2007 dated September 30, 2007, and the Treasurer=s Report dated October 25, 2007. After discussion, motion was made by Fetcher and seconded by Borash to approve the Treasurer=s Report. Motion carried unanimously.
Washington Conservation District Rusty Schmidt reported that training sessions for rain garden maintenance are being held for public works employees of Lake Elmo and Woodbury. Rusty also told the managers that it could be possible that the Minnesota Conservation Corps could be hired to maintain the rain gardens year around. He also reported that Angie Hong, the Water Resources Educator, is setting up a Stormwater U series for planners, to begin December 13, 2007.
ENGINEER=S REPORT Permit Request: Baytown Township Groundwater Contamination Site Hydraulic Barrier & Treatment System, Lake Elmo Engineer Hanson presented information on a project located southeast of T.H. 5 and Layton Avenue (VFW baseball field), Lake Elmo, in the NE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 Section 13, Township 29 North, Range 21 West.
The purpose of the project is to construct: 1) four groundwater extraction wells that will pump continuously at 100 gallons per minute for a minimum of five years; 2) a treatment building that will include an air stripper to remove the trichloroethylene (TCE) from the extracted groundwater; 3) two to four horizontal infiltration wells beneath the City of Lake Elmo=s VFW ballfield to dispose the treated groundwater, 4) an irrigation system for the ballfield and a water tap for public non-potable water supply, and 5) three monitoring wells to evaluate potential groundwater mounding.
President Fetcher suggested that some conditions be attached to the permit, such as the pump and the infiltration system will be shut off in the event that the system does not operate as designed, or if there is excessive groundwater mounding; and that VBWD will be provided with copies of the regular monitoring on an annual basis. After much discussion, motion was made by Borash and seconded by Scheel to approve Permit # 2007-26 with suggested conditions. Motion carried unanimously.
Permit Request: Storm Sewer/Pond Maintenance, Mahtomedi Engineer Hanson presented information on a project located at 30 Long Lake Road in Mahtomedi, in the NW 1/4 of the SW 1/4 of Section 32, Township 30 North, Range 21 West. The purpose of the project is to remove silt from a stormwater pond and restore grade above a storm sewer pipe.
After discussion, motion was made by Fetcher and seconded by Scheel to approve Permit # 2007-27 with the engineer=s suggested site-specific condition and the standard conditions. Motion carried unanimously.
Farms of Lake Elmo Engineer Hanson had mailed to the managers copies of a letter to the developer of Farms of Lake Elmo. In the letter, the developer is given a deadline of November 15th to make the improvements needed in the project. The managers approved the letter.
Torre Pines, Lake Elmo In the spring, the managers had authorized Barr Engineering to work with the landowners in the Torre Pines project living adjacent to the area where a swale should have been constructed during development. Engineer Hanson said he was finally able to meet with the landowners and survey the area where the swale was intended. He reported to the managers at this meeting that authorization from the managers is needed to submit a grading permit to the City of Lake Elmo and hire a contractor to have the work done. After discussion, motion was made by Fetcher and seconded by Borash to proceed with application for the needed permits, and that Engineer Hanson should meet with a contractor regarding the construction of the swale in the Torre Pines project. Motion carried unanimously.
Update: Stormwater Pond Maintenance Engineer Hanson reported that Barr Engineering is working to develop plans and specifications for restoring several stormwater ponds within VBWD. He said it may be difficult to get approvals to remove sediment from about half of the ponds because they are within wetlands and wetland replacement might be required. Engineer Hanson will keep the managers updated.
Washington County Land and Water Legacy Program President Fetcher reported that he had received a packet from Jane Harper with copies of the applications to the program. At the previous managers= meeting, Engineer Hanson had reported on the sites within the VBWD and that he had provided comments to Ms. Harper.
MANAGERS= REPORT Next Meeting - November 8, 2007 The managers expect to have a quorum at the next meeting. The managers will hold a pre-meeting at 6:00 p.m. with Angie Hong, their Water Resources Educator. Jay Riggs of the Washington Conservation District will also be invited.
Silver Lake President Fetcher reported that the MnDNR is requiring a lake vegetation management plan for whole-lake aquatic plant treatments. He is working with the Silver Lake Improvement Association to draft a plan.
New Manager Appointed President Fetcher announced that the Washington County Board of Commissioners has appointed Ray Lucksinger, Lake Elmo, to replace Duane Johnson, who did not seek reappointment.
President Fetcher also said that he has been reappointed to a three-year term by the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners.
ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Borash and seconded by Scheel at 9:01 pm to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully Submitted,
/s/ Don Scheel, Secretary
Don Scheel, Secretary
Minutes Approved by Managers 11/08/07