Town Board — Minutes

1 REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES DATE: July 9, 2024 Chairman Fred Stoll called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. Supervisors Myron Olson and Kevin Mackie, Diane Nelson, Clerk ; Amy Eliot, Treasurer; Mark Johnson, Streets Dept; Keith Kesler, Fire Chief; and Gene Germano, Trusty Trucking, also attended. Minutes: Myron motioned, seconded by Kevin to approve the minutes of last month ’s board meeting, motion passed. Financial Report : The financial report showed: $38,055.68 in checking, $296,913.30 in the general money market account which includes $165,112.92 in a sub-account dedicated to the town garage, $19,219.21 in real estate tax account, $12,398.34 in personal property tax account, $10,945.23 in equipment account, and $70,043.32 in the ARPA Grant account. Myron motioned, seconded by Kevin to accept the financial report, and authorize paying the bills, motion passed. County Supervisor’s Report: Scott was unable to attend but provided a schedule for Hwy H reconstruction, 60% Plan Set is due April 1, 2025. Town Officers Reports: Myron Fred discussed a meeting with DOT and interested stakeholders planned for Friday, July 19 at the bridge over S andy Run on Hwy 27. Diane provided a support lett er for renaming the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to Apostle Islands National Park, which the board signed. Road Report: Mark has been blading roads and working on Ski Trail and River Roads. He’s been spending more time than usual collecting garbage at the ballfields, wildlife had been having a field day. Myron and Mark investigated roads identified as needing work during the road inspections. Wentala and Kauppi both need work and will go on the next agenda. Birch and a bad section on Hill both need pulverizing and gravel. Diane and Myron will put out a Class 1 Notice for this project as it is expected to exceed $5,000. Myron is still trying to get an estimate for work on Park and Highlanding as they are eligible for DNR funding. Fire Chief Report : They have had 3 medical calls, 2 m otor vehicle accidents , and 1 carbon monoxide since the last meeting. He received a call several hours after one accident relaying kind words from the flight crew for the professionalism and skill of our responders. Keith also expressed concern about a proposed adoption of NFPA standards by OSHA. As Wisconsin adopted verbatim OSHA rules, if NFPA standards become OSHA rules, the cost will be unbearable. As an example, we just replaced turnout gear at a cost of almost $100K thanks to a grant . NFPA standar ds recommend replacement every 10 years, no matter h ow good their condition. We’ve had gear in good condition much much longer than 10 years, which is fine as a standard but if it became a rule we would need to throw them out and purchase new. And gear is only one of many items the new rules could apply to. Also, other requirements, such as annual physicals for all the volunteers , annual performance testing, development of written response plans, new paperwork requirements, etc. would become so onerous it would be hard to keep volunteers. 2 New Business: Zoning: Nothing needed approval. Inadequate driveway access for emergency vehicles: The fire department is concerned about driveways that are too narrow, winding, etc. for emergency vehicles to navigate and the town’s liability for providing services. Keith was recently informed the town should notify the property in writing that their private road and/or dri veway does not meet the minimum standards required for the emergency vehicles to provide services. Diane will write a letter and send it via certified mail. Old Business: Fire Dept. Water Source: Tim Butterfield met with Kevin and Keith. He should be here any day to install the test well. Myron and Keith went to Duluth to see the water tank, but the owner forgot and wasn’t there. They will reschedule. Town correspondence was reviewed. The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 PM. Respectfully submitted, Diane Nelson, Clerk